Episode 4: When Life Feels Like One Long Wait: The Quiet Work of God

Episode 4: When Life Feels Like One Long Wait: The Quiet Work of God

Lamentations 3:25–26 + Gilead by Marilynne Robinson In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. Today we’re going to wait. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” //Lamentations 3:25–26 Waiting rarely feels good. We call it frustrating. Delayed. Unfair. We ask God for patience—and then find ourselves in long lines, long conversations, long healing processes, long seasons where nothing seems to move. But Lamentations was written in the rubble of Jerusalem. The city had fallen. The temple had burned. The people were living with the consequences of idolatry and injustice. And right there—in the middle of grief—comes this quiet declaration: The Lord is good to those who wait for him. Waiting in Lamentations is corrective. Waiting in Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is mortal. Reverend John Ames is not under judgment—he is under time. Yet both kinds of waiting lead to the same place: Dependence. In this episode, Lisa explores how waiting exposes our limits, loosens our grip on control, and invites us to entrust the future to God. Through Scripture and story, we discover that waiting is not wasted time—it is often the quiet work of God forming us from the inside out. Not all waiting is the same. But all waiting confronts us with the same question: Will I try to rescue myself—or will I entrust myself to the Lord? In this episode, we explore: * Why Lamentations calls waiting “good” in the middle of devastation * The difference between corrective waiting and mortal waiting * How dependence, not control, becomes the turning point * What John Ames teaches us about blessing what we cannot manage * How quiet waiting is not passivity—but surrendered faithfulness * The interior work God may be doing when nothing seems to change Waiting does not always change our circumstances. But it changes our sight. It steadies us. Journaling Questions 1. In what area of my life am I waiting?  2. As I wait, what is already in my hands that I can honor? 3. What virtue might God be developing in me through this wait? Key Scripture Lamentations 3:25–26. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Show Mention Abriendo tu corazón [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com/collections/study-guides/products/abriendo-tu-corazon]. This translated Spanish version of our most popular Bible study, Opening Your Heart, is now available in our shop.  Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Episode 3: When You’re in a Changing Season: Holding Endings and Beginnings Together

Ecclesiastes 3:1–9 + The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. Today we’re going to slow down together with one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture: “For everything there is a season.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) There are seasons in life we welcome with open arms—births, beginnings, planting, building. And then there are seasons we would rather skip—endings, letting go, watching time pass. In this episode, Lisa reflects on the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 3 alongside Katrina Kenison’s memoir The Gift of an Ordinary Day. Together, they offer a gentle invitation for anyone navigating midlife, motherhood, relocation, identity shifts, or the quiet ache of change. What do we do when a chapter closes? How do we make peace with what was while stepping into what is becoming? How does God hold us steady when everything feels like it’s moving? In this episode we explore how to: * Bear witness instead of trying to control * Embrace slowness instead of striving * Release nostalgia without losing gratitude * Root identity in being a beloved daughter of God—not in roles or seasons God does not steady us by freezing time. He steadies us by being present in every season. Journaling Questions 1. What season am I resisting right now—and why? 2. Where might God be inviting me to bear witness instead of control? 3. What “ending” do I need to bless so that I can step more freely into what is beginning? Key Scripture Ecclesiastes 3:1. For everything there is a season. Show Mention Spiritual Motherhood: The Transforming Power of the Feminine Genius [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com/collections/study-guides/products/spiritual-motherhood-bible-study]. Pre-order for shipping in early August 2026.  Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Episode 2: When You Can’t Fix It: Letting God Fight for You

Exodus 14:14 + He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. Today we’re going to slow down together with one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture: “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still” (Exodus 14:14). What do you do when you can’t fix it? When a relationship is strained. When someone you love is struggling. When a diagnosis, injustice, or uncertainty feels unbearable. In this episode, Lisa reflects on He Leadeth Me by Father Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., and the powerful promise of Exodus 14:14. Standing at the edge of the Red Sea, the Israelites faced what felt impossible. Behind them: Pharaoh’s army. Before them: the sea. No way forward. No way back. And into that panic, God gave a command that feels just as counterintuitive today: Be still. In this episode, we explore: * Why our instinct is to control when we feel afraid * The hidden pride beneath our striving * The “if only” spiral that keeps us stuck in regret * How surrender is not passivity, but trust * What Father Ciszek discovered about freedom in the midst of suffering Sometimes God does not part the sea immediately. Sometimes He asks us to trust Him inside it. This episode is an invitation to release what was never yours to carry—and to believe that the Lord is fighting for you, even when you cannot see Him moving. Journaling Questions 1. Name your Red Sea. Where in your life do you feel trapped—with something threatening behind you and something impossible in front of you? What fear is driving your urge to control? 2. Consider your grip. Is there a plan or outcome you are holding tightly? What would “being still” look like there? Key Scripture Exodus 14:14. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still. Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Episode 1: When the World Won’t Slow Down: Learning to Stand Still

Psalm 46 + Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry In a world that rarely slows down, God invites us to be still. In this first season of Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast, Lisa Brenninkmeyer explores six Scriptures that teach us how to stop striving, quiet our hearts, and trust Him in the middle of real life. Through the wisdom of the Bible and the companionship of great books, we’ll discover how God gently holds us steady and invites us to be still—right where we are. Today we’re going to slow down together with one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) We often picture this verse as soft and peaceful—but Psalm 46 was written in the middle of chaos. Mountains fall. Waters roar. Nations rage. And right there, God says: Be still. Stillness isn’t the absence of trouble. It’s the decision to trust God in the middle of it. In this episode, Lisa reflects on Psalm 46 alongside Wendell Berry’s novel Hannah Coulter, a quiet story about one woman’s faithful life of loving her family, tending her home, and staying rooted in one place. Together, Scripture and story remind us that holiness is often hidden in the ordinary. You don’t have to hold the world together. You don’t have to chase a bigger life. God is already present in the one you’ve been given. In this episode, we explore: * What “be still” really means in Hebrew (stop striving, release your grip) * Why stillness is trust, not passivity * Wendell Berry’s vision of “membership” and belonging * The sacredness of ordinary, everyday faithfulness * How Mary at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10) models the same posture of presence Journaling Questions 1. Where in my life am I striving or gripping tightly — and how might God be inviting me to release control and trust Him instead? 2. What ordinary people or places has God already entrusted to me that I’m being called to love more faithfully this week? Key Scripture Psalm 46:10. Be still, and know that I am God. Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].

Introducing Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast

Welcome to Be Still: A Walking with Purpose Podcast. Walking with Purpose is a Catholic women’s apostolate helping women personally know Christ through Scripture. I’m Lisa Brenninkmeyer, and each week I’ll open the Bible with you and unpack God’s Word in a way that speaks to your real, everyday life. Scripture will always be our foundation. And because God often uses story to awaken our hearts, I’ll also draw from great books that have deepened my own faith. As my family steps into a new season of owning a beloved local bookstore in Camden, Maine, I’ll be weaving reflections from novels, memoirs, and spiritual classics into our time together. Life can feel noisy and demanding and it’s easy to rush past the voice of God. This podcast is an invitation to slow down and be still long enough to hear Him. Together, we’ll look honestly at our struggles and hopes, and discover how God meets us right where we are. Whether you’re driving, walking, or folding laundry, this time is for you and the Lord. So open your heart. Open your Bible. And invite God in. Let’s stay connected. Don’t miss an episode. Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform.  Stay in the know. Connect with us [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/our-podcasts/] today.  We are committed to creating content that is free and easily accessible to every woman—especially the one looking for answers but unsure of where to go. If you've enjoyed this podcast, prayerfully consider making a donation to support it [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/donate-podcast/] and other WWP outreach programs that bring women closer to Christ. Learn more about WWP on our website [https://walkingwithpurpose.com/podcasts]. Our shop [https://shop.walkingwithpurpose.com]. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/walkingwithpurpose_official], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/walkingwithpurpose], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/c/WalkingwithPurpose_official].