Marydean Draws

  • Home
  • About
    • About & Contact
    • Creating my hymn prints
  • Bible with Me
    • Bible Studies
    • Bible Printables & Screensavers
    • Bible on the Blog (by topic)
  • Paint with Me
  • My Substack
  • The Blog
  • WHOLESALE
  • the SHOP
    • SHOP ALL
    • NEW
    • 2026 Hymn Calendar
    • Stickers
    • Notepads
    • POSTCARDS
      • All Postcards
      • Postcard Sets
    • Greeting Cards
      • Boxed Card Sets
      • Anniversary + Love
      • Baby
      • Birds
      • Bible Verse Cards
      • Birthday
      • Celebration
      • Christmas Cards
      • Friendship
      • Hymn Cards
      • Sympathy/Empathy
    • ART PRINTS
      • Hymns
        • Fall 2024 Hymn Collection
        • HYMN POSTCARDS/Mini Prints
        • CHRISTMAS
      • Florals
      • Birds
      • Jesus Speaks to Women
      • Landscapes
      • Encouragement
      • Harrisonburg/Local
      • CHRISTMAS
    • BIBLE PRINTABLES
      • Full Color Card Sets
      • Coloring Pages
      • Advent + Christmas Printables
      • PRINTABLES in SPANISH
    • CHRISTMAS
    • Watercolor Templates
    • $5 BIBLE CARD SETS
    • Gift Cards
    • STUDIO SALE
    • *PRINT SALE*
    • Your account
    • Wishlist
  •  
December 16, 2014 hope•Jesus•trials•waiting

the longing heart

I’m waiting, not so patiently. Thirty-seven week pregnant and three weeks (or less) seem so far away.

I realize when I’m forced to wait that my faith is often small, my hope short, and my patience untested.

I am waiting for a baby that will most definitely come at some point. Small potatoes.

Others in my life are waiting too:
One for a foster child to fill a beautifully decorated room in her home.
One on a chaotic government to come through so she can bring home an adopted daughter from abroad.
One for a child to be conceived miraculously in her womb, waiting through miscarriages, another through terrible losses.
One for a spouse and a lonely bed to be warmed.
One for God to work in a marriage and spouse.
One for her body to heal and pain to cease.

So much waiting. And there is no erasing the pain of waiting. There is no promising that the waiting will end soon.

But there is ONE we don’t have to wait for.

JESUS.

We started putting this package (and only this one until Christmas day) under our tree last year.

He is here. NOW.
He HAS COME.
He HAS DELIVERED.
He WILL DELIVER.
He is my Comforter, Counselor, the Mighty God, Prince of Peace.

In my waiting, He may be up to a thousand things–or more. I like John Piper’s quote: “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”

On this I can rest my hope and turn my weary head, even in my “small potatoes” waiting.

I’m loving this Charles Wesley hymn this Christmas (and great video here):
Come, Thou long expected Jesus

Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

So I am praying these things:
  • Release us from our fears and sins
  • Let us find our rest in YOU
  • Be the joy of our longing hearts
  • Rule alone in our hearts
  • Raise our eyes to Your glorious throne!
Merry Christmas friends!

Previous Keeping in step
Next homeschool kindergarten: fall round-up & things we like in the homeschool room

Related Posts

Jesus Speaks to Women: Mary at the Empty Tomb

Jesus

Right now counts + free printable!

books that shape me

Jesus Speaks to Women: the sisters mourning

Jesus

An opportunity to trust

anxiety

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to the blog!

I’m Mary and I’m glad you’re here! Since 2014, I’ve been sharing encouraging words, fun Bible printables, and accessible art activities.

let’s talk about . . .

SEARCH THE BLOG

If you look up artwork or movies featuring Mary Ma If you look up artwork or movies featuring Mary Magdalene, you’ll often find her depicted as a penitent woman or as sexualized, with her clothes literally falling off her body. It was Pope Gregory the Great who proposed that Mary Magdalene’s seven demons represented the seven deadly sins and that she was both a prostitute and the penitent sinner who anoints Jesus in Luke 7:36-50 (Jennifer Powell McNutt).

Later church historians assumed that Mary Magdalene’s great sins were to blame for her demon possession (McNutt). While the Western Church came to see Mary Magdalene as a prostitute and a great sinner, the Eastern Orthodox church honored her as the leader of the “myrrh-bearing women” (Taylor and Bond).

Read some research into the REAL Mary Magdalene story here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/jesus-speaks-to-women-chapter-16
In today's Friday newsletter: 🌸 Mother's Day Sa In today's Friday newsletter:
🌸 Mother's Day Sale! 20% off with the MOMLOVE on my website. Mother's day is Sunday, May 10 this year.
🌸 Part 1 of the Mary Magdalene study is up on Substack. Have you ever heard that she was a prostitute? Where did that come from? Is it Biblical? I was fascinated by how her story has been told through history, the origins of her name, what it means that she had been possessed by seven demons, and her place among Jesus’ disciples. 
🌸 The Holy Post podcast episode with Bri Stensrud, the director of Women of Welcome, “a community dedicated to diving into the whole of scripture to understand God’s heart for the immigrant and refugee.” 

Read the newsletter here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/marys-friday-newsletter-41726

Read the Mary Magdalene post here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/jesus-speaks-to-women-chapter-16

If you sign up for my newsletter, you can receive all my posts in your inbox. Sign up on my website at www.marydeandraws.com or find me on Substack. You don't need the Substack app to read my posts, but it's easy to use, and you can listen to any of the stories with the playback feature.
When I started writing the Jesus Speaks to Women B When I started writing the Jesus Speaks to Women Bible studies last year, I started collecting books on New Testament women. I really didn’t know where to start at first. I wasn’t familiar with the scholarship about women in the Bible, and I hadn’t even heard of any female theologians doing this work!

So you don’t have to start from scratch if you’re like I was, I’m going to share a list of books I’ve learned from in the last year. Some are more academic than others, but all have been helpful. 

See the list here or find me "Marydean Draws" on Substack:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/books-about-women-in-the-new-testament
In today's Friday newsletter: 🌸 things I learne In today's Friday newsletter:
🌸 things I learned from my pastor dad (in honor of his birthday)
🌸 upcoming bird collage workshop at Friendly City Clay and Art Center
🌸 using oil pastels + a recommended set from Blick
🌸 book about women in the New Testament 
🌸 preparing to write about Mary Magdalene and the resurrection stories

Read it all here:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/marys-friday-newsletter-41026

The post about books about New Testament women:
https://marydeandraws.substack.com/p/books-about-women-in-the-new-testament

If you sign up for my newsletter, you can receive all my posts in your inbox. Sign up on my website at www.marydeandraws.com or find me on Substack. You don't need the Substack app to read my posts, but it's easy to use, and you can listen to any of the stories with the playback feature.
Follow on Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter!

Copyright ©Marydean Draws 2025 2026 Marydean Draws
Theme by SheShoppes

Hi there! Would you like to join my newsletter?

I send new Bible studies on Wednesdays and a free newsletter
on Fridays filled with encouragement, good reads, and shop updates.
As a thank you for signing up, I’ll send you a printable 5×7″ print.