Stop Waiting for a Burning Bush: Finding Identity in the In-Between

Stop Waiting for a Burning Bush

We often believe purpose will arrive in a single, undeniable moment—a burning bush, a prophetic word, a clear sign that changes everything overnight.
 But what if purpose isn’t always revealed in stillness…
 What if it’s revealed while you’re already in motion?

In this episode of Between the Prayer and the Promise, host Laneice Runnels  invites you into an honest, faith-filled conversation about the in-between season—the place where identity is formed, faith is refined, and purpose begins to unfold through serving.

Drawing from her personal journey and reflections from 7 Day Journey to Discovering Your Purpose, Laneice shares how serving others during a season of uncertainty became the very place God shaped her calling. This episode explores the powerful difference between believing God is able—and believing God is able through you.

If you’ve been waiting for clarity…
 If you feel unseen, overlooked, or unsure if what you’re doing matters…
 If you’re serving faithfully but still wondering, “Is this it?”

This episode is for you.

Anchored in Hebrews 10:23, this conversation is a reminder that the waiting is not wasted, the serving is not small, and God is faithful to fulfill every promise—often beginning long before we see the outcome.

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Transcript

Purpose Revealed While In Motion

Serving Without Clarity

Making God’s Name Great

Faith Versus Identity

Esther’s Identity And Courage

Identity Formed Through Service

The Loneliness Of The In‑Between

Waiting Is Preparation

Purpose Formed In Hidden Places

Hold To Hope God Is Faithful

Prayer For Seeing As God Sees

Chosen To Walk It Out

Promise Revealed Through Obedience

Closing Encouragement And Blessing

Keep Serving While You Wait

SPEAKER_00 0:07

We often believe that purpose comes wrapped in a moment, a burning bush, a clear sign, a prophetic word that changes everything overnight, right? You think that if we just pray hard enough, fast long enough, wait patiently enough, God will suddenly just download our entire calling all in one divine revelation? Not that that can't happen, right? But what if I told you that that's not normally how it works? What if purpose isn't always given to you in stillness, but revealed to you while you are already in motion? What if the very thing you're doing right now in this uncertain season is actually uncovering what God wants to show you, the very thing you've been asking him. I share with you that before I start interviewing guests, which will be happening very soon, I wanted to share more about my story and something that transformed me. It wasn't in the stillness, but it was definitely in my uncertain time, and I of course had to be still to hear him, but it wasn't that everything was clear for me because actually nothing was clear. It wasn't that it all came for me at a moment when I was standing on the stage, when I was just leading all these people, I wasn't even sure what I was building, but guess what? I was serving, I was showing up for women who were hurting, I was listening to their stories, I was sitting in their pain, I was asking God to use me even when I didn't understand the full picture yet. And in the middle of all that serving, I found myself asking God the same question over and over again. Why am I doing this? Is this about me making my name known? Or am I making your name great? And it was that question Am I making your name great? God, what I'm doing, am I making your name great? That is a question that shifted everything for me. Because here's what God began to show me. My calling wasn't about me being seen, it was about me seeing others. It wasn't about me building a platform, it was about me building people up. And somewhere in that journey, God revealed something powerful to me about the difference between faith and identity. You see, faith is the ability to believe that God is able. A lot of us believe that God is able. We say it all the time, God is able. But identity is the ability to believe that God is able to do it through me. So I asked you today, do you believe that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly and more through you? Think about Esther. It took faith to believe that God could save her people, but it took identity to say, if I perish, let me perish, and for her to walk into that thorn room. It took identity for her to step into the very reason she had even been placed in the palace for such a time as this. Esther had to see herself not just as an orphan girl who got lucky, not just as a queen by chance, but as a woman chosen and positioned by God for a purpose that was bigger than her comfort and bigger than her fear. And that's what God has been teaching me in this season. That it won't just take faith to accomplish all that God has for you, it's also going to take understanding your identity. It will take you believing that God can do it, but He also can do it through you. God had to remind me that through serving women, through connecting to their pain, through meeting their needs, that I didn't even know that that would be shaping my future. God wasn't just confirming my purpose, he was shaping my identity. And not because I was desperately searching for it, but because my heart was positioned to receive it. I encourage you right now to position yourself. No matter the season you're in, no matter if you feel like I'm ready or I have all the answers, be willing to say yes and be willing to understand that God wants to use you. One of the most important prayers that we can pray is this God help me to see myself the way that you see me. Repeat after me, God help me to see myself the way that you see me. Because when you see yourself the way that God sees you, everything changes. You stop waiting for permission, you stop questioning if you're qualified, you stop shrinking back from the calling he's already placed inside of you. When you see yourself through God's eye, you don't just have the faith that he can do it. You step into the identity of someone he's already anointed to carry it out. That prayer that transformed my life, and I believe that it can transform yours as well. Maybe that's where you're at right now. You're asking, What am I called to do? Why am I here? When will God finally show me my what's next? In the meantime, you feel stuck, you feel overlooked, like you're serving in a space that doesn't even seem ignorant enough to be, you know, that thing, that thing you're supposed to do. But let me be honest with you about something. That in-between season, that in-between space, it can feel incredibly lonely. It can feel like everyone else is moving forward while you're still standing still, like everyone else has clarity while you're still searching. Like you're the only one who doesn't have it all figured out yet. And some days, some days that in between, you just feel sad. You wake up wondering if you missed something, if you're doing enough, if God even sees you, if he sees where you're at. But I need you to hear this. You're not alone. You're not the only one who has felt lost in the waiting season. You're not the only one who's cried out to God and said, What now? What next? You're not the only one who's wondered if this season will ever make sense, if this season will ever end. I've been there. Let me tell you what I've learned. Sometimes the waiting, it's not wasted, it's just preparing you. Sometimes this in-between season is where God shapes your heart, He testes your motives and builds the character you need to carry the promise He's already spoken over your life. But more than that, the in-between, that's where your identity is formed. And even when it feels lonely, even when it feels like no one sees you, God does see you. He hasn't moved on to someone else's story. He's right there with you in the mess, in the mystery. He's doing a deeper work than you can even see. Your purpose isn't on pause just because you don't have the full picture yet. It's being formed in you. Right now, it is being formed in you through the very thing you're tempted to think doesn't even matter. You know, that small group that you're leading, that friend that you keep texting and encouraging, that work that you're doing with no applause, no recognition, that's not just a filler, that is your foundation. God is using every act of service, every moment of your obedience, every choice that you choose to show up to shape who you're becoming, not just what you'll do. Hebrews 10 and 23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. For he who promised is faithful. God is faithful. That means the promise he whispered to you in prayer, the dream he placed in your heart, the calling you feel, but you haven't fully seen it yet, you can't explain it, he's still working on it. And while he's working on it, guess what? He is working on you, he's strengthening your faith. Yes, but also he is establishing your identity, he's helping you see yourself the way that he sees you. So don't despise this season in your life, don't rush past this place where God is doing his deepest work. So if you're in this season where you're feeling unsure, feeling visible, or like you're still waiting for the clarity that everyone else seems to have. If you're feeling lonely, you feel like you're in that between like that in-between season, sad because it's like taking longer than you thought. Hear me out and hear me well. You're not alone, you're not forgotten. Don't stop serving, don't stop showing up, don't stop trusting because God is still working even in this in-between. Your faithfulness in this hidden place is shaping you for the promise in the open space, right? Your willingness to serve without recognition is building the humility you'll need when the recognition comes, and your identity, your identity is being formed. One act of obedience at a time. So again, remember, pray, God, help me to see myself the way that you see me. Because when you do, you'll stop just believing that God can, and you'll start walking in the identity of someone He has chosen. And one day you'll look back and you'll realize God wasn't withholding your promise. He wasn't withholding his promise, he wasn't withholding your purpose, he was revealing it through every act of love, every moment of obedience, every time you chose to serve his people instead of chasing your own spotlight. Thank you for spending these moments with me today. I pray that this encouraged you not just to keep waiting, but to keep serving while you wait, and to remember that even in the loneliest moments, you are not alone. God is with you because the same God who gave the promise is faithful to fulfill it. Until next time, stay rooted, stay faithful, and remember God sees you exactly where you are.