A full circle moment at Jane Austen’s House Museum.

I stood still for a few moments in the garden at Jane Austen’s House Museum this summer and thought, the book I wrote about Jane Austen’s faith is in Jane Austen’s House! It was a full circle moment for sure.

God’s full circle moments happen when he brings to fruition something that he breathed into existence, planted, watered, and harvested. It’s when God does something that’s a dream come true – except you would have never thought to dream it.

Two years ago, when I embarked on the process of writing Praying with Jane, I worked and prayed and poured my sweat and tears into it. Along the way, I caught brief glimpses of what God wanted to do. Not every day. Not that often.

But he gave me rays of light. Moments of understanding. Brief understandings.

And those kept me working and charging ahead.

One evening during church, the Lord brought to mind a picture of a group of British women gathering together near Jane Austen’s House Museum to read my book. I remember saying, “Yes, Lord. May it be so!” all the while wondering, how in the world will that happen?”

Fast forward two years and I found myself at the 70^th “Birthday” celebration of the Jane Austen House Museum, signing copies of my book. They had Regency dancing, cake, ice cream, special tours through the museum, and docents in each room. The house and gardens were decked out for a party—and over 400 excited Jane Austen lovers came through the house that day. Two of them bought a book while I was there.

But this story isn’t just about me – it’s about you, too.

God often plans things we can’t plan on our own, does things we can’t do on our own, and brings to fruition things we could never dream up on our own, all so he can be glorified in all the earth and invite us to be part of it.

God’s full circles often take time.

God didn’t plant the first seeds of a project like Praying with Jane just two years ago. Clear back in 2005, I began to pray for England, Scotland, and Ireland. I prayed God would bring revival and do a mighty work there. I prayed for the opportunity to serve there or minister there. That same year, something else happened that seemed completely unrelated: I wrote my Master’s Thesis on Pride and Prejudice. In 2007, I visited Jane Austen’s House Museum for the first time.

I never dreamed God might someday bring those things together. It’s the same in your life. You pray, you offer your work and your talents to him, but God has vision that is far beyond your vision.

God is doing things in your life right now that you cannot see.

Recently, a wise woman said this to me: “God will do whatsoever he wills with Praying with Jane; it will reach every single person that he intends it to reach. What a comfort to leave all this in His hands.”

I took that and applied to my life and everything I do on a daily basis to love and serve God. Can you apply that to your own life? Your dreams, passions, prayers? What about that area of your life that’s painful, that worries you, that nags? That person or place you’ve prayed over for years?

What a comfort to leave all this in His hands.

“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

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