“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
Wait. How many millions of times have we heard that?! Life is all about hurrying up and waiting or so it seems. We have to wait until we’re older. Wait until we have a job. Wait until we’re married.
Wait upon the Lord. This simple phrase gave me pause. Do I really wait upon the Lord or do I get impatient and jump in and do my own thing because God isn’t fast enough?
Jimmy likes to use this example when he talks about waiting on the Lord… If Jimmy really, really wanted a brand new flat screen TV and he went out and bargained shopped it (that’s what we do in our house). Then he finds an awesome deal where the TV will only cost $700 instead of $900 so he comes back to talk to me about it. Jimmy asks me if it’s okay to buy this $700 TV. I don’t say anything. Does that mean he has the “OK” to go and buy the TV? No way! Just because I don’t give an immediate answer doesn’t mean that I am giving approval. Jimmy needs to wait.
It’s the same with God. Just because He doesn’t say “Yes” right away or He isn’t granting our requests like an all-powerful genie doesn’t mean that we should take things into our own hands. Neither does it mean that He doesn’t hear us. He simply wants us to wait. In Psalm 27, God says we are to be strong and take heart and wait. Don’t give into the temptation to give up! Be strong! Be patient! God will send you His answer in His time and in His way.
“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
Showing posts with label waiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waiting. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A to B not A to Z
Last night I was thinking about Abraham. I don’t know if I should consider him lucky or feel sorry for him. Okay, let me explain. Very seldom does God tell you what the end result is going to be. God told Abraham from the beginning He would make a great nation from him and that his descendants would be as numerous as the sands on the sea shore (Gen. 12:2). Therefore I consider Abraham very lucky. However, God left him hanging on the details. He didn’t tell Abraham how this was going to happen or when it was going to happen. It wasn’t until much later and after a few wrong turns that God finally tells him that it is Isaac He would use to fulfill His promises (Gen. 21:12). It is the feeling of the unknown, “limbo” if you will, which makes me feel sorry for Abraham.
I have seen these very same patterns repeated in my life. When I encounter these issues, I find myself fortunate to have received God’s promises, but then I become impatient with the unknown and begin to feel sorry for myself.
There has only been one instance in my life where I feel I was completely able to trust God through all the steps without complaining, whining, or being impatient. Of course this was partly because things progressed very quickly. It’s now that I have to stop and remember that God never promised to give me all the details A to Z. He did however promise to walk me through from A to B then B to C then C to D, etc.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (also vs. 6)
“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5
Isn’t it amazing that God’s our every insecurity! I truly feel that although these verses were explicitly meant for the people God gave them to He also meant them for me. He knows just how nervous I get when I don’t have everything figured out. He knows the stress that I feel when things are out of my control. He also knows that I need to let go. He is there walking with me each and every day. He is waiting for me to trust Him in the day to day A to B activities so He can fully blow my mind with the A to Z. If I cannot appreciate where I am today and learn the daily lesson God has for me, how can I expect to grasp the big picture?
Pray for me to let go and trust God. I will pray the same for you. It’s so simple and yet so incredibly hard! Yet the reward is more than worth it!
Grace and Peace,
Christiana
I have seen these very same patterns repeated in my life. When I encounter these issues, I find myself fortunate to have received God’s promises, but then I become impatient with the unknown and begin to feel sorry for myself.
There has only been one instance in my life where I feel I was completely able to trust God through all the steps without complaining, whining, or being impatient. Of course this was partly because things progressed very quickly. It’s now that I have to stop and remember that God never promised to give me all the details A to Z. He did however promise to walk me through from A to B then B to C then C to D, etc.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (also vs. 6)
“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5
Isn’t it amazing that God’s our every insecurity! I truly feel that although these verses were explicitly meant for the people God gave them to He also meant them for me. He knows just how nervous I get when I don’t have everything figured out. He knows the stress that I feel when things are out of my control. He also knows that I need to let go. He is there walking with me each and every day. He is waiting for me to trust Him in the day to day A to B activities so He can fully blow my mind with the A to Z. If I cannot appreciate where I am today and learn the daily lesson God has for me, how can I expect to grasp the big picture?
Pray for me to let go and trust God. I will pray the same for you. It’s so simple and yet so incredibly hard! Yet the reward is more than worth it!
Grace and Peace,
Christiana
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