10 things you don’t need to know about what I’m thinking.

It’s Monday and I feel the need to post a truly non-spiritual non-life-altering blog with content that will possibly be completely useless to you and you won’t be able to get the 2-3 minutes back that it took you to read it. I apologize.

We all have thoughts that are constantly being censored by our conscience, convictions and hopefully good manners that we learned from great parents.  The ability to manage those thoughts and filter what is actually spoken or written is something we do rather naturally when we are well-rested and in our full capacities. (The help of the Holy Spirit is also nice but I’m not making this a spiritual blog so I won’t mention it. *wink) If we are wise, we learn to do this better as we grow older.  My father always said “Study to be quiet”.  His intent was less about the quiet and more about wisely choosing when and what to speak.  It’s not necessary or advisable to tell every thought that goes through your head.

Hand over my mouth....
Hand over my mouth….

I was at a party with some friends recently and someone brought up the subject of a rather embarrassing event for me. I had an eye surgery several years ago and was on some strong pain medication that made me quite loopy…. actually, I was completely high. I didn’t realize how “high” this medicine was making me because I had been home recovering for most of the week while I was taking it.  Unfortunately, I attended a wedding at the end of that week and I did so completely high on Percocet. What I learned about that experience is that I don’t like the feeling of not being control of my behavior.  It was both funny and alarming to actually SAY every thought that crossed my mind.  No filter.  Everything just flowed right out of my mouth. (I also felt the need to get extremely close to people when I talked to them, like a drunk girl… but I digress.)

Ok… I can’t help it. I guess there will be a spiritual point to this.

When I think about that experience now, I think about who I really am inside.  The “me” that I am constantly subtly censoring.  Self-control is a fruit of the spirit of God as is the favorite top 3, love, peace & joy.  We should all be self-controlled about the things we say and even the thoughts we have.

  • At what point, though, do we stop needing to censor ourselves so much and actually experience a true transformation inside?
  • When do our thoughts become God’s thoughts?  He says we can have the “mind of Christ”…..
  • If someone looked into my thoughts, would they say they look like God’s thoughts?

I’d like to say that I have grown spiritually and changed a bit since my lovely Percocet adventure. That is likely true, BUT… I sit here today knowing that at my core, my flesh is sinful.  If I don’t spend time feeding my spirit with good things and building up my spirit, my flesh will be the stronger of the two and I will start trying to “be” good rather than letting goodness “be” in me.  (wow… that was profound, and I didn’t even plan that!)

So…. back to random and meaningless.  Here are 10 thoughts that I don’t mind letting come out of my mouth (typing fingers) today but will not change your life or benefit you in any way!  All safely in the meaningless Ecclesiastes category!

1. Why do the little bits at the bottom of a bag of Cheetos taste so good and why can’t they be good for you like an apple?  Why do I want to eat something sweet and Chocolate now too?  (because I’m trying to lose weight and I can’t have either of these things!)

2. Did Jesus ever have accidents?  I always wonder, did he ever accidentally knock over a glass full of water? Did he accidentally hit his thumb with a hammer?

3. Tom Selleck and Mark Harmon.  Not bad thoughts. I think they are both “grandpa-sexy”.  I hope that doesn’t offend you….maybe I should have censored this thought.

4. Occasionally, like today, my face still breaks out like a teenager.  I hate this.

5. I confess, I have an obsession with Bath and Body Works 3 wick candles and Room plug-ins. I have a coupon sitting by my computer as I type this and I’m telling myself to resist this temptation.

6. I really like using Biblegateway.com to look up scriptures.  Still… I also love my stack of Bibles sitting on the table next to me right now.

7.  I still haven’t done my taxes for 2012. I finally have the Turbotax program in my hands waiting for me to do them. Deadline  to submit is Oct 15th. I will probably wait until that actual day to file them. (this is starting to give me stress… and may be an answer to #4 random thought.)

Ahhh... a Coke in Bethlehem, Israel.
Ahhh… a Coke in Bethlehem, Israel.

8. Now that I’ve mentioned taxes, I’m back to thinking about the fact that I need to get a new computer before I can do my taxes.

9. I really like Coco-Cola. The very best fountain drink mix of carb & cola is from the Cookie Company at the mall.  The also serve it on really great crushed ice.   *I don’t drink Coke regularly at all but only because of health & diet reasons….otherwise, I love it!  

10.  I talked with a friend last night who said she doesn’t think she will get married or have kids. I understand the thought but it still makes me a little sad today when I think about it.

Puppy & Kitten
Puppy & Kitten

11.  Puppies and Kittens.  Yeah… I had to add another thought of something sweet that makes me smile after having that last thought.

God can fill your empty vessel

I’ve read the story many times from 2 Kings about the Widow who was able to fill numerous jars of oil as God did a miracle to provide for her in a time of desperate need. Today, I was challenged to believe for a an “empty vessel” kind of miracle in my own life and the lives of people I know and love. I’m putting my faith into action!

2 Kings 4: 4-7 The Message (MSG)

4 One day the wife of a man from the guild of prophets called out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead. You well know what a good man he was, devoted to God. And now the man to whom he was in debt is on his way to collect by taking my two children as slaves.”

2 Elisha said, “I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Nothing,” she said. “Well, I do have a little oil.”

3-4 “Here’s what you do,” said Elisha. “Go up and down the street and borrow jugs and bowls from all your neighbors. And not just a few—all you can get. Then come home and lock the door behind you, you and your sons. Pour oil into each container; when each is full, set it aside.”

5-6 She did what he said. She locked the door behind her and her sons; as they brought the containers to her, she filled them. When all the jugs and bowls were full, she said to one of her sons, “Another jug, please.”

He said, “That’s it. There are no more jugs.”

Then the oil stopped.

7 She went and told the story to the man of God. He said, “Go sell the oil and make good on your debts. Live, both you and your sons, on what’s left.”

The widow only had one pot of oil… that was it. She had no means of providing for herself & her sons MUCHLESS the money to pay creditors for other debts. She’s already lost her husband, the prophet, and now was about to lose her 2 sons. Elisha simply asked her what she had… and God worked with what she had to bring a miracle of multiplication into her life!

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My Jar of Prayer Requests

This widow gathered empty pots. What good would empty pots be? God was going to do what she could not do for herself but she had to do what seemed foolish (asking her neighbors for empty pots and gathering them all in her home) before God could meet the need.
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What a miracle: Having faith over an empty pot.

Today, I searched through my house and found an empty yellow pot that I’ve used to display decorator items in for my home. I emptied it out and started filling it up! I believe that God can meet all my needs. Do we believe He can still fill empty vessels? I started writing my prayer requests on individual sheets of paper from a notepad and have filled the vessel with needs. I have faith that the God of Elisha is the one true living God, unchanging and all-powerful and He can still perform miracles!

I invite you to at least give this a try… or at least do something similar. It’s not about filling a jar or a cup or a bag. It’s simply doing something in the physical, by faith, expecting something supernatural from God. Some say that sounds crazy but I’m not concerned about what people think of me. I have names in that jar of people I love who need healing, salvation, a place to live, broken relationships to be mended, financial needs of missionaries I’m in touch with around the world, my own needs as well… My jar is filled with needs and I’m asking God to meet them all! If you think that’s too crazy, you probably wouldn’t have borrowed an empty pot either, or shouted praises believing the walls of Jericho would come down or let Jesus put mud on your eyes believing that when you washed that mud off, your sight would be restored!

I’ve been making lists for Jesus (Things to do!) for many years. Now, I’m putting those things into this jar. Every day I will pray over the needs in this jar and worship, praise & THANK GOD for filling the pot… meeting the need… doing something miraculous in each situation represented. This is nothing but an act of faith, letting God know I believe in his supernatural intervention.

Write your needs and prayer requests down. Make a list of your lost loved ones that are unsaved. Need to sell land, a house or a car? Put it in the vessel. Need a contract to be signed? List it all and Worship. Shut the world out, cut your phone off, put a do not disturb sign up. Praise God for your vessel being filled.20130815-165140.jpg

  • PRAYER: Talking to God, Earnest or urgent request

  • SUPPLICATION: Humbly requesting help. Gently approaching.

  • THANKSGIVING: Worship and praise for things already done and things that are about to happen.

*This blog was inspired by a post by my friend Karen Harding

GOOD SOLID DECISIONS

Make your decisions based on the truth of God’s word and you will stand on a solid foundation.

Decisions made based on your own human reasoning can be argued from every direction and no one will ever be satisfied.

#Truth #GodsWord #Psalm1

Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Wait Well

I’ve been thinking, praying, and preparing to speak at a local single ladies event, SheConnect over Teatime, this weekend. The host of this lovely soiree is a dear friend of mine, Frances Rivera.  She asked me a few months ago if I would do this and specifically wanted me to share some of my testimony.

So many times a ladies “singles” event focuses on topics like

  • How to find a husband
  • How to prepare yourself for the mate God has for you
  • How to avoid temptation in a dating relationship
  • Where to find available Christian men!

Those topics are certainly of interest to single women but if that is all we focus on in life, we can become consumed and defined by an emptiness rather than being filled and destined with purpose.  It is a classic big-picture case of looking at life as a glass half empty or half full.

Yes, I am the 41 year old virgin who isn’t embarrassed about that fact (actually, I think there should be some kind of award for those who “wait” as I have!) so my testimony is clearly not about how I found and caught my husband.  My testimony is more about how to WAIT WELL.

Me and Carol Bryant Hardwick.  Love her so much!
Me and Carol Bryant Hardwick. Love her so much!

My dear friend & mentor, Pastor Carol Bryant Hardwick has used that phrase “wait well” many times through the years.  After her first marriage came to a cruel end, Carol spent many years as one who waited well.  She was the very picture of contentment with God’s plans and purposes for her life and as a younger single adult, I was both inspired and baffled by her genuine peace & rest in that area of her life. A few years ago, God divinely lead her into marriage again (quite a fantastic story that I won’t go into today) and she is genuinely as happy and delightful today as a wife as she was all those years as a single woman.  Carol waited well.  She recently said the same thing about ME as she and her husband were praying for my yet-to-be-discovered husband and it felt like the biggest compliment I’ve ever received.

To “wait well” is to wait in faith.

Do I get lonely?  Yes.  Do I want to be loved? Yes.  Do I ever worry about getting too old to get married and/or have kids? Yes.  Do I ever think about past relationships/dates/close friendships and wonder what if? Yes, of course.  I am human.  My mind thinks about all of those things and a whole list of other maladies of the single adult! Waiting well doesn’t mean your mind and emotions don’t go there… it means you don’t allow them to LIVE there.  2 Cor. 10:15 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  All of those thoughts are what the enemy wants us to focus on rather than spend our time thinking about the TRUTH in God’s word about our lives.  We must discipline our thoughts to line up with God’s word and not with whatever emotion we happen to feel that day.  Whatever we rehearse faithfully in our minds is what we will believe.

  • Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1)
  • Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12)
  • But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.  (Isaiah 40:31)

These three scriptures have become the foundation for my life as a single woman, living a purposeful life to wait well.  I believe that God absolutely will give us the desires of our heart as we seek Him first in all things.  As long as I simply “hope” to be married one day, I will live in a state of deferred hope as long as I remain single, which is what makes a person “heartsick”.  Instead, I must take that hope and move it into a prayer of FAITH.  I pray in FAITH and believe that God has heard me and has already provided/acted/produced… it is already done.  Mark 11:24 “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours”. Now, I am no longer “hoping” that I will get married “one day” but I believe that it is done and am simply WAITING.  Hoping leads to heart-sickness but waiting from a place of faith will BUILD STRENGTH!  This is powerful!  It’s also freeing to understand that if the desire for marriage is in your heart, God is not trying to tease or trick you. Lay that desire before God, ask him to fulfill that desire, know that He has heard you and will provide, and then WAIT WELL, knowing that you have what you have asked… you are simply waiting.

This concept of hope/faith/waiting has truly changed the way I pray about so many things but it truly transformed my mind on the subject of praying for a husband.  Now, I spend my prayer-time thanking Him for what He has already done and worked out for me and I don’t allow my mind to go back into a place of just “hoping that one day…” NO!  God has answered and I am waiting. In HIS time, I will SEE the answer right before my eyes!

I never thought I would live so many years as a single woman but here I am! Truly, my desire for a husband, family and marriage has never diminished or wavered but my confidence in God’s good plans for me is bigger and stronger than my desires about love and marriage. There is never a time when God will fail me. I have a deep knowing, a deep faith, that in whatever stage of life I find myself in, God is working His will in and through me.  Even when I have felt that I was losing everything, He was at work bringing me to a better place.  I want to live a life as someone who is waiting well and that means being about God’s plans and purposes for my life.

Somewhere along the path of walking in God’s will and doing what He’s called me to do, my steps will intersect with those of the man God has chosen for me… the manifestation & answer to my prayer of faith!  I don’t set the time table, I just stay focused on following the path God has laid out for me, living life fully and learning to WAIT WELL.

APPROPRIATE God’s Word. What does that even mean?

Growing up in church, I have heard phrases like, “appropriate God’s promises”, “appropriate the blood of Jesus” and “appropriate His grace”, along with many others.  When used in context, I’m sure I understood the general message of what was being said.  That said, I can’t tell you that I would have ever used the word “appropriate” on my own. I just didn’t have a meaningful understanding of it and definitely couldn’t connect any kind of mental image to the word, which always helps me if I can SEE something.

This week that changed.

Let’s start with the general meaning of the word APPROPRIATE in it’s verb tense: to seize for oneself or as one’s right. 

The table is spread before us!
The table is spread before us!

When we say we need to “appropriate” God’s promises, the blood of Jesus, healing, God’s grace, etc., what we are saying is that we need to SEIZE FOR OURSELVES these things and we seize them as OUR RIGHT to do so.  All of these things are available. They are nurturing and delicious foods laid out on the banquet table prepared for ALL mankind to sit, eat and enjoy but we MUST come to the table to eat.  We have been invited to the table so we have a right to be there but we MUST seize for ourselves and appropriate this “food” that God has prepared.

When Jesus, the Son of God came to earth as son of man, He was able to do and be what men could not do and be.  He lived a holy life without sin, overcoming every temptation known to man, and when He humbled himself to be tortured and nailed to the cross, He took on ALL of the sins of the world.  ALL sin.  All sin before and all sin after. Christ’s death and resurrection sealed the victory over sin and death for every person who has ever lived… forever!

Does this mean then that ALL are now “saved”.  (I realized “saved” is a very Christian/Church word to use but it makes sense here.  Christ’s death “saved” us from having to pay for our own sins by death.)

This is where the lovely “word of the day” APPROPRIATE actually came alive to me this week. SALVATION has been provided for ALL MANKIND through Christ but we each have to APPROPRIATE what Christ did for us.  We have to SEIZE FOR OURSELVES the forgiveness and freedom from sin that Christ provided for us as he died the perfect sacrifice and rose again to live forever!  We all must choose to repent, turn from our sin and seize the salvation that has already been provided. We seize or appropriate that salvation by faith. It is as simple as moving from a state of unbelief into belief. There are no hoops to jump through, no incantations to recite, no obstacle courses to complete… just move from unbelief to belief.  Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

We are invited to the banquet table… salvation is there for you to dine.

The Bible says (Isaiah 53:5) that he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, by the stripes he took on his back, we are healed! Does this mean that every person walking the earth is now healed? The healing was provided by Christ through his sacrifice, once and for all.  He took the stripes on his back FOR. EACH. AND. EVERY. PERSON’S. HEALING. There is healing for everyone.  We have to appropriate and seize for ourselves the healing that is already provided.  We appropriate healing by faith, believing God’s word that healing is available.

We are invited to the banquet table… healing is part of the delicious foods spread out before you!

We appropriate God’s promises… too many to even try to list here and they are available to all of his children.  We must appropriate them, seize them by faith.  You may be asking, “How do I do all this by faith? You say this happens by faith but I don’t even know how to get faith!”

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:15-17) God’s Word, the Bible, is true.  Everyone wants to know the Truth so we build our faith by reading what is true.  Faith comes as we read the truths in God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to help our understanding.  Read the Bible out loud to yourself and let the truth begin to live inside of you.  Your faith will increase and the Holy Spirit will help you as you begin to believe and seize for yourself as your right all that God has already provided for you through Christ!

Isaiah 25:6-10

But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies
    will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines,
    a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
    the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,
The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
    Yes, he’ll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
    He’ll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
    Yes! God says so!

 Also at that time, people will say,
    “Look at what’s happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
    This God, the one we waited for!
Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
    God’s hand rests on this mountain!”

Do good… be good.

I had a nice relaxing evening with some girlfriends at home in Nashville recently and we all curled up on couches with pillows to watch the movie, The Help. I have seen it now about 5 or 6 times and each time I sit in awe that such twisted and skewed thoughts about ANYONE in the human race ever existed, much less that it was a commonplace way of thinking only 50 years ago. I squirm and grimace at every racist comment, shaking my head and dropping my jaw, all while soaking in the resolve and passion to never let this happen again in society.

I spent a leisurely morning here in Texas at the breakfast table with my parents and my nephew Charlie. The guys both left the table to go on about their day but my mother and lingered over cups of coffee for what was probably hours! The conversation meandered and we settled for a while on thoughts about the behaviors of a Christian and truly living a life that is focused on others and not ourselves.

My parents own rental properties and my mother talked about her commitment to never be known as a “slum-Lord” but to always maintain her properties well and treat her tenants with respect, compassion and grace. Her renters know that their landlords are “preachers” and my parents always strive to live a life that is truly a testimony of Christ-like living. The same is true with their neighbors. Everyone in the neighborhood calls their house “The Preacher’s House”. It’s important to be good neighbors, being kind to others, considering the people who live around you, obeying the rules of the neighborhood. This may seem like basic things but it’s part of being a good steward over what God has given you AND living a life filled with the nature of Christ.

As we talked, I thought about a scene from the movie, The Help. One of the maids in the film asked for help from her employer and you can read the dialogue from the scene here below:

[trying to ask for a loan from Hilly to pay for her two sons college tuition]
Yule Mae Davis: Well, now we’re faced with having to choose which son can go if we don’t come up with the money. Would you consider giving us a loan? I’d…I’d work everyday for free till it was paid off.
Hilly Holbrook: That’s not working for free, Yule Mae. That’s paying off a debt.
Yule Mae Davis: Yes, ma’am.
[Yule Mae takes the breakfast dishes and turns to leave]
Hilly Holbrook: As a Christian, I’m doin’ you a favor. See, God don’t give no charity to those who are well and able. You need to come up with this money on your own. Okay?
[Yule Mae is almost in tears now]
Yule Mae Davis: Yes, ma’am.
Hilly Holbrook: You’ll thank me one day.

I remember watching this scene and cringing at her reference to being a Christian.  There was nothing Christ-like about her response.  We should be ready to give of ourselves and our resources knowing that God is our ultimate source.  Bless others and God blesses you. Do good to others and good will come back to you.  It is the most simple and basic of the “sowing and reaping” principle from God’s word.  Treat others how you want to be treated.  Give honor when honor is due.  Let’s get down to the nitty gritty…. if you are renting a home from someone, treat that home as if it were yours.  Wherever you work, do you work with diligence as if it were your company. If someone else offers to pay for your meal, order your meal as you would if you were paying and don’t take advantage of the person being generous.

Do good. Be good.  It’s a simple word with BIG rewards.

Proverbs 3:27,28

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.

Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,
When you have it with you.

DAY 88 – Walks with God

I found this bookmark in my devotional recently and it spoke comfort to me this evening that I really needed.

In most name books my name means “Butterfly”.  I’ve always like that meaning. I imagine something really beautiful flitting and fleeting here, there and everywhere just bringing a smile to people’s faces wherever it goes. It’s a happy picture to me.

About ten years ago someone gave me this sweet bookmark that has my Christian name-meaning on it, which is “Walks with God”.  It’s an interesting meaning to me because for many years I have had dreams or visions of taking walks with Jesus. These dreams always bring me a great sense of comfort and peace.  Sometimes we are walking through fields and other times, along the beach.  No matter the setting, just knowing that I am walking with Jesus brings a sense of complete wellness about all things and I am always filled with true joy.

20130531-213854.jpg
Vanessa “Walks with God”

I was driving through the winding back roads making my way from Franklin to Nolensville today, enjoying the beauty of the blooming countryside. It seemed like every 30 seconds I would see something beautiful that took my breath away and I found myself wishing that I had someone with me to appreciate this lovely drive. Honestly, it wasn’t that I was just wishing about it, I actually felt an immediate sense of being alone and it literally caused me physical pain. Right in the middle of my beautiful drive… sunroof open, fresh air coming in through the windows and suddenly I felt the breath taken from me.

Just before I felt the tears begin to form in my eyes, I said out loud,
“Jesus, are you enjoying this ride? Didn’t the Father do a good job on all this?”

Vanessa walks with God.

God is with me. I know this. He walks with me… rides with me… goes before me and watches behind me.

“Thank you Father God that you are with me always.  I am never truly alone. You walk with me and our relationship grows as we walk together.  Thank you for showing me how to build relationship with you through times of prayer together… our “walks” together.  You said that if I commit my ways to you, trust in YOU, you will act.  You will come through with what you promised in your Word. I am so comforted by your presence.  You won’t let my foot stumble if I keep my eyes on you. I am committed to you!”

This subject made me think of the chorus to the hymn “In the Garden”.  It’s rolling around in my head tonight…

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

DAY 87 – The Father’s love

My dad and me on New Year's Day 2013
My dad and me on New Year’s Day 2013

A Father’s love is special.

A true father loves, cares, respects, protects, honors, encourages and yes, disciplines his children.  All of those things and more are part of the natural character of a Godly father. I am so blessed to have a father who loves me and continues to reinforce in my life the nature of my heavenly Father.

Matthew 7:11  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

 

Father in heaven, I love, honor and cherish your name.  I pray your kingdom come and your will be done in my life, here on earth JUST as you planned it to be and inscribed it fully before I was even born. Thank you for a loving earthly father who always points me back to you when I need answers.  He doesn’t depend on his own thoughts but instead goes to YOUR Word and begins to instruct and advise from your own guidebook.  

I am confident that my earthly father wants only the best things in life for me and that reaffirms to me that you, my heavenly Father have the best plans for my life.  

My dad would rescue me over and over again if it was within his power to do… and I see that character in him is just a reflection of you.  I know that you will rescue me when I can’t help myself.  I am safe with you.  

When I was a child, I knew that I could go into my dad’s office at any time if I needed him. Even if his door was closed, I knew that as his child, I could go in and have his attention at any moment. I could call my dad any time and he would answer.  That was the standard that my earthly father set in my life and YOU, my heavenly father are available even MORE!  You hear me when I call, even in the night… even in a whisper…. even when I can’t speak and it’s just a thought.  You hear me.  

My heart is full of thanks for your everlasting love towards me.  I have no reason to worry, fret or even try to figure out my future… it’s already been written by you and it’s a beautiful story.  My loving heavenly father has already written a masterpiece of my life and I simply have to live it!  Thank you for loving me so much and making my life’s story a true LOVE story.

Amen.

Psalm 17: 6-9

6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.

 

DAY 86 – Waiting: No one likes it.

I picked up my Streams in the Desert devotional again recently. I am amazed at how timely each message has been for me in the recent days.

20130524-155443.jpg As you can see in my pic for today, I have underlined and marked up the whole page for today’s devotion.

Waiting.

This is not a popular word. No one likes to wait. It seems to imply the height of unproductivity when a person has to wait. People complain about waiting at a doctor’s office, waiting in traffic, waiting at the DMV or if there aren’t enough check-out lanes open at Walmart. We don’t even like to wait on a meal so most people dine where you can “have it your way” in a drive-through and eat on the go! No one naturally longs to wait! We want it now.

It’s interesting that the scripture says those who wait on the Lord renew their strength. I have never felt stronger after waiting in any of the aforementioned scenarios! Why is waiting on God a strengthening experience? How does it renew my strength?

God has set times.

When God makes a promise, he will keep it. He will perform what He said he would do. We must have faith in Him, believe this and then wait in faith. What we may see as delay is just part of Gods “set time” being played out.
We grow stronger as we hold to his promises in faith believing, not hoping and surely not doubting. At the set time, God will perform and the sorrow will turn to Joy!

“Take heart, waiting one, thou waitest for one who cannot disappoint thee; and who will not be 5 minutes behind the appointed moment: err long “your sorrow shall be turned to joy”

If Abraham and Sarah knew their wait would be 30 years after the promise of a son, would they have held on? God knew it would be too much for them to know and wait. He waited until their time of waiting was almost done and then he revealed the impending promise!

God has a set time for things in our lives. He is trustworthy and will surely perform his promises and turn your sorrow into laughter and joy!

Holy Spirit, help me to wait in faith and with heaping doses of grace! It is not for me to give you the set time, it is for me to trust you to orchestrate my life so that all things work together for my greatest good and to your glory! I look forward to joyful laughter when the set time for your promises in my life have come at last. Help me to live with a rejoicing happy soul until that glorious day!