Monday, July 1, 2013

Those Who Wait

Hello friends, and happy 4th of July week!

I pray that as we celebrate our nation's freedom, you are also able to celebrate the freedom you  have found in Christ Jesus. He is so good and so beyond all that we could ask or hope for.

This weekend has been full of fun and quite a bit of sleep, praise the Lord for that! Friday night we had our youth lock-in...13 hours with some of the most hilarious students I've ever known. Surprisingly, we all stayed up the whole night! Much to my brain and bones disliking...seriously though...I'm still recovering.

I cannot believe that today marks the first day of July. This year has flown by so quickly, but I am somewhat grateful for that. This year has come with some big challenges in many different areas, but as I look back at the past 6 months of 2013 I see my God ever faithful.

I find myself in this season of absolute hunger for the Lord. I feel very much like the Canaanite woman of Matthew 15. I am eager to eat even the crumbs that fall from Him. I want anything and everything that I can have of him whether it be his presence, his words, his encouragement, his love, his peace, anything. It's as if I cannot get enough of Him.

I know this is a good place to be, but I wonder at my getting to this point. When I sit back and look at where I am today, I realize that I really have no direction at this moment. I see myself as if I am in a small boat in the middle of the ocean waiting for orders of where to go. The ocean's vast expanse surrounds me and I sit waiting eagerly for any sign of where to go. The captain calls every now and then and I jump at the first sound of his voice, only to hear him say, "Nothing yet. Just wait." And OH how sad I am to sit back down once again and wait. Storms come and go, but my orders remain the same, "Just wait."

Friends...can I be completely honest with you? I don't really like waiting. Ok I really don't like waiting! I feel like I've been waiting my whole life, and my soul is finally about to burst. That's why I jump for every little crumb that falls from our Master's table. I am so hungry for anything I can get from Him.

I find myself sitting in this metaphorical little dinghy saying, "Please God, please just give me something to do! Anything. Anywhere. I'll do anything. Just let me do something for you!"

It is easy to become frustrated and discouraged in this place, I realize. After all, it is not quite in our nature to wait patiently. But it is then that I am reminded of Lamentations 3:25, "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him."

What a blessed reminder. The Lord is good to those who wait.

Waiting is in and of itself one of the greatest blessings. It envelopes a secret blessing that many do not wait to uncover. 

All throughout scripture the heroes of faith were those who had to wait. I am reminded of God's creation. No flower blossoms as soon as it is planted. No child is able to labor efficiently at birth. No, all of creation must wait to reach its full potential. Even a mountain does not start large. Everything must wait to be what it is destined to fully be.

And so it is with us. We must wait in that small little boat, learning trust, patience, peace, and faith. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

My God has said He is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13), that his word proves true (Psalm 18:30), and that he will not go back on his promises (Isaiah 55:11). "I have spoken, and I will do it" (Ezekiel 17:24) says the Lord.

And so as He has given me this hope, this very faith that I call my own; I can be assured that my God will not go back on His word. He has a reason for making me wait. He knows my full potential and intends to use it, but He also knows the beauty and blessing of making me wait. I do not know what lessons I have yet to learn in this waiting, but I know that what God has in store for me and for you is good. It is truly good indeed.

And so sweet brothers and sisters, I must ask for God's grace to wait faithfully where I am. To seek His face day in and day out. I long to discover the hidden blessing of waiting. I have hope in my Lord. He will not abandon or forsake me. He has not forgotten me here in this little boat. No, He watches over me and smiles at my silly impatience for He knows all that He has in store for me. He knows the adventure that awaits this little girl. 


Enjoy this free 8x10 printable I created as a reminder that the Lord is good to those who wait and continue to seek.


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