My sweet blog friends,
Thanks so much for your many comments and emails to me in the past month. You help keep me going in my life, ministry and writing. I am often tempted to quit and then I receive your words of life and grace and I so appreciate you. Thanks, especially, for comments about Joel and his story. You have also been an encouragement to him in the midst of starting summer school!
I got a call from Joel yesterday and he said, "Mom, I have gotten 4 orders for my tape in the last few days and it is enough to pay cash for one of my summer text books. I am really learning to cherish the small ways God is encouraging me. So tell everyone thanks!"
He is grateful and I appreciate your encouragement so much.
As to those who have emailed letters and questions, I am so out of control of correspondence that I just cannot seem to get to my email letters and questions. Please know that I would love to answer each letter, but at this season, as in many others, I am fixing meals, caring for my children, going to all of their activities and doing ministry alongside Clay, and so my internet correspondence suffers!(4000 emails in my inbox that just keep on growing--will my computer ever burst?) I so love hearing from each and everyone of you and I do pray throughout the day for all of you who come to mind. I thank you for your grace.
"THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD WILL GAIN NEW STRENGTH." ISAIAH 40
"All good soldiers keep on fighting,
Don't grow weary in well-doing.
Just keep looking unto Jesus.
'cause when this age comes to an end,
I've read the book and we win!"
Rebo Rambo and Dony McGuire
I have been thinking the past few days about the whole issue of God's timing and learning to wait on him.
It seems to be a hallmark of mature Christians to have a story of having to wait years and years on God and then seeing Him come through with such beauty, wisdom and grace. But the Bible is full of people who took matters into their own hands when they thought God needed a little help and it created all sorts of havoc.
Seems that when Abraham got tired of waiting, he got his maid servant pregnant just to help God out and caused all sorts of problems.
Saul just couldn't wait any longer for God to bring Samuel to pray for them in battle and so he sacrificed the lamb and he was disqualified from being king any longer because he didn't wait on God.
Elijah kept waiting and waiting for God to send rain, but when He did, it was in great magnitude and glory.
Elizabeth and Zachariah had to wait years and years to have their one son John the Baptist and even when an angel appeared to Zachariah, he didn't believe God would work and became mute for a while--because he was having a hard time waiting on God's timing.
Joseph had to wait 12 years on God's timing before he became the assistant to Pharoah and head of all of Egypt.
David had to wait almost 25 years from the time he was annointed as king until the time he finally was king over all the houses of Israel--even 7 years after Saul and Jonathan died.
Waiting and persevering seems to have an incredible value to God. His timing never seems to be as soon as mine--but He is so good and always faithful--just in a different way than our impatient hearts wanted it to be.
It tests the metal of our heart. It strengthens our faith. It increases our capacity to long for heavenly answers instead of just being satisfied with earthly, immediate fixes.
Yet, daily, people are tempted to give up on their ideals--giving up in marriage, in relationships, on a child, on a commitment. People capitulate all the time to Satan's wiley and clever messages to compromise--"You can't expect anyone in this time to be moral. Or no one else is doing this. Or you deserve better than this. Or whatever message it is that makes you want to quit.
Those who wait, receive the reward of a holier character and the reward to seeing God's works.
"No one, after putting his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God."
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23
"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may received what was promised., ..., "But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have fiath to the preserving of the soul. Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Hebrews 10: 35--Hebrews 11: 6
So, today, if you are weary, discouraged, downhearted, look up--God sees you, God is at work. Don't quit before He accomplishes his will. You will be greatly fulfilled if you keep going and wait for God's grace and for His work in His way at His time. I always look back and see His wisdom and how He was always in control--even when it didn't seem like it.
Perhaps I will write more about it later, but at this moment, I am getting ready to take Nathan, 20, in for emergency surgery on his wisdom teeth in just a few minutes--has one growing into a bone and one into his throat and they are impacted. Welcome home, Nathan! But now, I will get to nurse him and treat him like my little boy. We are having great fun catching up on his year away. Grace and peace to you today.