Be of good courage...

... and He shall strengthen your heart: wait I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 27:14

 

 

Waiting... something so counter-cultural, something so.... difficult. I feel like for the past 6 months all that I've hear from God is... wait, wait dear one. My heart has gone probably a million different directions and has looked down a million different paths since coming home from Mission Year. Coming here, back to where I'm from and doing the same ole' same ole' has been extremely difficult for me. There have been a few times where I've tried to jump the gun on God and figure things out for myself while waiting to still have His blessing... it hasn't worked. While praying the other day, seeking and desiring for my needs to be met or my frustrations to subside about where I feel my life is going, I just layed it all down. I felt better. I didn't have my answer but, i felt better. I slowly began to realize that God, in this time of waiting, is answering a prayer of my from times of passionate longing for Him. He is using this time to form me into the person that He desires me to be, cleansing out all that doesn't please Him. He's also giving me a lot of time by myself which has been pretty lonely at times if I'll admit it. But I see now that He's doing it because He wants to spend time with me... to really allow me to get to know Him (He already knows me). So now, I notice when I have a lot of free time and I spend it paroozing Facebook or the like I feel worse. I feel unfulfilled. And, to be honest, I feel jealous. But when I spend my time in His word, singing about Him, creating art inspired by Him... I don't have those feelings and I'm actually excited about the future, even though I'm seeing more and more that I have no idea what it holds for me. But one thing I do know, if I continue to allow Him, my God and King, YHVH, that its going to be alright... not just alright but GREAT.

 

Here are some verses for you, to encourage you to wait. Don't step ahead of God, "He makes all things beautiful in His time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

 

 

Lamentations 3:25 ESV        

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.              

Psalm 39:7 ESV          

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.              

Psalm 37:7 ESV        

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!              

Micah 7:7 ESV        

But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.    

Isaiah 40:31 ESV         

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.              

Isaiah 30:18 ESV        

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.              

Isaiah 33:2 ESV        

O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.              

Isaiah 64:4 ESV        

From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.              

Isaiah 49:23 ESV        

Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”         

Psalm 25:5 ESV         

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.              

Psalm 130:6 ESV        

My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.              

Psalm 62:1 ESV         

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.            

Isaiah 26:8 ESV         

In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.              

Psalm 130:5 ESV        

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;       

Psalm 69:3 ESV        

I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God    

Psalm 40:1 ESV         

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Proverbs 20:22 ESV          

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.              

Psalm 59:10 ESV    

My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.              

Galatians 5:5 ESV        

For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.              

Hosea 12:6 ESV    

“So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”    

Lamentations 3:26 ESV         

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.              

Isaiah 25:9 ESV        

It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”              

Titus 2:13 ESV    

Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Jeremiah 14:22 ESV         

Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.    

Psalm 123:2 ESV         

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.              

Psalm 37:9 ESV        

For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.                  

Genesis 49:18 ESV          

I wait for your salvation, O Lord.              

1 Corinthians 13:4 ESV         

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant    

Isaiah 42:4 ESV         

He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

       



G R A C E

I can at times be harsh

And condemning


Yes, we need to keep each other accountable as brothers and sisters in Christ. "...let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." James 5:20

However, "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:6-7

And especially, "Mercy triumphs over judgment." James 2:13

(*you can guess what book I read this morning*)

A very small glimpse of the HUGE MASSIVE grace of God was shown to me this morning. Yesterday when I woke up, when I would lay flat on my back my eyes acted like I had just gotten off of a roller coaster or a merry-go-round. Then I would turn to my side and be fine. I was doing exercises I normally don't do the night before, and I broke my tailbone a couple months ago so I thought I should probably call a chiropractor. The one in town is a man who goes to my church whose wife I sing with on worship team occasionally. So I called and made an appointment for this morning. Well, later in the day yesterday I noticed that the nausea was gone (PRAISE GOD!) so I called him back to cancel my appointment but I just got the answering machine so I left a message. I felt like this morning I should probably call again just in case he didn't get the message. I was feeling kind of guilty because I made a kinda early appointment so I was hoping that he didn't got into work early just for me. When I called he said he hadn't checked the messages yet, so I told him I had to cancel and I was very sorry. Instead of the sound of annoyance coming from his reply, there was total grace.  "That's totally fine!" he said in a cheery sort of way.

However little and insignificant that story might seem, I think God wants us to look for signs of His grace everywhere and too not only recognize His grace, but to receive it HUMBLY. So in the future when I want to act all high-and-mighty with someone, I will remember that there is only ONE Perfect One and He has given me MUCH grace so I must give MUCH grace.

We serve such a good God who is so patient with us!




Also just letting you know from the last entry, the big decision has been decided:

I'm going to Mission Year next year :)

How Glorious Our God!

I am AMAZED

DUMBFOUNDED

and AWESTRUCK

By the sheer realiability of God... and His power, glory, presence... and everything else of course, but as of late, if He has proved Himself to be anything He has proved Himself FAITHFUL. I have fell into this hole time and time again, obsessing and wanting something now that God is asking me to wait till He gives it to me. I've been through this same situation MANY many times, thinking that I've learned it. "Next time, I will be faithful to you God. Whenever this distraction comes I'll just give it fully to You." And of course this time I thought I was doing that... not at all.
Something God has been teaching me this year not only through that situation but many others is PATIENCE. God is removed from time, He's above it. Every moment in time to Him is happening all the time. There is NO way we can understand that! BUT... with the power of the Holy Spirits life through us we are able to cope with the unknown of that. And I really think God was trying (and is still trying) to teach me that fact with putting me in situations that require me to be patient. Whats AWESOME about that is there was a point a few years ago durring my prayer time when I remember pleading with God to grow the gift of the Spirit patience within me.

HE IS FAITHFUL!

and we are NOT.

Its so beautiful, God... how everything You've made and are about is so diverse, yet so interconnected... I cannot begin to understand how anyone would doubt Your existatnce.

Triune God... I THANK YOU... eternally... for your Grace-filled presence that has been near to me all day. There is not other way possible that I would have been able to deal with this let down in my life without it. And whats even more beautiful is that Your presence is THOUSANDS of times better, more fulfilling and more complete than anything I think I'm missing out on.


.-On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand-.