What relief is it to us that seasons change on their own.. no human effort required; that every 3 months or so the sky knows what to do with its rain, the wind, determines either to settle down or throw itself around, the air, is either packed with hot moisture or chill, and we... deal with it : ).. Whether you're a summer person or winter lover, it seems like we're all waiting for our preferred living conditions to arrive... we're all waiting for change to come...
While the earth finds its way around the sun, year by year, we sit patiently... we tolerate some seasons; and we wait for the seasons we want.
Isn't that like life? We wait, even tolerate, until....we get what we want?
There's got to be more than that, though.. there's got to be more than that in the waiting...
Yesterday morning, I found myself reading through Romans 8 (MSG). It spoke of our desire to experience the fullness of redemption even while facing the difficulties of life on earth.. that even as we yearn to meet this fullness we can find solace in knowing that our yearning won't be left unsatisfied...that ultimately, our waiting will be met with manifestation, and if we get tired... our waiting will be met with strength; but our waiting --- will be met by the Lord.
"...That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy."
(Romans 8:23-25 - MSG)
Our waiting, does not, diminish us.It only speaks of something very real, on the way.. like a pregnant woman who awaits the birth of her child.. we get more joy in the waiting.
It's coming, and it's closer.
Our waiting, does not at all, take away from what we're waiting for. It adds to it. It adds to its quality upon arrival. Time that passes only means we're getting closer.
I used to think that if I was waiting, I was losing... that if I was waiting, I had to do something to expedite the process. Maybe I'm like you... quickly finding out that my efforts to interrupt waiting are often met with horrible outcomes - whether leaving a job too soon, purchasing something long before I'd saved enough to afford it, or being in a relationship that wasn't fit for me..
WAITING, isn't a bad thing, if it is my season, to wait.
Because our waiting, does not, diminish us.
It strengthens us.
"..Those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will soar
high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will
walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31)
God knows how we feel. Even more, He truly cares... But He knows whether to give us what we want or something totally different because it's best. He knows whether we are presently prepared to handle what we've asked for or if we'll have to wait and be prepped until we are..
He prepares us for "that thing," and He prepares "that thing" for us.
And just as the earth rotates around the sun, the seasons of life will change when it's time. Not early. And not late, (although some of us may try to argue that)...
We're all waiting in one way or another. We're all working towards something..
The issue, though, is not that we're waiting... It's how we choose to wait --
I'm learning how to wait..
1. Wait Seeking..
"Thus says the LORD who made the earth... 'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3).
God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him - that's a promise.
Our seeking will save time and frustration because God rewards us with conversation... details, and direction. Who doesn't want that?
Jesus is so nice : )
Jesus is so nice : )
2. Wait Believing..
We can have confidence when we petition God according to His will. We know that He hears that prayer, and that we have what we ask (1 John 5).
Faith...is what it takes.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see..." (Hebrews 11:1).
We have to believe...for our sake.
We have to believe because it's our faith that captures God's heart.
3. Wait Working..
Because "...faith by itself... is dead," (James 2:17). There is absolutely nothing wrong with preparing for what we're believing for .. that's faith in action. So wait and work!
4. Now, Rest:
"Be still, and know that I am God..."
(Psalm 46:10)
Take time to be still. Wait on God. He's sovereign. He'll move when it's best... One of my go-to psalms is that simple reminder - that you don't lose waiting on God. He's a God who cannot fail. He has wisdom that far exceeds your own and that of any other person... You'll be okay. Rest. (Psalm 46:10)
Seek. Believe. Work.
Rest..
There's definitely more to this... there's strength in the waiting, patience perfecting its work in the waiting -- growth in the waiting.
It's more than getting what we want. It's getting what God wants for us.
So then - "...the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, He knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good." (Romans 8:26-28).
Our waiting, does not, diminish us.
Our seasons, change.
Our God, is faithful.
Happy Fall : )
XO.
#sheaWrites
Related Bible Verses:
"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to
show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all
who wait for him!"
Isaiah 30:18
"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."
Psalm 25:5
" Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."
(1 John 5:14 -15)
"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand.."
I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand.."
Psalm 31:14-15
"But godliness ..accompanied by contentment is great gain. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it.."
1 Timothy 6:6-7
"For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory.
The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who walk upright"
Psalm 84:11
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