Hope in the Waiting

 

Our last post on the series Waiting in the Lord will be focused on hope.  Hope can be a lost commodity in the waiting period of our lives, especially if the wait is particularly lengthy.  Yet, hope is exactly what our Lord gives each of us during this time period.  This verse captures his hope perfectly.

I remember the day over 25 years ago when I thought I had lost hope.  I was coming off the battle of fighting cancer only to enter a battle in my marriage.  The days were difficult and although the prayers were long and filled with tears, the hope that things were going to get better seemed bleak.  I could not believe the dear Lord was asking me to manage this on top of all I dealt with on the cancer journey.  Yet, He asked me to have hope in Him.

That fateful day, the tears would not stop flowing and my heart would not stop breaking.  I only knew one place I could go where my hope could be restored.  I went to church.  It was Saturday and it was quiet.  I sat at the foot of that cross and looked up to see that the cross is where Jesus provided all the hope I could ever want.  It was on that cross that He gave me, and each of us, the hope of forgiven sins and eternal life. 

The waiting was long and the anticipation of answered prayers seemed to last forever.  But on that day, at that cross, my hope was restored.  My hope did not return to where it was before this journey – it expanded into greater hope than I could ever imagine.  Whatever Jesus had in store for my life, He would provide me exactly what I needed.  My hope rested in His goodness.

I realized that God was working in me during this waiting period.  He was strengthening me for what the future would bring.  He was ensuring my focus would be on Him when challenges came upon me.  He knew I needed to be built up and during this season of waiting that is what occurred.  The future of navigating divorce was one of the most difficult periods of my life.  Yet, what God gave me during the waiting, the growth, peace, trust, and HOPE got me through it.  Without His hope of a better tomorrow, I would have been lost.

If you are in a waiting period now, Jesus is with you.  He is holding you up in His glory and is giving you the hope you need to move forward each day.  Let Him be the rest that you need and fully believe that the path He has for you will give you hope for a better tomorrow.  As we close this series on waiting, I want to share a verse that I believe sums up the waiting we have in Jesus.  Psalm 25:3 says, “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame.”  Have simple faith that the waiting will provide joy!

Video that complements this post:  Hope in the Waiting

Dearest Jesus, only You can provide the hope we need to rest in the waiting period of our lives.  Come to us often and remind us of that hope and give us strength to continue each day in your hope.  Amen!

Peace in the Waiting

 

I am a person who enjoys peace.  Peace can mean different things to me at different times.  Today, as I write this, it is a gloomy day outside, with rain pouring down.  I flicked on all the beautiful stained-glass lamps I have in my home that my father made and lit a candle.  As I write this, I am at peace.  During times of struggles, or waiting for prayers to be answered, my peace escapes me.  Peace is replaced with anxiousness and worry.

Our verse for today is so appropriate for times when our waiting is filled with anything but peace.  If there was a Biblical character who had reason for a time in his life where peace escaped him, it would be Job.  The story of Job can be hard to digest.  The world around Job, including his own health, is replaced by heartache in different ways.  Yet, Job continued to wait on the Lord.  He did not rush God but waited for the goodness of God to return to him.  Job submitted his life to God and was at peace. 

In this world of instant gratification, it can be challenging to wait for anything, especially an answer from God.  Our ability to get answers quickly has left us wanting to hear from God immediately.  Finding peace in the waiting can tug at our hearts, leaving us frustrated.  This is where our Lord steps in!  When we truly give our requests to God and wait on His response, we realize that nothing we can do or say will rush God’s process.  As I have shared often with those around me, God will answer when it is His time.  Isaiah 60:22 shares, “…I am the Lord; in its time I do this swiftly.” 

As author Lysa Terkeurst says often, “God is good all the time.”  That He is!  While we wait for prayers or requests to be answered, we can find peace.  It is the peace that only God can give.  We cannot find His peace from anything in this world during difficult times. No matter how many stained-glass lamps I put on, I will not be able to find peace for my troubled heart unless I fully surrender to God’s timing.  John 14:27 states it perfectly, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Friends, in this world where peace can be in short supply, go to God.  God is good, all the time, even in the waiting.  His ways are perfect, ours are not.  Give Him your prayers and wait on Him.  Have Simple Faith that He will always be there for you.

Video that complements this post:  Peace in the Waiting

Dearest Lord, waiting can be a challenging time for me.  Although I may grow during this time, and trust in your goodness, I can be anxious and peace can evade me.  Please soften my soul and fill it with the peace that only you can provide, the peace that passes all understanding.  In your name I pray, Amen!

Trust in the Waiting

 

As we continue our Waiting in the Lord series, we will delve into trusting in the waiting.  Waiting is not necessarily a great behavior trait of mine.  I tend to have a plan and will execute on that plan.  If something gets in the way that causes me to wait, well, let us just say it can get ugly.  When the plan starts drifting, and I need to wait, I start dreading.  I dread what may change, how the timeline will be affected, what the final result will look like and what if someone completes a plan similar to mine before me. 

I know the right thing to do is to give it to our Lord and wait on His mighty hand.  As I lie awake at 3AM worrying about the progress of whatever plan I have in my lap, I give it to God.  I know He can manage it.  I know His way is best.  I can trust Him.  Then an hour later I am still awake planning on what I can do to ‘rush God along.’ 

As Christians, trusting God over our lives should be fundamental.  We know the plans He has for us, “…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” in Jeremiah 29:11.  Yet, how often do we find ourselves questioning God’s plan, especially when we have to wait for His plan to unveil itself.  Every time I have played tug-of-war with God, I have lost.  When I give Him my plan and then take it back because I do not want to wait for His plan, I have lost. 

Friends, when we truly give what is in our hearts to God, and wait for His response, we gain trust in His mighty works.  No matter what we do or how we do it, it will never be better than what God has in store for us.  Our job during the waiting is to trust in that goodness.  During the waiting, He is with us, “… He will never leave you nor forsake you,” Deuteronomy 31:6.  When we trust God, our simple faith in what He can do in our lives grows.  Our ability to gain trust in God moving forward grows.  We learn that waiting is good, not dreading the outcome. 

The world today does not provide us with much opportunity to trust.  It is hard to trust our leaders, hard to trust organizations, hard to trust people.  God is above ALL of that.  God is the One we can trust with true confidence that the best will be gained through Him.  Yes, we may have to wait for that goodness.  I would rather wait in God than move forward in me.  I will always trust the Lord’s ways over mine.  It can be hard, but it is always worth it.

The next time you want to move forward and not wait in the Lord’s way, step back.  Breathe, pray, and give it to God.  He will bring you the absolute best for the situation – even if it was not in our plan.  Do not dread the outcome – look forward to what God has for you by trusting Him in the waiting period.

Video that complements this post:  Trust in the Waiting

Dearest Lord, help me to trust You in all You have for my life.  When I need to wait, wait for answers to prayers or a path moving forward, give me the opportunity to trust you and the plans you have for my life.  They will always be greater than what I had planned – I just need to have the trust in You!  Amen.

Growth in the Waiting

 

Welcome to our new series – Waiting in the Lord!  Waiting can be some of the most frustrating moments in our lives.  Whether it be simple as waiting in a grocery line or waiting for health test results, the waiting can find us agitated, impatient, and ultimately, frustrated.  As Christians, when we pray, we expect answers from God.  He tells us to go to Him in prayer and He will deliver.  Mark 11:24 states, “Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

God does answer our prayers.  For me, the yes and even the no answers I seem to understand and accept.  It’s the ‘wait’ response that gets me every time.  During the waiting, I find myself working with my timeline and not God’s timeline.  Often, I will work on getting the answer to my prayer myself, in essence, taking back from God what I put into His hands.  That always ends up in a situation that I regret.

In the waiting, much can happen.  We can actually grow as Christians during this time.  When I was going through marital strife with my first marriage, I constantly prayed to God for answers.  He made me wait, a VERY long time, for those answers.  During that wait, though, my faith grew.  My reliance on God not just for answers to my marriage but other areas of my life began to grow.  I delved deeper into my Bible.  I was looking for answers there, God was having my Bible knowledge grow.

While waiting, we don’t typically see how we are growing.  It is after waiting that we can see where we were and how far we have come.  In a world where immediate gratification is becoming widely accepted, it is easy to take back what we are giving God in prayer so we can be more comfortable with our situation.  We can view waiting as suffering.  This is when I turn to one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  Romans 5:3-5 shares, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” 

Our Lord is good, all the time!  Yes, He is good even in the waiting.  We need to slow down and realize that God’s timeline and outcomes will always be better than our own.  We need to move from immediacy to slowness.  We need to view our time of waiting as a time to grow – in faith and in knowledge.  How can you grow during the wait?  Get into the Bible and see what it has to say about your situation.  Seek out a Christian friend to have coffee with.  Select a church group to get involved in.  It’s your time to grow and see how far you have come when the wait if over!  Have Simple Faith!

Video that complements this post:  Growth in the Waiting

Dearest Lord, help me to grow when I am in a waiting period for my prayer.  May I leave with you what I give you until you answer my prayer and guide me to areas where I can grow.  Amen!

Filthy Language Vice

 

We have been exploring the vices listed in Colossians and are on the last one.  It is probably the one that is heard most often and most widely accepted in our society today, filthy language.  It is also the one that absolutely pierces my heart – because it is so widely accepted.  Utilizing profanity, abusive and degrading language adds no value to what comes out of one’s mouth.  In fact, I am led to believe that it does the opposite and devalues what is being said.  When one speaks filthy language, I find myself setting up barriers to listening.

So why is it so accepted in our modern society?  Reflection on the following may help to explain.

• It has become more accepted, as hearing it on television, movies and social media seems to be the norm.
• It can be used to grab attention – it certainly turns my head when I hear it.
• Respectful speech seems to wain as time goes on.
• People are not as filtered as they used to be.

When I have asked people why they speak that way, I am often told, “That’s just the way I talk – get used to it.”  When I hear little children speaking that type of language because they hear it so often, it makes me sad for our next generation.  What do we do?  How do you cleanse this vice?  It starts with each of us. 

• If this is a vice we want to remove from our behavior, it needs to start with clearing it from our lips.  Hold yourself accountable and, if you need assistance, ask those around you to hold you accountable by ensuring they tell you when you use that language.
• Be bold to ask the person you are speaking with not to use that language.  I have done this and have received mixed results.  Over time, people will understand that using this language in conversation with you makes you uncomfortable.
• If at work, share they would receive better understanding if they did not use that type of language.  It creates an uncomfortable work relationship.

I encourage all of us to review what is said by our lips each day.  If the words we are using do not build people up and honor God, then it is time to remove it from our speech – and the speech of those around us – if possible.  "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  Colossians 4:6. May we look at these vices within us and work to remove them and replace them with the Fruits of the Spirit.

Video that complements this post:  Filthy Language Vice

Heavenly Father, please give me the strength to remove filthy language from my mouth.  May it be replaced with words that are filled with love, compassion, encouragement, and joy.  In your name, that I may revere, I pray, Amen!

Slander Vice

 

Slander – defined in my words, is to tear someone down through speech.  It takes our expression of anger, rage and malice towards another person and is conveyed through words.  Slander is typically done behind a person’s back, although I am certain there are instances where slander has been shared in front of the person one dislikes.  Slander is so terribly damaging in any form.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”   I am 100% certain that there is not a person reading this post that has never been hurt by words.  Words do hurt, whether you are a child or an adult.  I have shared unkind words and have felt horrible about it – apologizing and asking for forgiveness.  Slander is different.  There is strong intent to hurt the person with words.  It may be directly towards the person, or even worse, behind their back.  Gossiping, speaking falsely about another, and damaging their integrity are all examples of slander.

Slandering is hard not to take personally.  It is specifically meant to hurt.  My friends, if we are on the receiving end of slander, it hurts.  Not acknowledging the hurt only fuels the hurt further.  What can we do?

·         Take time to sit in reflection when slander is sent your way.  The words may not contain any truth, but it is worth examining all the same. 

o    “Search me, God, and know my heart…” Psalm 139:23-24

·         Go to God in prayer.  Ask for His strength and guidance in responding.

o    “For people have opened their wicked and deceitful mouths against me .  . but I am a man of prayer.“ Psalm 109:1-4

·         Remember, do not respond with evil words or deeds.

o    “Do not repay anyone evil for evil…Do not take revenge…’It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”  Romans 12:17-19

Now, the true reflective moment when WE are the ones to slander others.  As certain as I was that we were on the receiving end of slander, I am also certain that we have slandered others.  Friends, our job is to share good thoughts with everyone – yes, even those who we may be frustrated with.  Ours is not to judge.  Ours is not to speak ill.  Ours is to build up.  “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."  Ephesians 4:29

As we focus on slander, may we take time to go to God in prayer when we are so angry that all we want to share are unkind words.  Ask God for words that will build up, not tear down, the person.  Ask for God’s help in holding back our judgment and letting God do that for us!  Have Simple Faith that He will provide.

Video that complements this post:  Slander Vice

Dearest Lord, be with me during slanderous moments.  If I am on the receiving end, please stop me from responding with words that will hurt and take the situation to you.  If I am the one who wants to slander another, stop me!  Help me to find words that will build the person up, not tear them down.  Amen!

Malice Vice

 

Malice – a desire to harm, hurt or get even with someone.  Although I may not have ever desired to actually harm someone, getting even with someone?  Well, that is a different story.  We have discussed anger, the feeling that burns inside of you when you have been wronged.  Rage is the outburst that happens, our mouth takes over and says things out of anger.  Malice moves towards intent.  You want ill on the person.  You may want some sort of revenge or may even silently rejoice when the person suffers.  Have you ever felt that way?

I am not happy to admit it, but in my lifetime, I have experienced malice.  Thinking back upon those times, I am deeply ashamed of that feeling.  Often, we believe it is ‘justified’ to feel malice.  The person hurt us so much that our hearts and souls were broken.  They deserve what they get, and I hope it is something bad!  Although I may not have outwardly shared those words (maybe I have), I have certainly thought those words.  Have you?  Have malice thoughts crossed your mind?

Friends, isn’t it wonderful that we have a loving and forgiving Lord?  He has given us the perfect example of how we should respond when someone hurts us so deeply.  Think about all those close to Jesus who hurt Him and how He responded with humility and love.  One of the greatest examples of this would be Judas.  Judas betrayed Jesus and brought the soldiers to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus knew this long before the Last Supper and when He washed the disciples’ feet.  Yet, He did not single Judas out.  He did not show malice to Judas.  He showed humility by washing Judas’ feet and continued to love Judas to the end.   

The next time the urge to seek revenge on another comes to our hearts, may we remember our Jesus.  Replacing thoughts of malice with humility and love can be difficult.  It is hard to forgive someone to the point of kindness, yet that is what our Lord showed us.  If Jesus can show humility and love to the disciple who gave Him up for death, I can certainly try to show kindness to someone who hurts me.  When we do that, I am certain the Holy Spirit will fill our souls with peace.  The peace of wishing good versus harm can permeate your heart and become a blessing.  This is not easy, but it is possible – with the grace of God and simple faith!

Video that complements this post:  Malice Vice

Heavenly Lord, please replace malice with kindness in my soul.  May the situation that hurt me so much be turned around.  Help me to see goodness in the other person and be a model that walks in your light.  Bring me peace through the kindness shown.  Amen!