Waiting. We do it every day of our lives and we may not give it a second thought, because it’s so much a part of our existence. Waiting at the doctor’s office, waiting for traffic, waiting for the mail, waiting to go out to church, to eat, to an event that we’ve been waiting for, for such a long time, and then; the wait is over, it’s time to go.
I thought about how long I have waited for the right time to move in the direction that the Lord is leading me. Sure, I keep moving forward even when the circumstances change as different seasons usher into my life; but somewhere deep in my spirit the Lord tells me to wait and that even though I may not see the way, he is the way and that if I will trust him he will lead me through to fulfill the calling that he has placed on my life. And, yes, I question God about that direction he leads me in, because sometimes it isn’t easy holding on to faith when all indications tell you that you need to forget your dreams, because they are just your own silly desires and will have no real impact on others.
You know, the longer that I live for the Lord, the more I realize that he holds my past, my present, and my future in his hands. He promises us in Isaiah 49:15 that he will not forget us. He says that he has carved us into the palm of his hand. In Isaiah 43:1,2 he says, “I have called you by name–you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you.”
I remember seventh grade and waiting to give a speech that I was confident about because I had prepared for weeks to deliver it. As student after student walked nervously to the front of the class, seized a death grip on the podium to mumble through their notes, wiped sweaty brows with the backs of their hands, and spoke with stammering lips while ‘ involuntary ‘ummms,’ and ‘uhhhs’ escaped their lips whenever they paused;
I felt nothing but peace. I was ready; I was prepared; I had planned; I took deep breaths as the list of participants dwindled down to just a few students. Then, I will never forget how I felt when the teacher said for me to get ready because it was time. my heart started beating a little faster; I started to breathe even deeper yet more shallow than before, and it was a total revelation: I wasn’t ready. What confidence that I had built up through all of the preparations flew out of the opened window to the courtyard, and I realized that I had forgot the most important thing while I was preparing: I forgot to pray.
Well, Lord, there’s no time like the present, so I started to pray quietly. The walk to the podium was endless, and I had to push back all of the voices that said that I couldn’t do this, and just trust God. I’d like to say that in the nick of time that the glorious bell rang that dismissed class, but it didn’t. What did happen is that I got through it and while I don’t even remember the topic, I know that I too may have experienced shakey hands, and all of the other nervous habits that accompany being out in front, but all I remember is the peace that passes all understanding, and I know that it was only God who gave me calm in my storm.
We have made all of the preparations; taught the bible studies, participated in outreach and evangelism, invested time and finances to propel our church forward to be able to accommodate the harvest that the Lord continues to send, and we have prayed fervently for such a time as this. We are ready. We are prepared. We have planned. There is only one thing left to do, and it’s time. It’s time to exercise our faith and believe God will do it. He will calm our storm, and bring it to pass just as he promised that he would do. We are here today, “for such a time as this.” Embrace it, and let’s keep praising our God.
This week’s Lattereign gives me hope that God hasn’t forgotten us, and that for his will to be manifest into our lives, we must trust him and praise him. It’s Time to Praise Him
In the Time of the Lattereign 