Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

Whenever you run across the number 40 in the bible, you know something big is about to occur:

• While Noah and family were in the ark, rain fell for 40 days and nights. (Genesis 7:4)
• When the floodwaters subsided and mountaintops could be seen, he waited 40 days to release a bird to find land. (Genesis 8:5-7)
• The Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years so that the generation of those who did not trust in Lord’s protection in the Promised Land would pass away, so that their descendants would enter in their stead. (Numbers 32:13)
• Goliath taunted the Israelites for 40 days before David defeated him. (1 Samuel 17:16)
• Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the desert before His temptation. (Matthew 4:2, Mark 1:13, Luke 4:2)
• Jesus ascended 40 days after His resurrection. (Acts 1:3)

As readers of this blog well know, the number 40 very significantly worked in my life, since I was 40 years old when God opened my eyes to accept Jesus as the Way, truth, life, and my Lord and savior.

I write this simple post as a reminder and testimony that God may test you and have you wait while He lays out His plan for you, but the result is always worth waiting for.

Like you, I still pray and believe that He continues to weave His amazing tapestry, woven from over 8 billion human lives and the world and universe we live in. And while He weaves it, we continue in faith and give Him thanks, praise, and supplication.

Keep the faith, no matter how long the journey seems. Don’t ever stop believing and praying. He’s carrying you as He lovingly weaves your story this very moment. Let us continue to walk by faith and not merely by sight.

Today’s soundtrack

“More” by Matthew West reminds us that God loves us more than all the wondrous creations He has made across this universe.

https://youtu.be/9xxVB01Cd0o

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. -Isaiah 55:8 (NASB)

There’s a joke that talks about a man stuck in a flood zone. The waters are rising quickly, and a neighbor offers him a spot on his rowboat. The man says, “No, I will wait on the Lord, because He will save me!” Later, when the waters have risen so high that the man has to stand on his car to stay dry, another boat comes by and offers to rescue him. Again, he says he will wait on the Lord to save him. Finally, the man is up on the roof of his house, since the waters have risen even higher. A police helicopter throws down a rope ladder…and he rejects that as well, for the same reason.

It’s not long before the waters overtake him, and he dies by drowning. He’s then taken up to Heaven, and asks God, “Why didn’t you save me? I faithfully waited for You!” God replied, “I sent you two boats and a helicopter, wasn’t that enough?”

It’s a cute joke, but also underlines two things: sometimes, salvation from our trials can take a very different form than what we might expect; and that God works through people as His hands and feet.

We may be the very hands and feet He needs to work through, or the very smile someone needs to help them see light in their dark place. People are often the instruments of His work; I can testify to that through His using a coworker to wake me up from my 40-year sleepwalk!

God is always present, and we can pray to Him for discernment to make God-honoring choices and steward the gifts He gave us to His glory…perhaps to be His unexpected rescue instrument for the hurting and the lost.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. -James 5:7 (NIV)

Do you see the streams of light through the clouds, or around the bend? That’s God’s majesty ahead of you.

When you’re waiting on an amazing breakthrough or outcome, the time spent waiting can be excruciating or even discouraging. You might even be tempted to give up on waiting. Here’s why you shouldn’t.

Like a farmer, God uses time to perfect you, to heal you, to ripen you, to make sure you’re ready for the blessings ahead. Use the time wisely to thank Him for toughening you, purifying you, and laying out everything ahead just right. And the prayers of the righteous do not fall on deaf ears!

The storyline of your life is interwoven like a tapestry with the lives of others, and God is perfectly weaving them all together at the right times and places.

We can thank Him for His perfect plans; thank Him for hearing and answering our prayers; pray to Him in Jesus’ name, knowing it will be done; surrender all to Him in faith, obedience, and surrender (just like Abraham); and ask Him to continue to boost us as a testimony and song of praise to His glory.

Don’t give up. Don’t give in. He hears your prayers and cries. But while you wait, wait with eyes on Him and not your current situation, because now is just a stop on the way to God’s better plans ahead!

Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. -James 5:11 (NKJV)

Seeing off a fellow believer to their next station–maybe college, moving, a new job, or retirement–is tough for everyone involved. Nonbelievers simply miss the departing person themselves, but believers will also miss the godly fellowship that will no longer be possible.

But take heart. God wants His children to move from station to station while we are instruments for His plans. And, just like threads in a tapestry, He can move threads apart and later intersect them again.

We are in this world, but not if it, so hanging on too tightly to anything or anyone can be very painful. God, however, shows us that goodbye isn’t always final…sometimes it’s just goodbye for now, till we meet again in this life.

Through our journeys, God grows us, even through separation from attachments. Just like muscles we train by basically tearing and building stronger than before, so does He strengthen us more than we were before. And this wait He strengthens us for is just preparation for our ultimate homecoming.

So as today’s soundtrack says, just remember that your dreams are a promise, and that this farewell today is not goodbye.

Today’s soundtrack

Sidewalk Prophets’ “This Is Not Goodbye” is a beautiful sendoff and reminder to loved ones that we will meet again.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. -Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. -Psalm 130:5 (NIV)

God knows you’ve been very patiently waiting for that breakthrough. You’ve been weathering and persevering. Your flesh wants to give up and pack it up. But I urge you to please hang in there.

Over and over in Scripture, people step away from faith in God’s promises and plans and timing, and take matters into their own hands. It’s easy to see why. Your eyes and mind don’t see any change or hope on the horizon. Nothing’s changing. Why would things be different in the future?

Inevitably, when we take matters into our own hands, consequences and complications ensue, and we go down a different path than we could have, if we’d only waited for God. Abram slept with his servant Hagar to “help” God fulfill His promise of Sarai (who was barren) having a child (Genesis 16:2). King Saul didn’t wait for Samuel to arrive before charging into battle (1 Samuel 13:7-14). And so on and so on.

Just like believing in a Savior we’ve never met in person, we can choose to believe in His plans and promises and timing. He never promised we wouldn’t have hard times, but He does promise His steadfast and unfailing love, from cover to cover of the bible.

But wait actively, not passively. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open and receptive to the urging, nudging, or outright shoving of the Holy Spirit for direction. Pray for direction. Ask God to show you the way, and thank Him for continuing to do so. He’ll never abandon you, and will bless your obedience and faith!

Today’s soundtrack

“It’s Not Over Yet” by For King and Country goes out to all who are hurting and suffering, encouraging us to hang in there and hang onto the Lord!

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! -Luke 11:11-13 (NIV)

As a father, I give all I can for my son. And as his earthly father, when he asks me for something he needs, I will certainly meet or exceed that need, assuming it is what is best for him.

On top of that, my son–and I–have our Heavenly Father above, who knows exactly what is best for us, and will exceedingly meet our needs. He gifts us with His constant love, strength, and support as we travel through this world. And, of course, the greatest gift He gives us is eternal life in His presence, against which nothing on this earth can compare.

In Charles F. Stanley’s Handbook for Christian Living: Biblical Answers to Life’s Tough Questions, Dr. Stanley explains that if he’d gotten all he wanted from God when he wanted them, he would’ve missed his best in every case. He goes on to write this example:

Imagine for a moment a five-year-old who wants a pocketknife and a flashlight. A good father might not mind giving him the flashlight, but the boy needs to grow up a little before he can be trusted with the pocketknife. In the same way, God is waiting for us to grow spiritually in some areas before He can allow us to experience all the spiritual and material blessings He has in store (Eph. 1:3). (p. 542)

As the verses at the top of this post say, Our Father, who art in Heaven, can bestow upon us the gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us…if only we ask (Romans 10:9).

Every single one of us is a child to earthly parents, and a child of God, but we haven’t all accepted Him into our hearts. And more than any earthly parent, God knows every single thing in our future, and has already laid out what is best for us. If you or someone you know hasn’t yet accepted Him in your heart, walk this way, and see how Our Father in Heaven truly knows best, and works out all things for our best, to His glory.

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. -2 Thessalonians 3:13

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. -Psalm 27:14

We do a lot of waiting, don’t we? We wait through each moment, we wait in expectation of looming good or bad outcomes, and we wait expectantly on our Savior.

I like to think we’re on field assignments, with a new assignment given us once we complete our current assignment. Some assignments fly by, while others move like molasses.

Is waiting agonizing to you? It definitely can be if it’s a tough season with no apparent end in sight. It’s even worse if we’re passively living through it.

The first verse at the top of this post is from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, following the warning against those who are idle. When we tirelessly do good instead of being idle, God is glorified, and we have spent our time actively and wisely. Additional glory and credit go to the Lord when you do this, because you have taken the focus off yourself and your flesh’s urge to feel self-pity, and instead rightly diverted your energies in a positive manner to accomplish things in His name.

How to make time fly

Do you know what helps pass the time as you wait? Doing all you can for the Lord where you’re at. When you have a busy day at work, it’s time to pack up before you know it. But if you’re twiddling your thumbs and idle, the day will creep glacially and excruciatingly by.

Let’s wait by actively serving God in our current stations, and before we know it, our next assignment will be upon us…which God specifically ordered to occur after your previous assignments, so you’d be properly equipped to handle the next.

The In Touch Ministries devotional “Requirements of Waiting” discusses four basic requirements for successful waiting:

1. Faith in His ways and timing
2. Humility to submit completely to His will
3. Patience to remain in your current position
4. Courage to wait in the face of pressure to act

Read the whole devotional, which expands on these points »

Keep climbing up to Him…His next assignment is waiting for you to reach it.

Today’s soundtrack

“While I’m Waiting” by John Waller praises God by proclaiming our trust in Him and His plans, and that we will serve in faith and obedience while we wait.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. -Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. -Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

“Not yet,” I’ve told my son when he’s waiting and waiting for something. He often doesn’t know or understand why he has to wait, but I do, and will wait for the right time to give him what he needs or desires. During and afterwards, I try to explain to him why the wait was necessary.

The Lord has been whispering this to me for some time now as I go through tough times. The months of trials have been a relentless roller coaster, with occasional glimpses He’s given me of how far back the shaky foundations atop which today’s tribulations were built. (They go back decades!)

After the Lord has done His will by refining and carrying me through this, I will share it here. In the meantime, I share on a daily basis what He shares with me as I journey.

What’s amazing is that the Lord sees our entire lives in hindsight. He knows all the possible things we can do, and which path we will choose. And He sees the wondrous things He has waiting for us ahead…especially the life to come after this temporary pilgrimage we take.

Psalm 37 covers this assurance:

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. -Psalm 37:3-7

What I pray for in the moment, while we walk this earth, is that the steps we commit in faith are not of hardheartedness (doing it my way in spite of the Lord’s nudging in a different direction), but that our steps are aligned with His will. At least for me, to do this, I have to find a quiet place…or make one with headphones and brown noise…and let my own thoughts fall away so I can hear His again.

And when my heart can hear Him again, I don’t bother asking the Lord why, but instead what I should learn from the moment, which is seemingly lost in a sea of similar moments in my timeline.

His answers vary in detail about those moments, but they all point to the same underlying concept that He has told His children for millennia: “Trust in Me and My promises.”

After all, isn’t that the whole point of being a true believer?

Hang in there. He is with you. He hears your cries and groans and desires of your heart, and if you will only commit your way to the Lord and trust in Him, He will carry you to the other side, to a place far more beautiful and rewarding than you could have reached on your own.

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24 (NASB)

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. -James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

In every trial, the easy, natural response of your flesh is to feel wounded, and to ask, “Why me?” To feel wronged and undeserving of what has befallen you. And the world will gladly back you up to help you hold on to this feeling.

But you’re no victim. Your salvation and victory was bought for a very heavy price at the cross. You walk tall in victory through all circumstances. You walk above your circumstances, not wade through them.

This is not fooling yourself to think that nothing is wrong around you, or to deny the truth of the circumstances. This is about stepping out of your shoes and looking at yourself from the outside, and trusting that God has great plans for you, and that in these circumstances are the seeds of growth…seeds that will blossom into beautiful things.

You might say that concept is easy to tell others, but not to put into practice. The answer is: practice. The more you do it, by letting go, the easier it is to face every new moment. When you let you, you don’t just let your burdens go to God, but you also refocus on Him.

And when you do this, you start to take your attention off your pains (and yourself), and see the blessings in your circumstances. You stop looking at things from your perspective, and understand and trust that, from God’s perspective, there are reasons for the storm, and beauty awaits on the other side.

God often uses seasons of waiting and enduring to season and shape us…to grow our faith, to toughen us, and to learn to rely on Him, rather than ourselves or others. In the face of the toughest firestorm, we will come out tempered and stronger than ever before, if we let Him work through us.

From the excellent husband-wife team of Pocket Fuel in Australia is a devotional on seeing beauty in suffering:

You could be reading this thinking “there is nothing beautiful about the pain I’m in right now…”

I know exactly how you feel…most of us do…And while deep tragedy ravages our heart, it does reveal a beauty that’s concealed in easy times: the deep well of friendship, community, the comfort of God, discovering your strength, the capacity of the human spirit, the hope of eternity. Hope is not born on mountain tops, but in valleys when you’re looking to the heights and peaks that you’re yet to climb…

Read the whole devotional »

Today’s soundtrack

Laura Story’s “Blessings” helps us get perspective on our trials, to see that God has His reasons and blessings in them.