Sunday, March 14, 2010

Waiting...

The title under this picture is:

"I think I can wait"...

I would have to agree, I think I would also wait...

This lead me to thinking about the times in our lives when we have no choice but to wait. For me, that doesn't come naturally, probably not for most of us.

But, there are many many times in this journey of life, when that is exactly what God asks of us... to wait. It may be for a number of reasons...

... a job that has been lost, while you wait for a new one...(I have a growing number of friends in the midst of this 'waiting room'...)

... a report from the doctor that calls for more tests, and you have to wait it out...(and on this note, if you haven't met her, please go and visit Lisa at Glad Chatter. She is in a waiting mode in the midst of a cancer diagnosis, waiting to hear the next step, and you will visit her blog and leave there both blessed and refreshed... Lisa is trusting God the whole way, as she waits...and somehow I always leave her blog smiling!... and one more, go and meet Witt Harris Lupher, the son and grandson of some precious friends of mine. This little boy will steal your heart! He has spent most of his 16 months in the hospital, with his loving family right beside him, as they have prayed, and claimed God's faithfulness, and ... waited!...)

... a child who is going through some struggles and you are called upon to say less, pray more, and... wait...

... or maybe even a marriage that is strained and needs God's touch of renewal, as you wait...

... it might be that you are in the midst of personal grief, and feel like you can barely hang on, as you wait and pray for the load to be lightened...

... or that you are at a place of change in your own life, and you aren't sure which direction to go...

Whatever it is, it's not new to God! He has both BEEN in those places Himself, as He awaited His own death on the cross for us. and... He has promised to be right there with us as we go through these times. And when the waiting is over... He will once again have proven His faithfulness to us.

Once in awhile I think I just CAN'T do something, like wait, again... and I am reminded that I have no other option. What else would we do?? Who else would we go to?? And in that moment, my heart is filled again with the hope that Jesus has promised... that "He will never leave me or forsake me", and that "He is with me always"... We are NOT without options... ever... we always have a loving Saviour who shares these very 'waiting' places with us, and by his steady hand, He leads us through them.

"I pray to God—my life a prayer— and wait for what he'll say and do. My life's on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning." (Psalm 130:5)

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." (Psalm 127:14)

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Psalm 5:3)

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Is.40:31)




13 comments:

Lisa Smith said...

coming back to spend more time enjoying and pouring over later but thanks, sonja!! My first impression from this photo is that there is always a "stretch" in the wait and so today i am thanking God for the stretching that occurs during the wait.

love you!! xoxo

Anonymous said...

'Waiting on God' is a phrase that I seem to see a lot the past day or two. It is never easy. We feel we have to offer God a helping hand 'while we're waiting'. Always gets us in trouble.

LisaShaw said...

Aww, waiting on GOD. I didn't listen to my Grandma growing up when she taught me Psalm 27:13-14(KJV) and how to wait on GOD but some how it slipped in to the fiber of my being and I've had to stand on that Word while waiting on the Lord with love, worship and all trust that the outcome of the situation will honor Him and thus bless the persons involved.

The wait is NOT easy for me either Sonja in several situations but the more I wait (patiently and with praise and great expectation in GOD); the more I learn how to wait on Him.

I will visit and pray for Witt. I remain in prayer for LisaS.

Thank you for the blessing of this message. Your last Scripture is one that always leaps in my spirit.

Hugs and love.

LisaShaw said...

Sonja, please check the link for Witt's. It's not the link for the blog. Thanks.

Andrea said...

I am so thankful GOD always understands my heart and what I am going through.
Thank you for another great message.
Hugs,
andrea

myletterstoemily said...

but it's just sooooo hard!

thank you for a timely, anointed
word.

this is such a sweet place.

sometimes i wonder if waiting
on the Lord could also mean as
in a waiter 'waiting' or attending
to a table.

blessings,
lea

Rose said...

Oh my, waiting is not something I do well, but I do it better now than I use too. Thank God for giving me some patience to "wait" in situations that I cannot rush or control. Nice post Sonja.

Just Be Real said...

Waiting is certainly very hard. I love the picture. Thanks Sonja for your continued support of encouargement to me. Much much appreciated. Blessings.

Debbie Petras said...

Waiting on God has not been something I like but I'm learning. He has perfect timing; not a minute too early or too late.

I follow Lisa Smith's glad chatter and so agree with you. She is such a blessing in the midst of uncertainty in her life. I pray for her too.

I look forward to visiting you each day now. You always have such wonderful pearls of wisdom to share. You are mentoring many of us with your blog posts Sonja. I'm loving it!

Love you and thank you for your warm words of encouragement and love. I'll take pictures of my meeting with Kathleen and share them.

Love,
Debbie

Deborah Ann said...

Even though I travel to the corners of the earth, even there, Your hand will reach me...

My own waiting game is I want to relocate to Arizona. I LOVE palm trees, plus my daughter is there. I've been praying and waiting for over 20 years to leave this blink-of-an-eye town. But so far God won't let me leave this cage.

But you know something? Like you mentioned, there are people waiting to be healed and delivered. Next to those needs, my own are truly selfish. No wonder God isn't chomping at the bit to accomodate me! Hehe...

GwendolynKay said...

Hello Sonja,
Afer I finish this comment I will go check out your friend's blogs.
As always a great post to make us think...
I love the last verse you have posted. I use to sing along to it in a song by "Petra" , they were a Christian group from the 80s and even now I can hear the tune in my head.
I hope you are happy and healthy my dear friend.
Blessings!
Gwen

TRUTH SHARER said...

Yep --- WAIT has been God's operative word in my life! I'm wondering if it is finally getting easier to do just that! Maybe I'm learning to trust Him more?

{{HUGS}} Stephanie

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

A perfect word of encouragement for my current season of waiting...

I do not wait without hope. I wait with Hope, and Peace, and Truth!

He's my next.

Oh, and the next time the slumber party is on, let me know. I've got my microphone and sleeping bag ready!

peace~elaine