WAITING ON THE LORD

Lam 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.


I know I say this alot, but I honestly can't believe how fast these weeks whip by. It is Friday again already! I have had a good week, but nothing really out of the ordinary in many ways that I can post about. There is A LOT going on, but they are stories without endings yet, so guess I should wait for the outcome before I post about it. I never have been a very patient person, and easily get excited and swooped along on a new possibility of some sort, so this "waiting" is not something I do very well. And yet in scripture we are taught the importance of "waiting" on the Lord.

Isa 30:18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you: We often wonder why the LORD waits to do things in our lives. I know I do anyway. Isaiah tells us plainly here that it is so He may be gracious to you. How wonderful is that?? Whenever the LORD waits or seems to delay, it always has a loving purpose behind it. We can trust that even when we don’t understand it. And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on us: When God has mercy on us, it exalts Him. Mercy does nothing to exalt the person who receives it; mercy recognizes the guilt of the one who deserves the punishment. But mercy exalts the goodness of the person who gives it. It shows them to be loving, generous, and full of mercy. For the Lord is a God of justice: On the surface, mercy and justice seem to oppose each other. If a guilty criminal stands before a judge, he has the choice to show either mercy or justice. But God is so great, He can show both at the same time. Because on the cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserve, God’s justice is satisfied. And yet at the same time, He shows mercy by extending the work of Jesus to us as payment for our sins. Only God can reconcile mercy and justice, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Blessed are all those who wait for Him: Because God is so great, there is a built-in blessing for those who wait for Him. Isaiah doesn’t mean wait just in the sense of passing time, but in the sense of patiently waiting for and trusting God’s promise, KNOWING He will fulfill it in His perfect timing and way.

We are still waiting on God's decision on James becoming the senior pastor of the church down in San Diego. As much as we would all like an answer for this as soon as possible (like yesterday Lord!) we do wait on the Lord to work out all the details in ways we never could. This has been a LONG story, full of many twists and turns and unexpected happenings, but one that I have personally enjoyed watching the Lord work... up close and personal. Irregardless of what ends up happening, and who serves as the senior pastor for this church, I am confident that the Lord is protecting HIS church and these people, and look forward to seeing just what the Lord has in mind. And in the meantime, I am pleased that James seems to be so open to the leading of the Lord, and willing to serve Him wherever he is placed. He will do the Sunday morning service there this week, so I am also happy to be able to travel down there again this week and be blessed!

We are also waiting on a job possibility that has come up recently from my husband as well. It was not one that he went seeking for, but rather one that came looking for him. It seems to be a wonderful opportunity, and it is hard for me not to push and shove and MAKE it happen, haha. I feel soo strongly that my hubby has worked HARD through his career and soo deserves this possibility. How I admire his work ethics and abilities, and respect soo much the job he has done to provide for his family the way he has over the years. I wish I had told him this more often.

We wait as the Lord forms this new grandbaby deep within my daughter's womb, and pray and trust Him to keep it all in His very capable hands. The pregnancy continues to go well, but she continues to be sick. She is learning to listen to her mama (I have had 4 pregnancy's afterall Mel, lol) and is keeping something in her tummy no matter what, and keeping up and busy. The tendency with first pregnancies is to "nurse" the morning sickness by staying in bed I think, if that is possible. And since Mel doesn't have to work outside of the home (she is still substitute teaching ~ another long story) and has no other little ones to care for yet, this seemed like a good idea at first. But she quickly learned it doesn't work well anyway, and she is way to active to keep down for very long as well. So she moves along really well I think, in spite of the fact she has little energy and a VERY queasy tummy...WAIT Mel, for this too shall pass, haha....

There are other things we wait on as well, but this is getting long so I will end it with one of my all time favorite verses. How it blesses me and brings joy and hope to my heart.

Isa 40: 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Notice the order, because it does seem strange... First we mount up with wings like eagles. Then we run. Finally we walk. Does it seem out of order? Not at all. First, we recognize that we soar up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). Then we set ourselves on the course to run the race (Hebrews 12:1). Then we are in the good place to walk the walk (Colossians 2:6). How wonderful is this?

Hope you all have a GREAT week-end.

Join the other Spiritual Sunday posts HERE.