that's a funny thought. but the basic truth is this: God wants us to give Him all the glory in all things. all things. all the time. He already knows what's going to happen and in the end, He always gets the victory, because He wants all the glory.
i know this about God. but, boy do i need to remind myself a lot. especially lately, with our house for sale and a desire to move closer to my husband's job. selling a house is hard work! and 5 weeks of being on the market feels like an eternity. my thoughts want to go to that place of blaming it on "the market." but my heart and spirit know that God is in control of it all. it takes self-reminding, and lots of prayer.
God is working on me. He knows where my faith is weak, and He will use that very area of weakness to strengthen me.
my weakness is in the waiting.
i'll be real here: i get a little grouchy if i've been waiting too long for my food to come at a restaurant. and that's just a matter of minutes! you can imagine how grumpy i might get when God makes me wait weeks, months, even years, for an answered prayer.
but God is working on me.
i know His plan is better than mine. i know His timing in everything is absolutely flawless. in the waiting, though, my faith is tested and tried...and increased. and God gets all the glory for coming through at the "last minute." it's like He's building the suspense. whatever it takes for me to see how faithful and good He is.
at Bible study this week, i sat in a room with a hundred other ladies, but the leader was speaking directly to me when she said: "in the waiting, there is purpose." i've started journaling the "things" we would have missed out on if our house had already sold and we'd moved. an afterschool playdate with friends, my kids helping water the plants in the backyard, coffee with a friend at my kitchen table...none of it would have happened if we didn't live here, now. there is purpose in the waiting.
there is a song on the radio, it loops in my mind and i sing confidently, "strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord...you are the Everlasting God...you lift us up on wings like eagles..."
i pray. Lord, i know there is purpose in this wait and i trust You with my life. i know You have an amazing plan for us, and i don't want to rush it. i will wait, and put my hope in You.
waiting isn't easy. knowing God makes all the difference.
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." -Psalm 27:14
"I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope." -Psalm 130:5
"...the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" -Isaiah 30:18
--------------------------------
what prayers are you waiting for God to answer? is your faith strengthened in the waiting?
