Waiting For The Rest of the Story

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“But if we hope for what we do not see,

with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Romans 8:25

It was a night of fellowship around the table. Good food, sweet friends and encouragement as we took a pause in the Bible Study teaching. My table was filled with open conversation as one lady shared of her new, refreshed faith in Christ that feels as if she just got saved. I turned to the lady next to me and asked, “Why don’t you share a God story?”

She looked up and after a brief pause said, “I’m working on one!” Tears surfaced. I heard her words of faith as profound. I sat frozen in the moment. What powerful words of faith! Around another table, one discerned that something was happening and she quickly darted across the room to get in on the moment.

As I repeated the words, more tears came.

She didn’t say, “I don’t have one”, but “I’m working on one!”

Sometimes we are standing in the middle of dark dirt that doesn’t show much hope that anything will come out of it. We can look one way and feel that God is not hearing or answering our prayer. Then we can turn slightly with eyes of expectancy and have great hope. It is especially hard to hold on to faith when the story has so many twists and turns, climbs and dives. What my friend knew was that God wasn’t finished yet.

The dark dirt under her feet held many seeds of promise that she had planted in faith and watered with her own tears. Many days it just looked like dirt turning to mud from all the turmoil and tears. But she continued to hold on to faith and promise that God is down in the dirt working something.

She now stood over this ground waiting to see what would pop up on any given day. She saw little shoots of green hope sticking up out of the ground and with that faith she waited for the rest of the story. She believed with everything within her that God was at work. It was not over. Therefore, she kept believing, praying, loving, obeying and watching.

The enemy speaks discouragement over the little shoots of life and hope when we are longing to see a full grown plant with glorious fruit. He comes in the night and snatches our hope by filling our minds with despair, doubt and fear. This is the exact moment that we must press more seeds deep within the dark soil.

“God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” (Romans 4:17)

God is working things together for good and there will be a God story very soon.

My friend, what dirt do you stand in today? You have planted seeds of promise and watered with tears. You have waited much longer than seems possible for something to spring forth. Be encouraged today that your God story is in the making.

Help yourself to a new packet of seed.

Press them deep into the soil and watch over them with faith and expectancy.

SEEDS OF HOPE AND PROMISE

Psalms 62:1-6 (NIV) Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Luke 1:37 (NKJV) "For with God nothing will be impossible."

Mark 9:23 (NLT) “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”

Matthew 21:21-22 (NLT) Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT) So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

James 1:12 (NLT) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Romans 4:20-21 (NLT) Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

Psalm 136:4 (NLT) Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.

He's In The Waiting

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“Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” Ps. 27:14

I sat in the courtroom with a friend today asking God to give me alertness to what was going on in the spirit realm and to teach me His lessons. The day had finally arrived for her to go before the judge in a long drawn out case. After several years of trying to get before a judge, it was finally happening today. There she sat at the front table beside her attorney with all the players in place.

Deep breath. Sigh. Gratitude.

Ready! Set! Go! But suddenly there was a pause. The pause quickly turned to a delay that sat perched in the atmosphere.

“Not enough time to hear the case today. “ What? What?

Hope quickly turned to disappointment and all were dismissed with another date on the calendar.

Zoomed in on the pause, I waited to see what would happen. I believe God to be sovereign, so I knew the pause was from Him. It wasn’t the judge or the afternoon calendar, it was Sovereign God.

Oh, to really live in the moment grasping it all. When hope and celebration suddenly turns, increase our faith to know that you are in it all. Waiting is so hard for us in this ultra instant culture, especially when the wait affects those we love so dearly.

I remember two specific delays in the life of our Lord. Once when the disciples asked Him if he was going to the feast with them. His answer was, “No, my time has not yet come." (John 7:8-10) But just a short while after those words, He appeared at the feast. I am convinced it was because He waited on His Father’s voice and timing and He would only move when Father said to move. Of course He didn’t lie to his disciples, but embraced His Father’s time.

The second event that I recall was when Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother and His friend, Lazarus, was very sick. (John 11) “Please hurry and come. Now, Jesus.“ Jesus gave His word that He would be there, but then delayed three days. It appeared that His delay was far too late because Lazarus was already dead. There was no surprise to Jesus because He knew He moved on God’s timetable and nothing was bigger than His Father’s will, not even death. He felt no hurry to rush to the sick bed because He did not fear the grave.

A pause can turn to a delay and even a disappointing cancellation as it did for my friend today. But as believers in Jesus we come to know that delays are God’s opportunities for us to see His glory. He is doing something in the unseen. Down beneath the dark and the quiet, in the minutes, days, and months and even years that are flying by for us, God is at work. It feels like time is running out and death is looming, but God is always right on time.

He is in the waiting.

My friend’s peace and perspective astounded me. In the past delays she had seen God move and work accomplishing great things in her life and she knew He would do it again. She held to His sovereignty. God’s not ready. Something’s not in place. I wait and watch and grow in Him in the middle of the wait.

Is there a pause happening in your life? Has it turned to a delay? Does it feel like God is not even seeing or hearing you, much less working on your behalf? He’s in the waiting.

Be still and breath. Have hope and take courage. Wait expectantly when you see nothing happening. He is always at work in silence and darkness and nothingness.

Every disappointment holds promise.

I Saw Jesus

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“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

I felt like the wee little man, Zacchaeus, intent on seeing Jesus. He climbed up in a tree being sure not to miss Him, and I stood on tiptoes to catch a glimpse. He was at my church this Sunday. Of course it was a man playing the part of Jesus in our Palm Sunday service, but I felt as if it was actually Him.

The children waved palm branches as we sang, “Prepare Ye The Way.” Suddenly Jesus came walking through our sanctuary. He waved and smiled non-stop as he patted children’s heads and even invited two little ones to dance with Him. He threw his head back in pure delight as he played with them. My eyes were fastened on him as I watched. There I was caught up in my heart, dancing with Jesus in front of the entire church.

Questions turned in my heart and my mind. What would it be like if He really walked through our midst? Would we just stare? Would we watch Him like a Netflix drama? Would we sprint to hug Him and accept the invitation to dance or would we stare in unbelief?

Oh, how we need His manifest presence. How we are desperate for Him to walk among us. We need an expectation of Emmanuel – God With Us. Why gather if we don’t long for Him to walk among us in great love and power bringing healing, deliverance, and renewal and true revival?

They missed Him when He literally walked among them and we continue to miss Him as He indwells us. We don’t have to climb a tree, but we need to desperately expect Him. Expectant living is standing on tiptoes, longing to see Him and hear Him daily.

The last song of the worship set embodied Him. It was Tasha Cobb’s new song, “He Knows My Name”. The presence of the Lord became so tangible. It was no longer a dramatization, but His manifest presence among us. As we sang from our hearts, the closer He came.

He is always with us, but He longs to come near, to be seen and known.

Look. Listen. Worship. He is Here!

Lord, bring healing to our eyes that we may see you. Give us an expectation of you. May our worship draw your presence near again. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the atmosphere in our churches, in our homes, in our hearts.

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence – as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down the mountains quaked at your presence."

Isaiah 64:1-3