'40'

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  Psalm 40: 1-2

As much as I would like to believe I am a patient person, I am not.  Coming from Atlanta, where my daily 15-mile commute to work took me at least an hour and a half to drive, one way, you had no choice but to be patient.  We currently live in Knoxville, where you can make it from one end of town to the other in about 20 minutes, but some days, I grow very impatient and frustrated with some of the drivers here in East TN.

We all struggle with impatience at times and many of us have been doing it since birth.  For instance, both our sons are all smiles until they both want something and then they will proceed to nag and whine until they try to get their way.  We all want things instantly.

As adults, we still struggle with being patient, especially when it comes to God answering our prayers and petitions.  Dr. Charles Stanley says that it is ‘dangerous’ to grow impatient with God as “we might miss the Lord’s perfect plan and His blessings.”   

I believe Dr. Stanley is right on.  We must learn to accept what God gives us and sometimes what He does not give us so that we can live with peace and without stress.  While waiting, we should continue to converse with God through prayer, obey His commands and seek Him for direction.  Only when we trust Him and patiently wait for His good and perfect timing will we be at peace.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  (Psalm 37:5)

 

 

The more I grow in my faith, the more I understand that God's ways are not my ways and sometimes I must wait before He sends His blessings.  Elijah just turned 9 months old this past week and looking back at how fast time has flown by made me acknowledge the season of waiting I was in for the better part of last year.  Five months into this year, and I am now in a much different season, but I learned a valuable lesson in learning to trust God fully and completely while patiently waiting for God's many blessings. 

 

 

When we don't trust God with our needs, we will live in panic, chaos, and fear because we do not cry out to the One who can meet our needs.  Jesus' disciples learned to trust Him on the Sea of Galilee during a frightening storm that had each one convinced that they would not survive.  Jesus walked across the water and commanded the storm to be still and the sea quickly became calm again.

 

 

If you do not trust the Lord, then who do you trust?  Jesus is waiting with His arms outstretched for you and will lift you up despite the tempestuous circumstances you may find yourself facing.