PRAY=Please Rush A Yes
Isaiah 64:4 “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.”
I have to admit, I am not so awesome at waiting. “I want what I want, and I want it now!”—I would love to give credit for that quote to one of my kids when they were toddlers, but sadly, it was their mom, yesterday. I believe “waiting” should be added to the list of Spiritual Disciplines. I will write the “Church” and ask them to add it to the list. I would rather fast than wait. But the more I think about it, that’s not true either.
Our Church is doing a 3 day fast this week. On day 1 at 11am, I was eating a bowl of granola, an english muffin and a large glass of OJ—(that is what you call a ‘fast fail’) When I asked my 6 year old Zach, “what does ‘fasting’ mean buddy?”—he replied “eating really really fast?” Apparently Zach is going to be as good at fasting as I am! “Progress not perfection” right?
Tonight we are coming together as a Church for prayer and breakthrough as the fast ends. We are seeking God to continue to heal our Pastor who has been diagnosed with cancer and we are all seeking God for breakthrough in different ways in our own lives. I would just like breakthrough from life in general at times. I would like a ‘time out’. “There is a flag on the field—too many penalties from the other team”. But that is not how life works, no ‘time outs’ for grown ups. And if you find yourself in a time out, that probably isn’t the best of circumstances. I once visited a friend who had a 3 month “time out” and her room was so pretty with all the flowers and the padded walls. Fortunately, her time out ended and she is back in the ‘game’.
I believe we do more ‘waiting’ in this life than anything else. Waiting to get married, waiting to get pregnant, waiting for the baby to come, waiting for sleep again, waiting for a new job, waiting for a new house, waiting, waiting, waiting. Yet if there is one thing I FIGHT more than anything in my life, it is ‘waiting’. I HATE waiting. It’s hard for me to wait to be seated for a table in a restaurant, so you can imagine how much harder it is waiting for God to answer my prayers… That can be the hardest waiting of all. I want to learn to ‘wait’ better.
This week I was walking (not running) by my kids school and I remembered over 14 years ago being in that very spot, praying. Praying that one day I would have a child, and that they would attend this school. And now looking back I can see God’s hand through it all. He moved us 400 miles north, gave us 2 children, and then moved us 200 miles south into the very neighborhood we were visiting when I prayed that prayer 14 years ago. And now, not 1, but both of my children attend there. God answered my prayer. Not overnight. But He answered. He is faithful, even when I am not. I stressed and fretted and all the while, He was moving. God is not a “cosmic vending machine”, but He does answer prayers. Prayers that are aligned with His will and our best.
Luke 17 “He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
If our ‘mustard seed’ of faith lines up with God’s will, He will uproot a tree and plant it in the sea! That is amazing. We have the power to move mountains in our faith, if it aligns with God’s will. So as I have been praying this week for breakthrough, I am reminded that He IS faithful. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
And as I have reflected on His faithfulness in the past, and His promise for the future my prayers have morphed from “me, myself and I” to “You, Your’s and only Your Will Father”.
The reality is, He hasn’t answered all my prayers the way I wish He would have when I first prayed them. But when I see the bigger picture, I am so thankful He is not that cosmic vending machine I wish He was at times.
He is our loving Father and He cares deeply about our lives. He cares deeply about us and our best for His glory.
Sometimes I wish He moved faster. But it takes 40 weeks for a baby to reach maturity in the womb, and sometimes I am realizing 40 years for God to answer our prayers. Not to punish us, but because He is doing more behind the scenes than we could ever imagine. Just as I don’t need to know all the details that go in to growing a baby in a womb. I don’t need to know all the details that go in to how God answers my prayers. I just need to trust more and more that He has my best at heart. And I know He does, because He has my name engraved on the palm of His hand. And guess what, your’s is there too.
Isaiah 49:16 “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hand; your walls are ever before me.”
So, here’s to waiting together for our God to move on our behalf, knowing full well He has our best in mind. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Off to eat granola, an english muffin and some OJ to celebrate my breakthrough. He already delivered it. And I will eat it “really really fast” in honor of Zach!
Daily Grace to you.
Love,
