Storms

Today as we drove to church the sky revealed a most awesome storm front rolling in. It was like God had taken the sky and folded it back, divided it, the sunny skies from the dark ominous storm clouds that were quickly approaching. It was just beautiful. -wish I was a photographer because that would have been a great picture.
Anyway, we sang a song today in church that says, "I will be still and know you are God" then I learned that "I will be still" in the Greek means: to quit scampering about. This began to bring the morning together for me as I stood there very thankful that I could honestly sing those words as well as do them. I mean there are some words I find that I can't sing because I know I can not or have not yet mastered the faith to do the action so -I tend to cry out for the faith to do so instead of sing them. However, today I was so thankful that I can be still and know that: in my daughters storm, or my Husbands pain, or my mothers struggle and even in a loved one's cancer....I can be still and know He is God. To me, that speaks to my heart..."Do not fear for I am with you". Today that is enough for me. I can pray, I can seek God's healing and peace but, I do not have to be overcome with worry. I am not controlled by my circumstances, my control lies with my God.
Once upon a time, my heart and mind did not know that I could just be still and know....I was in perpetual turmoil due to the circumstances that surrounded me. I did not know how to trust God. Now, He has revealed Himself to me, pursued me, grown and stretched me, healed me and most definitely put my feet on a solid ground. Today, I lay it all down and know that I can be still and know that He is God.
If you are reading this and caught up in your own storm that has you completely wrapped up. All I can do is tell you what happened to me. I had to learn that when I was scared, angry, upset, disappointed or whatever....I had to talk to God about it.
For example, one of my biggest struggles was that I just could not stand this particular person, I really just tensed up and was overtaken with "dislike" when I was in their presence. It became almost obsessive for me I worried about if they would be at the same place as I, I made my commitments dependent on if that person would be involved or not, it ( I ) was crazy. It was not until I became "still", took it to God and prayed about it that I realized it was MY problem.  It had very little to do with all I made it up to be in my mind, it was about me. God stayed with me and I even began to pray for that person. It was less genuine at first but, grew into authentic heartfelt prayer and you know what, God took that and made it a wonderful victory in my life.
That is a kind of lame example but, no matter what it is.... He may not remove the thorn but, He will use it to grow and stretch you if you allow it.

I am not YOU ARE

You are the master creator, Alpha and Omega, my redeemer, restorer and the lover of my soul. You are ever present and always with me. You come to hold me when I am sad, you discipline me when I have gone astray and you know me from the very fibers you knit me together with in the womb. You were there in my pain and you are there in my healing. You set the timing for all of it.
Lord today, I fear. I am scared and although I know you are there and working ahead for your purpose, I am scared. I know you, I have seen your hand print on my life consistently and I feel you near to me- I still fear. I trust you and I have seen the glory you can make out of a disaster. I have seen you allow miracles around me and still I fear.
So today, I will say I am not....but, YOU ARE! I will praise you in my fear and I will believe that your plan is in the works and I will trust what I know is true, I am not but, YOU are the I AM.

The Cable Guy

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Today the cable guys were here doing more work than they had planned on or expected. I tried to keep them hydrated and as comfortable as possible and chatted just a bit with both of them. One of them made a comment to me that really made me think. He said, “You sure are accommodating, much more than what I am used to, it seems like people these days are grumpier than when I first began doing this”. I replied, “I guess it is our modern day society, people have been spoiled, they want it fast and if they have to wait at all it is considered an inconvenience”.

Wow, this really brought home how we expect everything to be fast and easy. Look at our marriage/divorce rates, our investment in convenience foods, faster phones, faster computers, facebook – you can announce anything immediately and saturate your friends circle moments after anything exciting happens  (we instantly share our lives).

Today, I was not in a hurry, I did not care to wait in fact, I was grateful that they were invested in their jobs enough to do the work right since it was “lacking” from the previous cable guy. I anticipate that the end result will be proper working Internet, phones and cable TV. Therefore, I am willing to wait patiently.

Aren’t the best things in life worth waiting for? We wait 9 months for a precious baby, we wait (usually) to plan a wedding and the Honeymoon, we wait and prepare for a job, we wait for those things that matter. Why can we not wait patiently? Like in our prayer life, can you honestly say you wait patiently in you prayer life? I can not, I have learned where and when to take my life happenings, wants and needs to the Lord but, waiting on Him is a skill that I have still not a mastered.

Much like the cable guy experienced, I seem to be consistently impatient when it comes to waiting on God to lead me in whichever path is right. I tend to go before and sometimes I pick the right path but, I miss the blessing of peace because I have gone on before and am a nervous wreck because I have gone out on  my  own  instead of waiting on the master technician to show me how to do the job right.

So, maybe next time you (I) - we find ourselves in a tizzy because we have not waited steadfast in our prayer lives and are riddled with doubt and wonder how did we get here? ….remember the cable guy, stop, pray and wait.

Just breathe and be patient. Nothing He has planned for us will pass us by if we are praying in His will, being obedient and waiting faithfully. In HIS time we will get the job done, right and without being riddled with doubt for His glory not ours. Doesn’t that sound so much better than the original scenario? I think so!