WAIT (March 1st)

What do you do when God says 'wait?' When God says, 'not now?' When God says, 'Hold on?'

We often think we are being punished. We must have done something awful to keep getting denied- to keep feeling like we are praying and talking to a brick wall.

I have found myself yelling at God (yes, we have that kind of relationship)

DO YOU EVEN CARE?
WHAT DID I DO SO WRONG IN MY LIFE??
ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING???????
WHERE ARE YOU??
YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD NEVER LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US, RIGHT?

Who else has been there?

You're feeling abandoned.
You're feeling hopeless.
You're feeling helpless.
You're feeling lost.
You're feeling forsaken.

And you're so confused.

Why wouldn't He want to help me?
Why wouldn't He want to take care of me?
Why wouldn't He want to hear me?

We all have those days. Those days where we lose sight of who God is. The days where we get so lost in our troubles that we can't even see the purpose of the waiting season.

I'm having one of those days today.

And truth is-- when I'm having those days... and I don't FEEL like continuing to pray... I don't FEEL like talking to God. On those days when I'm MAD at Him, when I'm FRUSTRATED with Him...

Gotta still MAKE myself do it because my SOUL needs it. As much as my mind is angry and aggravated and frustrated..

the depths of my soul needs it. THIRSTS for it. LONGS for it.

Because while the weight of the world feels like it's crushing my chest and robbing the breath from me...

the peace of God, despite feeling like He doesn't care one bit in that moment, still floods in as soon as the name of Jesus flows from the lips. As soon as that worship music starts flowing.. as soon as scripture starts being spoken.

The weight is still there... but peace starts consuming it. And while the situation remains the same.. and while I still don't know why I'm WAITING.. He ensures it's a season.

You know those days you are stuck in traffic and someone says, 'Be thankful, you could have been in a car accident had it not been for the endless amounts of cars lined up right now?' They tell you to be thankful for waiting because it's PROTECTION..

How we need that mentality in all of life.

You waiting for something that doesn't seem like it's coming?
PROTECTION.
You waiting for a Word from God that isn't here yet?
HE'S WORKING IT OUT. HE'S GONNA PROTECT YOU.

Reading through the Word today and stumbled up on Isaiah 30:18-

"But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes time to do everything right-- everything. Those who wait around for Him are the lucky ones!"

God TAKES TIME to make EVERYTHING RIGHT.

You wouldn't want a surgeon to rush heart surgery right?
You wouldn't want a car manufacturer to rush your vehicle right?

You want them to take their time so it's safe, reliable, trustworthy, protective, and worth it!

God's the same way- 

if we would just get our thinking together and quit looking at what the difficulties of the world are showing us.

We DON'T want Him rushing goodness-- we want it safe, reliable, trustworthy, protective, and worth it!

Psalms 123:1-3- "I look up to You, heaven-dwelling God, look up to You for help. Like servants, alert to their master's commands, like a maiden attending her lady, we're watching and waiting, holding our breath, awaiting your word of mercy!"