Are You Tired of Waiting?

I am a driven and impatient person who has been stretched in recent years to surrender my desires about the timing of things to God’s ever-wise timing. This does not come easily for me. I don’t like it when God seems mysterious or slow to respond — well, except for when He’s slow to get impatient with me.

Here’s are just a few of those things for which I’m waiting:

• Waiting for Carly to hit a new developmental milestone (she is our 12 year old daughter who has Angelman Syndrome)
• Waiting for educators in this country to awaken to more effective ways of teaching children with special needs
• Waiting for churches to respond more generously and Biblically to the needs of families facing disability
• Waiting for God to open doors for Larry to a new job (my husband has been laid off since 9/7/10)
• Waiting for a business goal to be accomplished and new ministry doors to open
• Waiting for resolution to a contract issue
• Waiting for an opportunity to do more writing and finish new books
• Waiting for clear answers to a prayer about an area of my life where I’m confused

Last night I spoke with about 30 women at a nearby correctional facility, each waiting out a lengthy incarceration for things like drug convictions and drunk driving arrests. This week I spoke with others who are waiting for things too.

• Waiting for healing
• Waiting for a spouse to come to his/her senses
• Waiting for a wayward child to come back home
• Waiting to lose more weight
• Waiting for encouragement amidst overwhelming circumstances

There are several reasons why waiting for God to reveal answers to my prayers is getting easier. One very gratifying reason is that I’m starting to see how profoundly God uses waiting times for HUGE things. Instead of waiting being a tedious, frustrating or worrisome experience, I’ve been noticing that God squeezes critical things out of those times. Sometimes those things are for me (lessons learned, character stretching, faith bolstering, etc.) but often there are important things coming out of my waiting times that are for the benefit of someone else entirely.

Like it or not, it’s not always about me. Actually, there’s a great freedom in knowing that when God doesn’t answer right away, it’s not always because I’m failing Him in some way. Often, God is carefully putting numerous things into place so that the answer is ultimately much more, better, or amazing than I could ever have imagined (Ephesians 3:20-21). Sometimes it even means that I might have to endure some hardship so that someone else can benefit in some way (2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Colossians 1:24). After all, Jesus endured a whole lot more. God will most certainly empower and sustain me because there are always Kingdom purposes at work (Colossians 1:11-12)!

When I look at waiting on God for answers as an adventure — a time of anticipating what incredible things God will do next — it’s more exciting and not so grueling. While none of us aspires for our life to follow the plot line of a mystery novel, I’m growing to appreciate that the best stories are complex, take time to unfold, build our confidence that adversity can be overcome and show us that the wait is worth it!

LORD, help us to catch Your vision for the value of our story in the broader Kingdom perspective. When we get impatient for Your answers or actions, help us to be confident that You are always at work in the midst of every situation — always near, forever faithful, completely sufficient to bring our stories to the best conclusions. Show us how to live so that every chapter declares Your greatness and captures the best of intimacy with You for us AND for others. AMEN

If you can take 5 minutes to prayerfully listen to this song, I believe God will have something very special for you!

“While I’m Waiting” by John Waller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7TSGptd3Y

It's "Marriage Prayer Friday!"

Whether you are praying for your own marriage or standing in the gap for a friend, thank you for joining us in seeking the Lord for the protection and fruitfulness of this sacred union.

A prayer for your own marriage—

CREATOR GOD, I come to You right now very grateful that You have the power, vision, and creativity to make all things new. Thank you for the first sparks that triggered attraction between me and my husband/wife. Thank you for all the ways you have created beauty in and through our marriage. I pause to think about some of those ways right now and am amazed by your goodness to us. Thank you that when anything or anyone makes an attack on our marriage, you have warriors ready to defeat every arrow, every sting. I confess that sometimes my marriage feels stuck and I hunger for something fresh. You intimately know the burdens my spouse and I carry every day. There are times when the burden is deep in our hearts as each of us has needs aching to be met. There are also times when the burden involves a crisis of circumstances, some that are within our control and many that are not. Then there are times when the burden is simply that we need a break from the routine, some refreshment. Romance even. Lord of the heavens, will You please fall afresh on my marriage today? Logistically, emotionally, and spiritually, please bring refreshment and renewal in my relationship with my husband/wife and give me new insight about my role in making sure we receive that gift from You into our marriage. Help us to be in a process that moves us toward the Light where healing, health, restoration, and inner joy are easy for You to create and re-create in us. I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ who was, and is and is to come.

AMEN

Something to pray for a friend's marriage—

CREATOR GOD, I come to You right now very grateful that You have the power, vision, and creativity to make all things new. Thank you for creating sparks of attraction that lead to the covenant union of marriage. You know that I have several friends with precious marriages and each faces different joys and struggles. Thank you for all the ways you have created beauty in and through those marriages. Even when my friends struggle, You have everything needed to bring them through it thriving! If any of my friends is facing

an attack on their marriage, please keep Your warriors ready to defeat every arrow, every sting. Help those marriages to stand firmly in You. I am grateful that you intimately know the burdens my friends face — heartaches, crisis circumstances, and even mundane routine. Lord of the heavens, please fall afresh on my friends' marriages today. C

reate refreshment, romance

and renewal. Give each of those spouses insight about their own roles in receiving the good gifts You have for their marriage. Keep them in a process that moves them increasingly toward healing, health, restoration, and inner joy. God, these things are easy for you to do! I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ who was, and is and is to come.

AMEN

The LOOK that Makes Us Radiant

This verse brought both encouragement and challenge to me recently. May it spur you on also!

"Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." Psalm 34:5

As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, there is NO CONDEMNATION (see also Romans 8:1, Hebrews 12:1-3).

Because of the Holy Spirit, we are RADIANT (see also Psalm 19:8)!

Thank you, Almighty God, for giving such good gifts. Help us to keep our eyes (perspectives, vision, plans), heart (emotions and attitude), mind (thoughts and beliefs), and body (activities, priorities, habits) fixed on You. Today's verse reminds us that what makes us attractive and appealing to others — both physically and in character — starts and grows from looking to You. We want you to have our undivided attention, Lord! AMEN