I will worship while I'm waiting

Waiting. Patience. Perseverance. Waiting. Waiting is not easy. Especially in today's society, where we have instant access to everything. It's all at the mere touch of a finger. Many people today have smart phones that give them instant access to anything on the internet instantly. We don't want to wait. We don't want to wait for our food, so we go to fast food places. We drive over the speed limit because we want to get places faster, and we get upset when we hit all the red lights and how long they make us wait. We want to see instant results, and if we can't see the results right away, something must not be working properly. We are always on the rush. Always on the go. We want things when we want them, and we don't want to wait. As the course to a famous song by Queen goes: "I want it all and I want it now".

This attitude, unfortunately, as permeated our spiritual lives. We expect God to act like our smart phones and give us the information we need when we want it, the way we want it. We pray to God, asking Him to bring healing to the sick loved ones in our lives. We ask Him to take the pain that we are experiencing away. We ask Him to provide for us a job so we can pay the bills. We ask Him for a new car when ours breaks down. We ask Him to bring that special someone into our lives whom we can love and cherish, and one day marry. We ask Him to show us the path He wants us to take for our lives. But when He doesn't answer our prayers; when our loved ones don't get better; when the pain doesn't go away; when we don't get the things we ask for; we get upset at God, thinking He doesn't care or isn't listening. We expect a timely response from God, but often times that isn't the case. Bottom line is: we don't want to wait.

Waiting. Waiting on God requires trust. Waiting on God requires faith. If we don't trust that God has the best in mind for us, it makes it very hard to wait on Him. But He does have the best in mind for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says this: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" This was written as a part of a letter penned to the exiles from Judah who were dragged off into captivity by the Babylonians. They had been separated from God and put into exile because of their continuous rebellion and disobedience to God. So at this point they feel the weight of their guilt and the pain of being far from home. But it's in the midst of this storm that God brings them a message of hope: "I have a plan for you". And not just any plan, but "plans to prosper you". God says in the previous verse that "When seventy years are complete for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place (Jerusalem)." God wasn't just going to leave them in captivity, He was going to bring them back home. But in the mean time, they would have to wait.

God has a plan for us all. A great and glorious plan. He can do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). His plan involved sending His son, so that through his life, death, and resurrection, we "may have life and live it to the full" (John 10:10). He can see this wonderful plan that He has for us and is calling us to wait on Him. To wait on Him, and allow Him to reveal it to us in His time. Does this mean that we sit around twiddling our thumbs while we wait on God? Certainly not! While they were in exile, God called the Israelites to "build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper" (Jeremiah 29:5-7). They weren't just going to sit around until God brought them back. So we too are called worship and serve the Lord while we wait. To continue to give thanks and praise to God for what He has done for us. To continue to serve the Lord where He has placed us.

Waiting. It's not easy, but it will sure be worth it in the end.

~~~While I'm Waiting~~~
John Waller

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it is painful, but patiently I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait
Yes, I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I will move ahead bold and confident
I'll be taking every step in obedience, yeah

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint

And I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You Lord

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting

Praise you in this storm

Storms. The wind, the rain, the lightning. Frightening in power, awesome in beauty. Storms can destroy. They cause floods, uproot trees, down power lines. Storms can build up. Often grass will be greener after a lightning storm. Deserts spring to life and are filled with beauty.

Storms. We all face them in life. We experience the pain, hardship, and trials that they bring. Sometimes the storms are short; other times they last years. Sometimes we question God and ask why we are going through this. Why would God cause this or that to happen in our lives. We are frightened by the storm, but forget the beauty in the storm. God is calling us in our storms to reach out and take His hand. To trust fully in Him. To trust that all things will work out to our good. Good not as we see it, but as God sees it. To have faith and believe that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or ever imagine. To trust that after the storm, the grass will be greener. The arid dry land turned into a beautiful oasis.

~~~ Praise you in this storm~~~
Casting Crowns

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

[Chorus x2]

The fireplace and the spirit

Imagine a room with a fireplace. The only source of light in this room is the fireplace; and when the fireplace is not lit, the room is in total darkness. But when the fireplace is lit, the darkness is dispelled; and as the flames get bigger, the light from the fire gets stronger. And as the light gets stronger and brighter, the darkness becomes less and less until it is all but eliminated completely. But as the fire slowly dies, the darkness slowly encroaches on the fireplace, and the shroud of darkness thickens in the room. The only way to suppress the darkness is to re-kindle the flames and to feed the fire in the fireplace.

The room represents you, your body and soul; and the fireplace represents the spirit. Before we come to know Christ; before we accept him into our lives; before we acknowledge him as our personal Savior and Lord; the fireplace is not lit. The spirit is dead. We are consumed with darkness, and are enslaved to sin and our sinful nature.

But when we come to know Christ; when we accept him into our hearts and lives; when we acknowledge him as the Lord and Savior of our lives; the fireplace is lit and the spirit comes to life. We are born again. We are a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come! We are free from the shackles of slavery to sin. We are free! The son has set us free and we are free indeed!  

And as the spirit grows within us, as the fire become bigger, and as the light becomes stronger, the power of sin in our lives grows weaker. As we feed the spirit in our lives, as we fix our eyes on Jesus, as we seek to live for him, the flesh becomes weaker. It becomes starved, and slowly dies away until it is all but gone.

But if we stop feeding the spirit; if our eyes wander away from Jesus; if we seek satisfaction and joy and love in the things of the world; the fire slowly begins to die. And as the light from the flames weaken, darkness begins to fill the room. The sinful nature grows stronger and more powerful in our lives. It drags us down; shackling and binding us. The things we were once free from we are now enslaved to once again.

We cannot simply fight the darkness. We cannot hope to overcome our sinful nature by trying to suppress the sinful nature by our own means. We cannot remove our chains and shackles by our own power. I used to think this way. I used to think that I could conquer my sin on my own. I used to think that if I would just do this or that, I could overcome by sinful nature and the desires of my flesh. But I can't. I've tied that numerous times and have failed over and over again. I have discovered that the only way I can suppress the darkness; the only way I can overcome my flesh; the only way I can eliminate the sinful nature is to feed the spirit. To feed the flames. To feed the spirit. To turn my focus back to Jesus. To seek to live for him. To seek to give him each and every area of my life.  And as my focus returns to Jesus; fixing my gaze on his loving face, and walking towards him on the water, the flame in my heart re-ignites. The chains become loose and fall to the floor. The darkness shrinks away. The fire blazes and brings warmth to the body and soul.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.

~~~Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus~~~
Words and music by: Hel­en H. Lem­mel

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

Refrain

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Refrain

The burden is light

"'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'" Matthew 11:28-30

"My yoke is easy and my burden is light"... What amazing words! Yes, living life for Christ can be hard, but it's not meant to be a burden. What does that mean? One of the things I have been learning recently is what is my purpose in life. I used to think that my purpose was to ensure that I was doing the right things. That I was reaching out to people and talking about Christ. If I wasn't doing that, then I felt I was doing something wrong. I felt that unless I saw someone come to Christ as the result of my actions or my words at some point in my life, then I was doing something wrong. I felt like I needed to be doing more, like I wasn't doing enough. I felt like it was all about me and the responsibility of bringing someone to Christ fell on my shoulders. I was carrying a burden. A burden I didn't need to carry. My head knew that my righteous acts were as filthy rags in God's eyes, and I could do nothing without Christ, but my heart didn't get it. My purpose in life is not to make sure I'm doing the right things, it's simply to let God work through me. God is the one who changes the hearts and lives of people. God is the one who judges. God is the one who judges man, weighs their motives, knows their hearts. I can't change people. I can't change how people think. I can't change what people believe. I can't change a person's heart. That's what God does. But I can let Him use me. I can let Him speak through me. I can let Him shine His light through me. I can let Him work through me. Knowing that brings so much  freedom! The burden has been lifted! I am free to simply live for Christ! Hallelujah!

Lord, I thank you that it's not about me. It's all about you. You are the one who changes the hearts and lives of man. You are the one who causes the seed to grow. You are the one who works through me to impact the lives of the people you have placed around me. You are the one. It's all about you. Thank you God for choosing to use me. You chose to use me even though I am naught but a wretch. You chose to use me despite all my failures and short comings. You chose me even though I would not have chosen you. Thank you Lord. All praise and thanks belong to you. Hallelujah! Amen.