A little sip of comfort and joy while you wait!

            Do you have trouble waiting for things? I sure do! I was in the grocery store one day and overheard a little boy asking his mother for something. I will never forget what he said, “I want it, and I want it now.” This might sound a little concerning to you, however, is this not what we do in our lives? When we are praying for things in our lives such as a preferred job, chronic health issues, or a rebellious child, we want the answer, and we want it now. God becomes our drive through prayer window at our favorite fast food restaurant. When God doesn’t answer our prayers right away, we are crushed. 

Waiting is hard! We have all heard the term, in God’s timing. What does that mean? Well, I am sure that Sarah and Abraham probably felt like giving up when they did not conceive right away after the Lord promised them a son. It was all in God’s timing to give them the promised son ten years later. 

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Isaiah 40.31, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” This verse gives me comfort to know that when we wait, we will have a renewing of our strength. I don’t know about you, but I want to be like an eagle. The more we focus on God, the more we will be joyful and have the peace that only God can give. 

Sure, waiting is hard, but we must remember that “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30.5). So, sit back and enjoy the ride. Know that God has your back and the answer is on the way. God is making a way on your behalf, and He will never let you down. 

So, while we wait, could we still have comfort and joy? I think so!

Do you feel overwhelmed?

 

I sure do!  There are many days that I feel like I am running all day. It starts the minute I sat my feet on the floor each morning. I don’t know about you, but I feel tired and exhausted many days. Are you feeling weary and run down?

I think that we try to fit too much in our day. At the end of the day, I reflect on everything that I accomplished, but I never seem to get everything done.  My husband reminds me that we all have the same 24 hours a day. At which time I sigh and mutter to myself “he doesn’t understand.” Have you ever felt the same? Does all of this stuff matter to God?

At the end of each day, we should not be reflecting on the business of life but instead of asking ourselves, “What have I done for others today?” Each day we should say a prayer and ask God, “is there someone you want us to help today?” The Bible says, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness” (Titus 2:7). Matthew 7:20 says, “Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them.”

It is so easy to have the leaves but not the fruit. By that I mean listening to our Christian music, going to church, and having our Christian bumper sticker but not exemplifying the fruits such as peace, love, and joy. The nicer we are to others, the happier we will be.

Lift up your head!

 

Christmas is my favorite time of the year.  I get excited when I see the advertisements of the new Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel; however, one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is The Preacher’s Wife. If you have not seen The Preacher’s Wife, Denzel Washington plays the part of the angel (Dudley) who comes to earth to help a pastor save his church and family. Whitney Houston plays the part of the pastor’s wife, and Courtney Vance plays the role of the pastor. The music is just fantastic. One of my favorite quotes from the movie includes, “Just because you can’t see the air, doesn’t keep you from breathing. And just because you can’t see God, doesn’t keep you from believing.” I think the same applies to angels. Just because we can’t see the angels doesn’t mean they aren’t real.

When my youngest son was around five years old, he had a dream about a very nice man who came to his room while he was sleeping. The man wanted to see Cameron’s pets. The man then picked Cameron up, and they went to a creek to fish together. After spending some time fishing at the creek, the man brought Cameron back to the house and tucked him in bed. Cameron had this dream at the same time our grandmother passed away. The ironic thing about the dream was our grandmother lived on a farm with a creek. Cameron knew about this creek but never got to fish there. Could this man have been an angel sent to Cameron to comfort him during this time of grief?

Did you know that the word angel is mentioned in the Bible 296 times? The Scriptures provide an understanding of the role of angels in our lives such as to guide, empower, and to comfort us. Isaiah provided an understanding of the appearance of angels. “Above him were seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying” (Isaiah 6:2). Another Scripture in Revelations provides even more of an understanding of angels. For example, Revelations 5:11-12 states, “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice, they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

 

God sends His angel to work on our behalf, but they must never take the place of God. I love the song by Francesca Battistelli, and I hope that you will take a few minutes to listen. I think it will bless your heart.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my blog. I appreciate all of you. Have a blessed week!