I Can't Wait!- Part 1

 I don't know how many times in my life I have uttered the words, "I can't wait until..."  Maybe it was a vacation or a date with my husband or the birth of a child or the end of a work day.  Most of us have looked forward to something so much that we feel that we just cannot wait.

    Sometimes in life no matter how much we feel we cannot wait, God forces us to slow down...and...wait.  We have been waiting the past few months on God to open a door of ministry for us.  This has been the hardest waiting period we have ever gone through.  For the past 25 years, we have hit the ground running nearly every morning to do some type of work in the ministry. Since mid-December, we have been between ministries and life has slowed down--sometimes agonizingly so. 

     In January we came across an opportunity that we were excited about and that seemed to be a sure thing. For several weeks we traveled, and my husband worked on the phone trying to iron out the details. As a family we were excited about this hopeful opportunity. In fact, we began packing our belongings and preparing for a move. Just as we were expecting a finalization of that opportunity, another opportunity arose.  This new opportunity seemed amazing! It seemed wonderful to have two opportunities to work on, and our hopes rose. We traveled to the location of the second opportunity, returned home, and then waited. Meanwhile our garage began to be filled with boxes of non-essentials that could be loaded on a moving truck with a matter of hours. Within a matter of two weeks though, both opportunities fizzled and died. The doors didn't just close; they slammed shut with a resounding bang.

  We are still waiting.  The boxes in the living room are constant reminders of our dilemma, and as you can see in the picture, they make a fine place to stack books that my boys are reading.  We know that God has a place for us and a people to minister to. We are so excited that I probably shouldn't say this, but we can't wait! Of course we have to though.  For the meantime, I did a Bible study on waiting on God, and if you're waiting on God, maybe this will help you like it has helped me:

Psalm 62:5-8 says, "My soul, wait thou only upon God: for my expectation  is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation:  he is my defence; I shall not be moved.  In God is my salvation and my glory:  the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him:  God is a refuge for us. Selah."

1. I am to place my goals, dreams, and expectations in what God will have for me--not what I want. "My expectation is from him."

2. God will be my Rock. "He only is my rock..."
    A. He will be my emotional security.
    B. He will cause me to be steadfast.

3. God will be my salvation.  "...and my salvation."
    A. He will provide direction.
    B. He will provide needs.

4. My glory will be in God.  "...and my glory":
    A. If I remember what He has done for me, I will be feel more confident that He will continue to      take care of me.
    B. I need to remember the times when God has answered my prayers so that I will be willing to rely on Him to answer current needs.
    C. I need to tell people of what He is doing all through the waiting period so that others are able to see how great He is.

5. God is my strength.  "The rock of my strength..."
     Waiting can cause doubt and fear, but if we put our hope in the Lord, He will provide the strength we need to plod through the valley of waiting.

6. If I allow Him to, God will be my refuge.  "...and my refuge, is in God."

7. I need to trust God at all times.  "Trust in him at all times";
    A. I need to trust God to open doors and also to slam them shut if that is His will.'
    B. I need to trust God to make His way clear.
    C. I need to trust Him to provide.

8. I need to pour my heart out to God when I am feeling really needy.  "ye people, pour out your heart before him:  God is a refuge for us. Selah."

     God has so much that He wants to provide for us if we would just allow Him to.  He promises to provide our needs, our peace, our security, and our strenth.  It is very easy to allow worry and fear to invade our souls and wreak havoc, but if we make God our refuge and follow His lead, then the valley of waiting can become a time of learning and even a time of renewal.

Isaiah 40:31

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run,

and not be weary;

and they shall walk,

and not faint.

My prayer:  "Lord, I pray that you will use this valley of waiting to renew my spirit and my desire to serve you with all my heart.  May I look inside and see those areas which I need to give to you so that I might be used more thouroughly for your work.  Thank you for meeting my needs and for being my refuge and my strength. You are awesome, God!"

 My beautiful, chiming clock is even packed away in its box. I forgot to remove the when batteries  I    packed it, so it still chimes on the hour! :)