It can be extremely difficult to wait. Whether it be for an appointment, for water to heat, for a special event… Even more to wait on an answer from our LORD.
However, He WILL answer. It can be yes, no, or wait on My timing.
He WANTS to answer. We need to be good listeners. He has a variety of ways to answer. He may choose His Word, His people, the circumstances around us, during times of worship…
He is listening!
Blessings to you and yours!
Marie
Have you ever waited for days or years for something you’ve really wanted? You already know it’s in God’s plan but it’s just not happening? It could be anything from getting married, having a baby, financial issues, buying a new car, moving to a new house, getting the right job… Of course you have. We all have.
The people of our time and culture are impatient waiters. We want it now. We want it our way, now. Yet, if patience is the fruit of the spirit within us, why are we so impatient? Why are we so unwilling to ‘wait upon the Lord‘?
When I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education I expected to have an immediate teaching job offered to me. Well, that didn’t happen! (At that point, there were more teachers than jobs, especially in specialized area’s like music.) God had decided I needed to grow more first. So for 10 years I substitute taught, opened my own piano studio, and learned more about being His child and being a teacher.
But, I knew only a part of His plan for my life. My Spiritual Gift was teaching. I knew that. I prayed about that. Yet, it seemed I was being blocked for some reason. What was going on? Why was my life not moving forward in the way I thought it should?
I still don’t know the why’s but I do know these things about the wait. First, I was not ready. I had much to learn. God wanted me to be the best teacher I could be. Not just in the public school elementary classroom. His plan was so much bigger than that! Second, He wanted me to teach His Word. He wanted me to be prepared to help others as they searched for meaning in their own lives.
He wanted me to depend completely on Him in both areas. He was determined not to move me forward until I was ready. He can be stubborn. (Have you discovered that, too?) When I finally gave up and gave in (To His plan.) He started opening doors.
How did I learn to know what He wanted for me? He showed me through:
His plan made all the difference and He wasn’t about to let me do it my way. I have spent many years teaching His Word and will continue until He opens the door to Heaven. I spent 30 years in the public education system as an elementary teacher and principal. Even now, I’m still teaching! God opened the doors after I retired from public school education to a new career as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher/tutor to people from all over the world. I’m still teaching His Word in my church, in a private home Bible Study, through this Blog and other Social Media.
He cared so much that he made me wait!
Blessings to you and yours!
Marie
This post is in response to Week 12 of Deb Wolf’s 52-week Devotional Journal for Women.
One of my favorite parts of the Christmas Story is that of two people who waited patiently for the Messiah. Simeon and Anna were both New Testament witnesses to the Christ Child. Their stories are as follows (from the NIV, Luke 2):
Simeon at the Presentation of the Child by Rembrandt
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God…
Anna by Rembrandt
Luke 2:36–38 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Simeon and Anna were the first to see Him in a public place. They were the first witnesses to who He really was. More importantly, they were not afraid to say, to other worshippers in the Temple, who He was.
Simeon and Anna were the last of the Old Testament prophets. Their entire life purpose was to listen for and to God. Also, they shared with the other worshippers what they had heard God say in the temple. They did not sugar-coat the words but spoke clearly and with conviction.
Both of their names point to a strong, long-lasting faith. Simeon means obedient and listening. Anna means gracious, one who gives.
Dr. William Smith in Smith’s Bible Dictionary suggests that she was probably more than a hundred years old when she spoke over Jesus. (If she was married at approximately 14, lived with her husband for 7 years, and had spent 84 years after that in the temple, then she was at least 105 years old.) It is possible that Simeon was also quite old. Tradition has it that he was one of the 72 translators of the Septuagint. If that is truly the case he was over 200 years old at the time of this incident.
So, what is in this story for us. First, Isaiah 40:31 pops into my mind when I think of the words ‘they that wait upon the Lord…’. In all the years they waiting for the Birth neither one gave up on God’s promise and they were rewarded with seeing Him personally. We often wonder when God will finally act on one of His promises or our requests. Simeon and Anna are a great example of waiting and waiting and waiting… Second, a life of prayer is important to seeing God’s work. Although the scripture says Anna had lived, prayed, and fasted in the temple since her husband’s death, it does not mean that we have to live in our churches to experience God. He is everywhere! And finally, we can trust that God will follow through on His promises. God will and can do what He says He will. Our trust and obedience in matters of faith always lead to God’s blessings.
Blessings to you and yours!
Marie
This post was written as part of Blogs By Christian Women Holiday Tour. You will find several really excellent posts and blogs in the list below.
| 12/6/16 | Michele Morin | http://michelemorin.wordpress.com |
| 12/6/16 | Heather Olson | http://grace-filledgifts.blogspot.com/ |
| 12/6/16 | Sherri Autrey | http://sherriautrey.com |
| 12/7/16 | Gwen Williams | http://www.thejourneyofhealing.com |
| 12/7/16 | Marie Bungard | http://asatisfiedspirit.com |
| 12/7/16 | Lottie Staggs | https://www.lottiebrooke.com |
| 12/8/16 | Lee Felix | https://www.likemindedmusings.com |
| 12/8/16 | Amanda Brown | http://www.skgfun.com |
| 12/8/16 | Susan Bricker | http://leanintothelord.com |
This week’s Tuesday’s at Ten prompt word is strength or strong. I came across this story and thought how fitting.
On October 15,1997, David Huxley broke his own record at Mascot Airport in Sydney, Australia. He strapped around his upper torso a harness that was attached to a steel cable 15 yards long. The other end of the steel cable was attached to the front-wheel strut of a 
747 jetliner that weighed 187 tons. With his tennis shoes firmly planted on the runway, he leaned forward, pulled with all his might, and was able to get the jetliner rolling down the runway. He pulled the 747 one hundred yards in one minute and twenty-one seconds. (from 750 Engaging Illustrations compiled by Craig Brian Larson, pg. 62.)
Beyond physical strength as in the story above we have another kind of strength. This strength comes to us from the Lord. The Word tells us that quite clearly in Isaiah 40:31 – – When we trust in Him He will renew our strength like eagles. I can certainly testify to that verse. Several times in my life I have had to trust only in Him for the strength I needed. Through cancer, being hit by a truck while driving a Chevette, a tornado destroying our home, my sister’s massive stroke at age 39, Ray’s (my husband) Traumatic Brain Injury, and … He has carried me in His strong arms thoughout my life. His strength is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Grace upon grace to you and yours!
Marie
Sing along!
A Satisfied Spirit 
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