Waiting In Faith

This morning I read a devotional in Our Daily Bread about waiting with anticipation. So many thoughts crossed my mind as I read it.



I hate waiting.



Most of the time when I wait, I do so in frustration, not anticipation. But that article showed me that if we are waiting for God to do something for us, then we should do so in faith and anticipate His action.



Isaiah 40 : 31 says “But 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.”



Waiting is never easy. It can sap our strength, physically as well as emotionally. That is why we need to trust God that He will show up at the right time and do what is best for us.



So, what are you waiting for? Healing? A job? A mate? An answer from God? Wait in faith; wait in hope. Do not doubt and do not give up. Abraham waited twenty-five years to receive the promised heir, but there are some who wait and never receive the promises. What happens then?



That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6 :12


But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:13







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Think Big

A Life Interrupted

This week I saw an old movie titled Girl Interrupted, starring Angelina Jolie and Whoopi Goldberg. As

the name implies, the movie deals with the life of a young woman mis-diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder, and as a result, the course of her life was interrupted for a whole year.

In the movie, Susanna was coerced by a doctor and her her parents into allowing herself to be admitted to a mental institution. At first she balked at the idea and was scared of the loonies she was forced to share her life with. But gradually, they became her friends, and when an opportunity came for her to leave the institution, she refused. Later, she ran away, but returned.

This is what is so sad about a life being interrupted. We gradually adjust to our situation, become so comfortable with it that we no longer wish to escape. In my book Coming Out Of Egypt, the main characters, Marva and June, had their lives interrupted by their father's abuse. Marva, the older sister, became resigned to her situation until something happened to jolt her out of it, as it did with Susanna in the movie.

As I reflected on the movie, I wondered how many young people have had their lives interrupted as a result of circumstances beyond their control. If you are in a situation where your life, your dreams, your goals have been interrupted, I encourage you, do not lose heart. The keyword is "interrupted," not "ended." You are still alive, and so is God. He is a God of restoration, and He wants to restore you, if you would let Him.

Jeremiah 15: 19 says,  Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me ..." 

In Joel 2: 25 He promises, "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. "

Don't give up. Cry out to the Lord today, and He will answer you.

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Hannah - Barren

In my last post, I wrote about Rachel, Jacob's wife, who was very unhappy in her marriage because of her barrenness. This post deals with Hannah, Elkanah's wife, who was also unhappy in her marriage because of her barrenness. Like Rachel, Hannah's husband also loved her more than he loved his other wife, Peninnah. Elkanah didn't care if Hannah had children or not, but Peninnah taunted her unmercifully until Hannah became so distraught she couldn't eat.

Elkanah tried to comfort her, saying, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" (1 Samuel 1: 8).

Hannah decided to do something about her condition, but unlike Rachel, who resorted to schemes and charms, Hannah cried out to God and made Him a vow.

 "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head" (v 11).
 
So passionate was she in pouring out her heart to God that Eli the priest thought she was drunk.

But Hannah replied, "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD (v 15).

Eli blessed her, and she and her husband went home. Hannah conceived and bore a son. Hannah was ecstatic that God had blessed her with a son. She called him Samuel. Many times we pray for something and promise God that we will attend church more, or we will study our Bible more, or increase our giving, only to forget all about our promise when our prayer is answered. 

Hannah kept her promise and gave her son back to God.  The Bible says that after she'd weaned the baby, she took him to Eli just as she'd promised. Samuel went on to become one of the greatest prophets Israel had ever known. But the story doesn't end there.

And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters ( v 21). 
 

 God rewarded Hannah for her faith. We learn something from Hannah's story. We can never surpass God in our giving. Whatever we give to Him He gives back to us in abundance. 

Luke 6: 38 says, Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  

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Sarah - A Woman For All Seasons

This month marks the fifth year since the publication of my book Women For All Seasons, featuring twelve women of the Bible.Their stories are written creatively so you can easily relate to them. At the end of each chapter, there is a section called "Insight" where I give my views on the story, and where you can write answers to questions. To give you a better introduction to the book, I will write a short post on one of the characters each week for this month.

This week's character is Sarah. I included Sarah in the book because she depicts the season of winter. A time when the landscape looks dry and infertile. The weather is cold and nothing grows. There is very little activity as people hurry to get before a warm fire or turn on the heat to make themselves comfortable. Such is the situation of Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman in the winter of her life, long past child-bearing age, and been barren all her life.

When the angel told her she would have a child, she didn't believe it. She said,  "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" (Genesis 18: 12).

But the Lord said,  "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" (v 14)

If you have ever read the story, you will know that Sarah did have a child and she called him Isaac. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead thousands of years later quickened Sarah's infertile womb, and she was able to give birth.

Are you in the winter of your years? Do you feel useless, infertile, unproductive? God doesn't say that. Psalm 92: 14 says, "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing."

God had made a promise to Sarah and Abraham and, even though it was long in coming, He kept His promise. He has also made promises to you. Stand on His promises, and don't be discouraged. It is never too late.

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