Wisdom in the Waiting
My study time the other night took me to Galatians 6, chapter about reaping what we plant. Verse 9 has stuck with me for several days now.
‘So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.’ (Galatians 6:9 NLT)
I hope in these days to keep a positive outlook on life, be mindful of the blessings God has given me, and share all that He has given me with others. I pray daily to be an example as I walk out each day in faith, hope and love. I want others to see beyond me to what God has given me, that His love and goodness shines through. Some days this is a greater task to accomplish than others. I find I may not have as much interest, motivation, confidence, desire to do just what God calls me to do every single day no matter where we are, what we are doing with our lives: love others as He loves me. It is not too much to ask and it is required of me! I must reach beyond myself and grasp the supernatural strength of the Holy Spirit to do this. Why is it some days that so much of what I am experiencing in my heart, my soul can cloud my ability to grasp that?
Nearly a year after Ryan was asked to resign our situation has not improved dramatically, it is a slow process. We are thankful for what we have today, for this new job he started nearly two months ago. The down side to it is how physically demanding the work is. An immediate result of the work he is doing has caused him to develop carpal tunnel in his hands and arms, so he is experiencing some tingling, numbness and discomfort for which there is no immediate cure. Over the counter medications and hand braces/gloves have helped some, but it continues to be very uncomfortable. As you can imagine it makes playing his guitar even more difficult. We are not sure how long God intends for him to do this, but we are not going to give up because it is the best job option he has had. We continue to wait and pray, wait and pray, wait and pray as the Lord works toward a new worship ministry position for Ryan. The headlines daily tell us that life is not getting any easier any time soon for the majority of us. We need to be thankful for the jobs we have today, because there are many who are still looking for work and do not have even the basic things that we can say that we have today.
We are taking it one day at a time. We are thankful when a bill arrives, and we can pay it. We are thankful we have food on our table, a roof over our heads and a warm bed to sleep in at night. We are not through the woods yet. Ryan is still in his first 90 days at his new job which means no holiday pay. God has already answered our prayers and provided so much! We will continue to trust and obey Him, knowing that He sees our needs and He will provide at just the right time.
Our situation is not one that could have been predicted, and it is not one that can be fixed overnight. As much as I’d like to pray, “God, end this today please!” I catch myself with this thought in mind: He has His reasons for allowing these events to unfold exactly as they have. I read this today, and it made me stop. I found myself reading it over and over again, trying to lock it in my mind for safe keeping as we continue to walk through these difficult days.
‘A wise man in trial will be patient and calm, prayerful and hopeful, resigned and humble, and will be more concerned to have the trial made a blessing, than to have it removed.’ (James Smith, Cheltenham, NY, 1869)
This thing, this monstrous trial we are going through seems so big, but the truth is…God is so much bigger! Somehow, some way we will continue to walk out each day in faith, live out our faith and exercise our faith as God calls us to. We have not sung our last song by any means, the music is still there but for whatever reason God has given us this time to enjoy the melodies in a different setting.
Please continue to pray for Ryan and I as we pray without ceasing, wait with great anticipation and expectation, and trust God to handle it all. His promises, His purpose, His protection for us will continue to be our strength and our comfort. We know and we believe that He is certainly not finished with us yet. The best is yet to come. We are so thankful for each and every one of you, and for how God continues to bless us so abundantly.
‘So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.’ (Galatians 6:9 NLT)
I hope in these days to keep a positive outlook on life, be mindful of the blessings God has given me, and share all that He has given me with others. I pray daily to be an example as I walk out each day in faith, hope and love. I want others to see beyond me to what God has given me, that His love and goodness shines through. Some days this is a greater task to accomplish than others. I find I may not have as much interest, motivation, confidence, desire to do just what God calls me to do every single day no matter where we are, what we are doing with our lives: love others as He loves me. It is not too much to ask and it is required of me! I must reach beyond myself and grasp the supernatural strength of the Holy Spirit to do this. Why is it some days that so much of what I am experiencing in my heart, my soul can cloud my ability to grasp that?
Nearly a year after Ryan was asked to resign our situation has not improved dramatically, it is a slow process. We are thankful for what we have today, for this new job he started nearly two months ago. The down side to it is how physically demanding the work is. An immediate result of the work he is doing has caused him to develop carpal tunnel in his hands and arms, so he is experiencing some tingling, numbness and discomfort for which there is no immediate cure. Over the counter medications and hand braces/gloves have helped some, but it continues to be very uncomfortable. As you can imagine it makes playing his guitar even more difficult. We are not sure how long God intends for him to do this, but we are not going to give up because it is the best job option he has had. We continue to wait and pray, wait and pray, wait and pray as the Lord works toward a new worship ministry position for Ryan. The headlines daily tell us that life is not getting any easier any time soon for the majority of us. We need to be thankful for the jobs we have today, because there are many who are still looking for work and do not have even the basic things that we can say that we have today.
We are taking it one day at a time. We are thankful when a bill arrives, and we can pay it. We are thankful we have food on our table, a roof over our heads and a warm bed to sleep in at night. We are not through the woods yet. Ryan is still in his first 90 days at his new job which means no holiday pay. God has already answered our prayers and provided so much! We will continue to trust and obey Him, knowing that He sees our needs and He will provide at just the right time.
Our situation is not one that could have been predicted, and it is not one that can be fixed overnight. As much as I’d like to pray, “God, end this today please!” I catch myself with this thought in mind: He has His reasons for allowing these events to unfold exactly as they have. I read this today, and it made me stop. I found myself reading it over and over again, trying to lock it in my mind for safe keeping as we continue to walk through these difficult days.
‘A wise man in trial will be patient and calm, prayerful and hopeful, resigned and humble, and will be more concerned to have the trial made a blessing, than to have it removed.’ (James Smith, Cheltenham, NY, 1869)
This thing, this monstrous trial we are going through seems so big, but the truth is…God is so much bigger! Somehow, some way we will continue to walk out each day in faith, live out our faith and exercise our faith as God calls us to. We have not sung our last song by any means, the music is still there but for whatever reason God has given us this time to enjoy the melodies in a different setting.
Please continue to pray for Ryan and I as we pray without ceasing, wait with great anticipation and expectation, and trust God to handle it all. His promises, His purpose, His protection for us will continue to be our strength and our comfort. We know and we believe that He is certainly not finished with us yet. The best is yet to come. We are so thankful for each and every one of you, and for how God continues to bless us so abundantly.
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