Waiting

S.D. Gordon ~ Quiet Talks on Prayer (he describes waiting)
Steadfastness, that is holding on;
patience, that is holding back;
expectancy, that is holding the face up;
obedience, that is holding one's self in readiness to go or do;
listening, that is holding quiet and still so as to hear.

"I was dying to talk to Jim and about Jim. But the things we feel most deeply we ought to learn to be silent about, at least untnil we have talked them over thoroughly with God."
~Elisabeth Elliot, Passion & Purity

"I do know that waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one's thoughts.
~Elisabeth Elliot, Passion & Purity

Rest

“Rest is a decision we make. Rest is choosing to do nothing when we have too much to do, slowing down when we feel pressure to go faster, stopping instead of starting. Rest is listening to our weariness and responding to our tiredness, not to what is making us tired. Rest is what happens when we say one simple word: "No!" Rest is the ultimate humiliation because in order to rest, we must admit we are not necessary, that the world can get along without us, that God's work does not depend on us. Once we understand how unnecessary we are, only then might we find the right reasons to say yes. Only then might we find the right reasons to decide to be with Jesus instead of working for him. Only then might we have the courage to take a nap with Jesus.”

~Mike Yaconelli

Glory

God has a mission
A plan to reach the nations
Worship He desires
Glory for His name

Long ago it began
The story of His glory
Threaded throughout history
Unchanging over time

He will not be deterred
His promise will prevail
Blessed to be a blessing
We have a role to play

Go and tell the nations
Disciples to be made
On their knees in worship
Bringing glory to His name

Patchwork

Scraps in a pile
Many colors, shapes & sizes
Can they come together
For a common purpose?

Sunday morning service
People flowing in
Each unique & special
Can they bond as one?

Scraps come together
Threaded piece by piece
A patchwork quilt begins to form
Beauty from the mess

We are Christ's body
Come together by His blood
Each one has a purpose
A place in God's family

Beauty out of ashes
Grace within our mess
Love that overflows
And draws us home at last

It is well with my soul

Various hymns run through my brain. I do love the old hymns...there is such rich theology in their words. One that came to mind recently is "It Is Well With My Soul."

Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

Check out the story behind the hymn: the author of this hymn, Horatio Spafford, had two major events take place within just a couple of years of each other. The first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire in late 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man).

Hardly two years later, a greater tragedy struck. In 1873 his four daughters where lost when their ship, bound for Europe, collided with another in Mid-atlantic, and sank almost immediately. A lifeboat spotted Mrs Spafford and she was rescued. When she arrived in Britain, with the rest of the survivors, she sent her husband this brief, but telling message: 'SAVED ALONE.'

The words struck Horatio Spafford with full force and plunged him into deep sorrow. The great American evangelist D.L. Moody and his associate, singer Ira D. Sankey, were conducting a campaign in Edinburgh at the time. They were personal friends of the Spaffords and came down to London to give whatever help and comfort they could. They found their friends in surprisingly good spirits, strong in faith and able to say through their tears, 'It is well; the will of God be done.'

Three years after that tragedy, Spafford wrote his hymn "It Is Well With My Soul", in memory of his four precious daughters. Happily each of them had personally received Jesus Christ as Savior before embarking on that fateful voyage.

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How would I react if I had faced those circumstances? Would I be able to say, "It is well with my soul"? Have I put my trust in the Sovereign God who will sustain me through such experiences?

Is it well with my soul even now when my life is relatively at peace?

I pray that regardless of the events of my life, I will be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.


It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.


My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!


And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Food for thought

“We become what we think about all day long.” Emerson

Think differently

"Why?" is a question I often find myself asking and it often goes unanswered. It's so easy for me to overthink situations, relationships, life. I analyze it, picking it apart and trying to see it from every angle. The result is that I get overwhelmed, stressed out and negative. Oooh, that is a bad combination!

Some of the "Why" questions I'm thinking about now:

* Why is self-discipline so difficult?

* Why do we say things to hurt other people?

* Why do we let our emotions cloud our judgment?

* Why is trusting God such a tough thing to do?

* Why is it so easy to waste time when there are so many good things I should be doing?

* Why is it difficult to find a kind word to say in response to the harsh words spoken to you?

* Why am I so restless?

I realize that it's often better not to dwell on the "why" which can be a fruitless pursuit of explanations I may never get. Instead, asking myself, "what am I going to do about...?" is a better focus to have. This latter question forces me to think about my area of influence. What can I change? What can I do differently? I have no ability to control other's actions or words but I can choose how I act and how I speak.