Revisiting a message on waiting...

I wrote this message a couple of years ago and I stumbled upon it this morning. Interesting how I quote Angela Thomas in this message...and was reading one of her books back then...and just happened to pick up that book last weekend and reread the entire book. Well I don't believe in coincidences...clearly this message was to be revisited...updated and shared ....again. And maybe that is what we are suppose to do throughout our journeys...revisit the messages God has for us. Am I in the same place as I was in 2007 when I wrote this message....spiritually...not even close ( mission trips will grow ya that is for sure!!!)....financially...actually better....physically....seriously I am a woman in my 40's...so leave that alone. But even though I have grown and the years have past....I too see that revisiting God's word, His encouragement...and even my own words and encouragement is vital and important. The battles may be new, the desert we walk in may be a different one than the last time, but...God's word is for EVERY DAY, for every battle and every desert dweller. His word IS THE LIVING WATER. His word IS THE PROTECTION.
So I post this message on waiting....and standing and hoping and trusting in Christ Jesus who is our deliverer!!!
Thanks,
Lorrie





For many of us...we are in a waiting period. We have great desires and are waiting on the Lord to bring them forth. Many of us are waiting for answers to some very deep things in our hearts. The waiting and wondering really takes a toll on us. Many of us reach the point where we begin to become heartsick. Some days it is all we can to to hold on to hope...some days it takes all the strength in the world to stand through the storms of war raging in our lives. And I want so much to send a message of hope to all of us...Angela Thomas writes..."Maybe today you don't know what else to do. You are tired and can't go forward. You have considered just getting out of line and abandoning the wait. Can I ask you something? If you are able in this moment, stand up. Physically stand and pray:God, I cannot see You. I have no idea what to do next. But as an act of my complete trust, I will stand and keep standing until You show me what to do. Amen.

One of my favorite stories in Scripture is the book of 2 Chronicles. Jehoshaphat is a man of God. He sought the Lord for direction. He led as he believed God had instructed. But after all those things, Jehoshaphat and his people found themselves under attack from a vast army.
The Bible says that when they saw the army coming with no power to protect themselves, Jehoshaphat cried out to the Lord,"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. 2 Chron. 20:12 The scripture says that then:"all the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord." vs.13 What great courage comes to us through their vulnerability and act of obedience. When the people of Judah did not know what to do, they kept their eyes on God and stood. This story just gets better, and you have to hear what happens after the people stood before their Lord. God began to speak through a man named Jahaziel. He told them:
Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you:"Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's...You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem feel down in worship before the Lord. vs.15, 17-18
There are many opposing armies in the life of a woman. Lies we believe. Difficult relationships. Financial hardship. What ever battle you face this day, it cannot have you. You belong to God. After you have done everything you can do, then stand and wait to see the glory of the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Until it's your turn. I want you to become aware of God's intimate presence in your waiting. He is not far away. He is here. Holding you. I want you to know His pleasure. He is perfecting all those things that concern you. God can give you a righteous confidence in your waiting. And when it's finally your turn and He says, "Next," what a thrill it will be to yell, "Hey, that's me!!!! I'm ready to dance!!"
Well I know that was pretty long...but I really believe that every word of the excerpt was so important. Not long ago I wrote an email message titled"No Matter what." And I know I have written messages about hope. Always those messages are as much for me as they are for anyone else. God calls us to stand together. Not as one individual. United together before Him no matter what. When we have those in our lives who are hurting, who are crying, we don't have to have the quick fix, the answer, the solution to the problem. We just need to stand with them in faith. We don't have to know the how, but just believe in the Who. When don't have to know the why or the when, only that He knows how it will end and we must keep our hope in Him. It is hard for some of us not to have all the answers....but if we always have all the answers....when do we trust and hope in God? If you know someone who is hurting, as we all are at one time or another, God doesn't call us to fix them, only to stand with them before Him, trusting in Him alone. Believe me, we all have times of hurt and pain. We all have times when the blackness sweeps in and over takes us. It is in those times we reach out to our loved ones and friends and ask them to stand with us. Jehoshaphat didn't stand alone, all of Judah stood with him before the Lord.
Much Love and God bless!
Lorrie Durbin