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Archive for the ‘Trials’ Category

Waiting with Purpose

Posted in Bible Study, God, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Trials, tagged , , , , on November 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Waiting is a part of life. We experience it early and we never stop having seasons of waiting.

Christmas always seemed to take forever to arrive. When it did, there was much to celebrate and enjoy. The birth of a child is the culmination of months of waiting. That next promotion… The trip you have been looking forward to… The medical procedure you need…

Waiting is a part of life and waiting is not easy. But it can be good.

Lisa and I have made reading the Bible through in a year a part of our life rhythm. There are important seasons of waiting throughout the Bible that demonstrate the value in waiting. As I await the next steps in our medical treatment, I take solace in knowing that the LORD who created me and is with me in the waiting. I woke at 3:35am this morning and this theme of waiting has swirled around in my spirit as I prayed and pondered.

A rundown of just some of the seasons of waiting that came to mind:

Seasons of Waiting in the Bible

Abraham and Sarah waited for decades for the fulfillment of the promise that they would have a child. Joseph waited years in prison (on false charges) before God elevated him to Prime Minister of Egypt. Moses waited in the desert for 40 years before God called him from the burning bush. The Hebrew people wandered and waited in the wilderness for 40 years before the time arrived to enter the promised land. Jesus waited about 30 years before His time of ministry and revealing arrived. Even then the timing of God’s plan progressed in times of waiting beginning with 40 days of waiting in the wilderness fasting and praying.

The climactic moment of Jesus’ earthly life, His crucifixion included waiting… in the garden sweating blood in prayer… in mock trials with false accusations… in the praetorium as people cried out for His death… and on the cross until the full measure our sin was atoned for.

As I await a surgery currently scheduled for 2 months from now, hoping it will be moved forward, I get this nudge from Holy Spirit that He is here with me in the waiting. With that came the name Yahweh Shamma… The LORD who is present!

Immediately Isaiah 40:31 comes to mind (I chose the amplified version this morning)

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

Will gain new strength and renew their power;

They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];

They will run and not become weary,

They will walk and not grow tired.

Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Bible

I am lifted up knowing that there is purpose in my waiting. With a new sense of this time being ordained by God and precious I begin praying.

Confirmation of Purpose in My Waiting

Let me close by sharing a gift the LORD gave me yesterday that is really the point of this post. I woke early yesterday too. (Full transparency, waking at 3:30 am is not hard when you’re in California, but your body clock is still in SC!) I slipped into prayer yesterday as I thought of all my friends who commented on my Facebook post. My heart was warmed and I prayed for individual’s as they came to mind. It was a joy-filled time that started my day well.

As I headed out the hotel door, a friend and brother in Christ called me. I hadn’t seen him in a few years, but he called to encourage me. I had forgotten about praying for him as he went through a cancer battle, but he told me he felt led by the Lord to tell me about what I understood as the turning point for him. It was the low point in his battle. He was rail thin at 125 lbs, he couldn’t stand the sight, smell, or even the thought of food. His wife couldn’t cook or even eat around him because he got so nauseous.

He was seated in his chair in misery and the Holy Spirit asked him a question, “Who’s praying for you?” He replied, “I don’t know LORD, who?” and then all these people that he knew came to mind, churches where he had helped out, foreign countries where he had done mission work. Then the Holy Spirit asked, “What are you to do?” Again he replied, “I don’t know LORD, what?” The reply, “Pray for those praying for you!” I was blown away that the LORD had him call me to confirm that how I was being led was exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

God is the ultimate multi-tasker. I know He is doing things in me and in my family through this journey that are for our ultimate good and His glory. I harbor no illusions that this will be a cake-walk, but I know He has a plan and a purpose. Today, that includes a bit of waiting. But as I wait upon the LORD, I will pray with you and I will pray for you. And one day we will see that God had a purpose in all this and we will see that it was good and very good.

I suspect some of you are waiting too. Lean into the LORD and don’t be shy to ask, “Lord, please help me see my purpose in the waiting.” Then trust Him. He is there and He is not silent. It may be a clear word like my friend received. It might be a nudge in your Spirit like I had yesterday and today. It could be a person who comes to mind that you need to call. The key is to ask, trust, and obey. It is as simple as that.

Be blessed today my friends and don’t forget to be a blessing!

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Clarity!

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Trials, tagged , , , , on November 6, 2023| 2 Comments »

Thus far I have experienced many more positives from a cancer diagnosis than negatives.  I am feeling fine… okay at 63 I am feeling fine for being 63, but I have no real complaints.  The rallying of family and friends has been inspiring.  The peace which I know to be from the LORD even as we sit in this “bad news, but how bad” phase is simply amazing.  I am experiencing the “peace that passes understanding” that the apostle Paul talks about in Philippians 4:7 and it is wonderful.  But this morning I want to dwell on an aspect of blessing that is perhaps the most edifying, and that is clarity.

Today I am seeing and understanding my life’s purpose in high definition.  The LORD wants me to live in such deep friendship with Him that the joy, peace, and love that He has for me (and for you) spills over.  God has called me to love with His love.  The time I have left, whether it be 3 months or 30 years, is to be spent immersed in this experience of loving God with all my heart, soul, and strength and loving my neighbor as myself.

This past summer as I was sweating it out at the beach lugging way too much stuff from the beach back to our condo, I was pretty uncomfortable.  To battle my discomfort (and maybe a little frustration from lugging too much stuff) I was focusing upon ”reflecting” God’s love.  The Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “I want you to radiate my love.”  What?  Not reflect?  As I let that sink in, I realized I was trying to put on a smile.  I was trying to think kinder thoughts even in the midst of frustration.  I was thinking about “doing” the right things to be nice even though I felt anything but nice. 

As I examined the difference between reflecting and radiating I realized in my instance it was the difference between doing and being.  If we consider the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42), we get a picture of doing and being.  Martha was busy doing all the things necessary for everyone to be fed and cared for in her home as Jesus was teaching.  Mary was busy sitting at Jesus’ feet listening and learning.  She put the priority on being in Jesus’ presence before doing other things.

Now this is not an indictment of Martha, but it is making the distinction in priorities.  When my life’s priority is to draw close to Jesus, then the remainder of my life falls into place.  This is a daily thing.  This is a moment-by-moment thing.  As I spend focused time on Jesus, the Holy Spirit works this on-going transformation in me that brings about those characteristics that God has purposed for me.  I don’t have to work up the smile.  It just comes without effort.  I don’t have to work so hard to ignore the rude person, but kindness seeps to the surface of my thoughts.  I don’t have to try to be loving.  Love radiates out of me.

These outward manifestations come supernaturally, naturally.  God’s inner working in my soul is making changes in me such that the Holy Spirit has ever increasing sway on how I think and act.  It is less of God’s goodness shining on me and bouncing off and more of God’s goodness doing something miraculous in me that causes His goodness to radiate out of me. 

As I sit on this plane heading across the country, I think back to the mature believers who demonstrated this in my life.  I think of Sandy and Steve, a couple with three young children who took a 23-year-old new believer under their wings and nurtured him.  I think of Larry who encouraged me to go to this retreat and prayed for me to experience God in a deeper way.  I surrendered my life completely to Jesus that weekend.  There are John and Angelique who discipled me in the school of prayer for years as we met in the Prayer Tower in our small town in Tennessee.  I think of my beloved Lisa who put up with (and still puts up with) the person in the process of becoming who God created me to be.  These people and so many more demonstrated God’s love and care in marvelous ways.  And there is my faith community of today – dozens of beloved brothers and sisters in Christ who, like me, are in the process of becoming all God has created them to be.

I hope you will join me in this journey.  I believe in God’s sovereignty; therefore, He knows about this cancer battle and has allowed it for His good purpose.  That first wakeful night I felt the Lord give me a few “To Do’s”.  One was to journal this journey in a totally transparent manner and share it with others.  It is my earnest prayer that God meets you where you are and provides exactly what you need – whether it be encouragement, guidance, or perhaps even the first step in your journey of discovery with Him.

Until next time, be blessed my friend and be a blessing!

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