Waiting on God

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Because of erosion, the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was in peril of washing into the Atlantic Ocean. So Congress appropriated $12 million for the National Park service to move it 2900 feet to safety. 

With a combination of care, expertise, patience and raw power, The Expert House Movers of Sharptown, Maryland moved the 208 foot tall, 9.7 million pound structure to its current home. The option of moving the lighthouse was first proposed in April of 1982, but the light wasn’t lit at its new location until November 13, 1999. 17 years of study and 23 days of moving later. Why did it take so long? 

Because big moves take time. So often we want God to make huge sweeping changes in our lives overnight. What God is sometimes doing is making changes inch by inch over time. The result will come... and God knows where the best place for us to end up is (and the best time for us to get there). We just have to stay patient and allow Him to work in our lives.

Other times, we put God on our timetable and feel like He’s taking forever to do anything.

“God, I’ve been praying for this for three weeks... two years.... 15 years... and nothing’s happened yet!”

Found yourself saying these things? I have. But sometimes, the change you are looking for in the situation is actually a change that is happening in you. God knows what’s best for us. Sometimes it isn’t what we are asking Him for. We would be better served allowing the trial to make us stronger and more patient for future challenges.

We pray...

When the answer is “yes” we tend to be happy with God.

When the answer is “no” we tend to be angry with God.

When the answer is “wait” we tend to try to hurry God.

Or maybe worse... we try to take God out of the equation completely. Why wait? When we get impatient we follow bad advice, do things we wouldn’t normally do, and begin to doubt that God knows what He is doing.

If you find yourself challenged in the area of patience, remember... God knows how what you are asking Him to do ends up. He knows what’s best for you and the exact right way to put everything into motion.

Resist the urge to put your faith in a microwave... we can’t speed up God. His actions in your life will be purposeful, complete, and done at the perfect time... stay patient and wait... I’ll be praying for you as you do.

Answers?

As a Pastor, I am asked a lot of questions.   Some I can answer right away with an encouraging verse of scripture, a bit of advice, or some insight I’ve been given from a similar experience in my own life.  But sometimes there is no way of knowing the answer.  Questions like “Why did God....?”  or “When will I....?”  Only God knows those things.  

My response is always the same... there are some things that we won’t know this side of Heaven.  But it’s important to note that God has answered many of the important questions already!  We know He loves us, He has a destiny for our lives, and that through every pain there is a purpose.  The other answers will have to wait.  1 Corinthians 13 tells us that someday we will see everything with perfect clarity and know things completely.  In the meantime, it just comes down to faith.  While we may not understand the reason or timing of things in life, we can be assured that God does... and someday the questions we have will either be answered or will simply fade away in the presence of Christ Himself.  

God Knows Why

Sometimes things happen that don’t make much sense to us... we can’t explain why they’re going on... and we struggle with not having every detail.  It’s in those times that we must live lives of faith. The reason?  

Because God does know why.  In Jeremiah 29:11, the Bible tells us that God has a great plan for our lives... we simply need to trust Him and allow Him to lead us.  Fact is, He sees the finish line when all we might be able to see are the hurdles ahead.  But we have to keep running... knowing that He will use it to grow us, strengthen our faith, and help us reach our God potential.  

A philosopher once said, “ "Life can only be understood backwards: but it must be lived forwards."  I think he was right... we can only understand some things in hindsight... but we must press on, in faith, because we can trust the One who knows what’s best for us.  

Watching Over

Not long ago, Apple released a new lineup of iPhones... faster, sleeker, and some even able to use your fingerprint as a security key! One feature that hasn’t changed since its launch is the phone’s ability to locate where you are at any given time. This isn’t exclusive to the iPhone... if you carry a cell phone... yours can do it too. At any point during the day, your exact location can be pulled up on a map by your service provider or law enforcement. Many would see this as an invasion of privacy. But what would you say if I told you that it was happening long before the brick cell phones of the 80s were even thought of.

God’s been tracking you for years. In fact, He was doing it before you were even knit together as a baby. And if you think your cell provider knowing your latitude and longitude is personal... God knows your thoughts. Every thought. Those that we admit to and those that we hide in the deep recesses of our hearts. In Psalm 139, David asks God the rhetorical question “Where can I go from your Spirit?”. Of course, he knew the answer. God knows where you are, what you’re doing, and what is going through your mind. Every day. But why? Shouldn’t this scare us? Of course not! God knowing where we are should be a comfort. He is always with us...even when we feel like we’re alone. And God knowing our thoughts challenges us to think His way in our lives... We don’t need to fear God’s direct involvement in our day-to-day... we should embrace it... and give thanks that the God of the universe sees us important enough to keep His loving eye on.