When the Lord has a message for me, He usually doesn’t shout
it across the universe. It’s subtle,
quiet, whispered. In fact, He’s been
teaching me lately that He is not going to scream.
He is not going to yell.
Neither will He demand…or command, for that matter.
All He needs to do is whisper.
My heart can hear that.
When He wants my attention, He will gently let me know. He loves my soul, and my soul was not made
for anything but grace.
Yes this, and His glory.
Speaking of grace and glory…
We’ve been having a lot of conversations lately about
waiting. I’m waiting…and waiting…and
waiting…and apparently, He is as well. This
morning, I pointed out at least five miracles that He will have to do simply to
complete the plans He has already whispered to my heart. Within these five events, He will have to set
in motion multiple other miraculous works.
He really didn’t seem that worried about it. He gave me the impression He does this kind
of thing a whole lot.
Back to His quiet ways.
When I’m lacking, He often brings the wisdom of others to me in a timely
manner. Here are some very recent, “random” thoughts on waiting and grace:
Waiting is not always passive
Holley Gerth1 defines waiting as being “expectantly
watchful.” She cites Isaiah 40:31, “Those
who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” She
notes that “the ‘wait’ here is full of activity—soaring, running, walking.”
She goes on, “Yes
there are times when waiting requires literal stillness. But many times we wait as we go about
fulfilling the desires of the Master. This
verse promises that approaching life in this way actually renews our strength.”
Grace in all
circumstances
Paul
David Tripp wrote a precious book of essays centered on Psalm 27. A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble2
gleans much from this psalm of David.
The book was a gift from my friend Jessica, and she told me that she
knew I’d find it meaningful from time to time, just as she had. (Unless you’re completely broken, this is not
the type of book you read cover to cover in one or two sittings. It’s a book you can count on when there are
twinges of grief or trial in your heart and mind.)
I
found grace in these words:
You will not send me
from Your presence.
You will not drive me
from Your grace.
You will not separate me
from Your glory.
You will not eliminate me
from Your promises.
from Your presence.
You will not drive me
from Your grace.
You will not separate me
from Your glory.
You will not eliminate me
from Your promises.
The
poem is about transgression and our (new-covenant) righteousness through
Christ. It was what I needed to hear in
regard to my sin and standing…and in regard to my present waiting. Sometimes I feel cut off from His presence
because I cannot easily sense Him in my waiting.
I
fear He has forgotten me.
I
was reminded again that this will never be the case—for any reason.
Stay put and
stand firm
I just
started Kelly Minter’s Bible study on the life of Ruth3. I love the story of Ruth—of obedience and
overcoming, of loyalty and redemption. Really
love the redemption part! At the end of
Minter’s first study, which is about not
trusting and obeying God (a key theme that overshadows Ruth chapter 1), she
writes a little something that has stuck with me these past few days: “Be encouraged by this quote from Matthew
Henry, reminding us that fleeing our circumstances doesn’t necessarily remedy
them. “It is our wisdom to make the best
of that which is, for it is seldom that changing our place is mending it.’” 4
Continuing,
she writes, “God is present right where you are. Stay put and stand firm. It is always more blessed to be under the care
of His will than anywhere else.”
Give yourself room in the waiting
Now,
we can’t drag our feet when God leads us to move on to the next step. But until we know that step, we must allow
ourselves room to breathe and to be attentive.
This
is not my strong suit. My breathing
looks like hyperventilation in the waiting.
Attentiveness plays second fiddle to demanding. My way.
Right here. Right now. Got it?
Clearly...
This is not trust exhibited.
This is not
grace claimed.
The grass is not
greener
Unless
we are contrasting our current existence with our heavenly home, the grass is
exactly the same shade of green on both sides of our personal fence. I know this, and yet I struggle to be
content. I don’t know the future, but I
have a strong indication of at least past of my life’s further ministry and
calling.
Right
now, I feel torn between my two “callings”—the one I have in this moment and
the one(s) I will have later in life.
This is ridiculous, this duality of purpose I place on myself.
They
don’t form a dividing line in my life.
Actually, they flow into and from the other. I have to be careful that my looking forward in
expectation does not become dissatisfaction with my current ministry.
He has grace
enough for both.
1. All quotes taken
from http://www.holleygerth.com/heart-to-heart-with-holley/2012/4/23/the-best-kind-of-waiting.html. Published April 23, 2012.
2. Tripp, Paul David. A Shelter in the
Time of Storm: Meditations on God and
Trouble. (Wheaton ,
IL
3. Minter,
Kelly. Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy. (The Living Room Series.) (Nashville ,
TN
4. Matthew
Henry. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on
the Whole Bible. Vol. 2. (Publication details unknown.)
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