January 22, 2008

• ~ Waiting Upon the LORD ~

  
  
  I Wait Upon the LORD
  Song By ~ Tom Lascoe
  
  I walk I run
  Into His arms I come
  I’m weak He’s strong
  My shield and my song
  I soar I glide
  On eagle’s wings I fly
  To Him
  
  I wait upon the Lord
  My strength is renewed within me
  I call upon His name
  And He in His love reaches out to me
  
  I walk I run
  Into Your arms I come
  I’m weak You’re strong
  My shield and my song
  I soar I glide
  On eagle’s wings I fly
  To You
  
  I wait upon You Lord
  I will not grow faint or weary
  I call upon Your name
  Refreshed by Your grace You comfort me
  
  We walk we run
  Into Your arms we come
  We’re weak You’re strong
  Our shield and our song
  We soar we glide
  On eagle’s wings we fly
  To You
  
  We wait upon You Lord
  For we trust in You our Lord and King
  We call upon Your name
  For in You alone is everything
  
  
  
  I hope you were all blessed this past weekend … I sure was when I got on and found all of these sweet comments
  and your stories on how God directed your lives in certain circumstances! 
  Thank you all for sharing with me … and encouraging me!  It really means so much! 
  Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! 
  It is so good to have praying friends here on Xanga!  I did share these with my husband,
  and he also appreciates your prayers … ultimately, it will be his decision! 
  We are still praying and waiting for clear direction as to God’s will in this!  
  So … we continue to wait!  Whatever the decision, I so need His peace! 
  
  We had a show this weekend … it wasn’t the best, but every little bit helps … oh, and by the way,
  the Flowbee is still with us!!  And I even knocked the price down, too!  They have no idea the bargain
  they passed up!  Well, we have another show in February, so we’ll try again … by then, we’ll have more treasures to sell!  We are going to keep purging even if we stay here … get our lives organized … then it will be much easier when we do move!  Has anyone heard of Fly Lady?  Someone told me it’s a website that helps you get organized …
  and I need all the help I can get right now! 
  
  I do have a praise report before I share a teaching I read on ‘waiting’ … Lewis was working south in the ‘hill country’ here in our state … and the van, a long extended van, had already been loaded for the show on Saturday … well, Friday, it had gotten quite cold, and ice formed on the mountain-like driveway where he was working … when he got there he thought that maybe he could make it up that hill … but when he got almost to the top, the van started rolling backwards, downhill, on ice, with ditches on both sides!  He said they started rolling pretty fast … down this steep driveway, and when he got to the bottom he was able to get it stopped … and thankfully, no one was on the road at the bottom of the driveway … PTL!  It scared them both quite a bit, but they both knew that it was a miracle they weren’t hurt, and that nothing in the van, or the van was damaged … not a scratch!  I was so very thankful!  God is good! 
  
  Well, you all stay warm … it was freezing the past couple of days!  We were supposed to finally get some snow overnight, but I see nothing yet!  Lewis has to drive back down to the job with that mountain driveway again, so I’m hoping we don’t get much!!  He parks at the bottom of that driveway now … just in case … but that does make him have to walk it all the way up, and he has a bad cold!  Say a prayer for him!  Well, I’ll be around to visit you all this week to catch up!  Have a great Tuesday, and again, thank you all so much for your prayers, and encouragement! 
  You have blessed us so much! 
  
   Hugs,
  ~ Deborah <><
  
  
  
  This really spoke to my heart … it’s about ‘waiting on God’ and I’d like to share it with you … 
  
   “Waiting On God Not Man”
  

  Waiting on God is the special process through which the Lord causes our eyes to turn to Him for help in time of need. By extending the duration or distress of our trial even a little bit, our weaknesses become apparent.
  
  It is at this point our hearts become desperate, our faith is proved, and our hope is purified. The process is so common that the phrase “Wait upon the Lord” or “Waiting on God” is regularly used. We need to wait on God for a spouse, for a job, for healing, for wisdom, for ministry, etc. We might say that it is Satan tempting us, and in some cases he is, but at the same time it is God who is testing (proving) us. He is bringing us a step closer to Himself.
  
  Waiting on God is a crucial step in which our dependence upon God grows. Without this deeper awareness of God in our lives, God restrains Himself from giving us more grace. Blessing without humbling brings increased susceptibility to temptation. This is the reason growth comes with tests. Humility keeps us from pride which makes us selfishly ambitious where we would otherwise forget the Lord.
  
  Waiting for the Lord is not easy. Our heart is often crying out in agony. We feel oppressed and constrained. We yearn for freedom and provision. Waiting upon the Lord for needed supplies is one common area in which He trains us. We have to be needy so that we are forced to look to the Lord for help. Our other resources are stripped away. Someone yesterday said to me, “But I don’t like what the Lord is bringing me through.” How true this is. We squirm, squiggle and squeak.
  

  Ultimately then, waiting upon God protects us, deepens our trust in Him, forces us to seek His ways and brings Him the most glory.

  Waiting upon the Lord are times in which we do not have resources, answers, or direction. Instead we are often confused, poor, broken and limited. Our hope is focused on what happens after that season of humility, where we will experience a period of God’s blessing. If we live by confidence in our own resources and abilities, will we not become self-confident? What glory does that bring to God?! But through this process, God enables us to depend upon Him so that we know it is only He who does wonderful things in our lives.
  
  Ultimately then, waiting upon God protects us, deepens our trust in Him, forces us to seek His ways and brings Him the most glory. They are times the Lord is testing whether we are really seeking Him and His ways.
  
  I can remember experience after experience where I have cried out to God for help and deliverance. When going through those times, I think that if I could just get out of this one pit all would be well. However, not long after the Lord delivers me from one set of problems, I find myself in another whole set of problems. And again I am seeking His help with the same kind of desperate prayer. It began to dawn on me that God has carefully planned out these ‘pauses’ in life in order to renew, strengthen, humble and focus us on God. This is much like the recommendation that one go around a fruit tree and cut off its roots – shocking it so that it will grow stronger and healthier roots. In this respect ‘Waiting upon the Lord’ is similar to pruning.
  

  **********
  

  FUNCTIONAL DEFINITION OF WAITING UPON GOD
  
  Waiting upon God is exercising confidence in God’s timing and help during difficult times.
  He may delay because it would not be safe to give us at once what we ask: we are not ready for it.  To give ere we could truly receive, would be to destroy the very heart and hope of prayer, to cease to be our Father.  The delay itself may work to bring us nearer to our help, to increase the desire, perfect the prayer, and ripen the receptive condition.
  ~George Macdonald
  
   

  • 4:42 am
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