Waiting Endure for a Season...

Sometimes the best things in life 

take a long time to materialize. 

~

Isaiah 41:10

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Is 41:10

Yesterday.  Just one more of those days that feel like weight hanging around your neck.

When a friend of mine texted me this verse, I held back tears.  How much I needed to remember!

I think the part I noticed most strongly was "for I am thy God". 

~ Fear thou not.~

A Little Nugget of Gold

Courtship consists in a number of quiet attentions, 

not so pointed as to alarm, nor so vague as not to be understood.

Laurence Sterne

But because the Lord loved you,...the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you.  

Deut 7:8

I was struck today by the gentleness, yet powerful purposefulness of our God.  When I read this quote on courtship, it reminded me of the quiet ways God works in our lives: "a number of quiet attentions, not so pointed as to alarm, nor so vague as to not be understood."   We tend to notice the big changes, traumatic events, whirlwind changes, failures, successes, and big miracles, but do we notice unobtrusive guidence, the gentle guidance?   The next time your life seems to be stuck, not moving, unchanged, uneventful, maybe even just boring, look at it as "a number of quiet attentions."

For there's No Other Way

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, But our toil He doth richly repay; Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love Until all on the altar we lay; For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows, Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet. Or we’ll walk by His side in the way. What He says we will do, where He sends we will go; Never fear, only trust and obey.'

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Consider

Love this song :)

One of My Favorite Songs

You should never under-estimate the effect your actions have on your little child.

Whenever I sat on my daddy's knee as a baby/toddler, he would sing to me.

I wasn't very old because I can remember sitting in his hand, leaning in the crook of his arm.

He would sit and rock me in the Squeaky rocking chair. His voice would radiate outwards, I have never felt so warm , so safe in my life as when Dad would sing to me. I know from events that I was less than two years old. He would sing many songs (hymns), but two he sang more often than the rest: "Heaven Came Down" and "Open My Eyes". To this day these are my favorite.

I know them almost by heart. Funny thing is, even though I have tried to memorize these hymns completely, I always pull a blank at the same parts where he would forget the words. How I loved it when he sang and rocked me. The squeak always sang along. Because I always felt so warm and safe, whenever I am in need of warm safety I sing these songs. Here is "Heaven came down"

Click here">

O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget;

After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met.

O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart;

Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.

Chorus

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, (filled my soul)

When at the cross the Savior made me whole; (made me whole)

My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day,

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul! (filled my soul)

Born of the Spirit with life from above into God's family divine,

Justified fully thru Calvary's love, O what a standing is mine!

And the transaction so quickly was made, when as a sinner I came,

Took of the offer, of grace He did proffer, He saved me, O praise His dear name!

Now I've a hope that will surely endure after the passing of time;

I have a future in heaven for sure there in those mansions sublime.

And it's because of that wonderful day, when at the cross I believed;

Riches eternal and blessings supernal, from His precious hand I received.

Reflections of the Master's Hand

I am certainly not the originator of this analogy, but somehow the reality of this sunk into my consciousness this time. I look at how little I am and how perfectly the trail of history behind me reflects His guidance.

Being held in the master's hand. I often revel in the pure security of being in His hand. God's hand. I can trust him, even when I don't trust him I am still in the security of the hand of God. How much greater is His plan than ours. I love looking back and seeing how what seemed to be so scary, perfectly fell into place, step by step. He has painted the picture that I can only see glimpses of... I can trust Him.

But perhaps you, like me, ask how can I trust others? God knows how I have struggled with trusting. Sometimes my fear has been so great it prompted instant and irrevocable decisions that hurt innocent people. "How can I trust others?" I ask."In light of what I know of Him, and his perfection and how little I trust Someone who deserves all my faith -- how can I trust others whom I know to be mere humans like myself?"

I do not have the answers, but this helped me understand...

The Memoirs of a Simple Violin

"I thought I felt like puddy in his hands. I realize now it is more like the feeling of being handled as a valuable violin in the hands of a musician taught by a master violinist. The musician's every motion was guided by the skill imparted to him by the Master. The Master who not only taught the musician , but the Master who made me --the simple violin that I am. How thankful I am that the musician is taught by the Master, for the Master loves me more than anyone.

The Master will always love this simple violin. He has a unique love for me because He made me--me the violin. The Master is teaching the musician to love me the way He loves me.

The musician sees the value of the violin, because it is the work of the Master. Any studied musician values a Stradivarius because of its sound, quality, beauty, and its name.

The Stradivarius bears the name of its maker, Antonio Stradivari. I am called my Master's name.

In the hands of the Master, I am formed and play, and move to my Master's music. In the hands of the Master I am completed and tried. I experience, through gentle, but sometimes painful, process. I don't always sing as I should. Sometimes I am out of tune.

Sometimes I squeak or grate in awkward sharp notes. My Master fine tunes me, tightens my strings, stretching my strings -- its uncomfortable. The Master made me for a purpose. Then the Master shows the musician, whom he made me for, how to tune and play the violin, so that I will sing for him too.....

....Sometimes, the musican makes mistakes and I vibrate with hurt. Pain. But I bravely quiver as the musican's bow catches on the stings. A loud I complain. "I AM not supposed to be played this way! This is not how my Master's music sounds!" .....

....I always marvel when my Master steps in. He gently takes the bow from the musician, and lifting me in His arms: He plays. Sweet the song of the Master.

I have seen many violins thrown or given away. A squeaky violin is not appreciated by a musician. I am always amazed when my complaints are graciously forgiven.

Cast off violins are often given to children to play with. A disobedient violin is of no use to the musician. The musician looks for one of greater value. But the Master always love the violin. Sometimes, although the Master loves the violin, He must put the stubborn violin in a different place. A stubborn violin can be of no use to the musician.

But a well-tuned violin is a beautiful and useful instrument. The Master places a fined tuned violin into the hands of a loving musician. The violin is loved by the Master and the musician alike....

...the orchestra, the conductor, and the audience love a violin made by the Master, played the the Master-taught musician. The violin cannot play itself. The violin must depend upon another.

We need others in our life. The Master made us. Can we not trust the Master to care for us even in the hands of others? The Master's love and wisdom is not limited. We can trust Him with the others in our lives. "

***

I really enjoyed the little picture of the violin. There was more to the story, which I didn't included. But the part that struck me in this story was this: I can not control what others do, but I can trust the God who made me.

I Can Trust You

Rebecca St. James' Song I Can Trust You

I Can Trust You

I often struggle with letting go and trusting, this song has long been a favorite and a good reminder to trust and let go of the desire to control.

"Oh! That...." The 10 "O thats" of Job

*There are at least 3 more such exclamations listed in the book of Job in the KJV, but none of those 3 are of the same Hebrew word.

O that God...

The Hebrew word מי , pronounced "me", used in direct exclamation is found 10 times in the book of Job. Athough this is often an interrogative pronoun, asking who, it is also a by oblique construction, a colloquial idom meaning "Would to God!..." Commonly phrased as "Oh that..."

The deepest yearnings of our soul are known only to God and are kept by Him.

Dare we entrust our yearnings to God, which knoweth the hearts?

The 10"O thats"of Job

1. Oh that I might have my request

2. Oh that God might speak

3. Oh that ye would hold thy peace

4. Oh that Thou wouldest hid me

5. Oh that my words were written

6. Oh that my words were printed in a book

7. Oh that I knew

8. Oh that I were

9. Oh that we had

10. Oh that One would hear

Do any of these sound familiar to you? Oh too familiar to me.

"I wish I had, God speak to me, everyone else be quiet, hide me o God, if only my words were written, if only what i had to say mattered, if only i knew, i wish i was ..., if only we had, oh that some ONE would listen"

The 10 "O that"s of Job. Job wasn't wrong to question, but he was genuinely longing for God to answer. Are we longing for God's answer, or are our exclamations really just exaggerated complaints?

Can we trust God to satisfy our need? Do we trust Him?

Job 6:8 Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

Job 11:5 But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;

Job 13:5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.

Job 14:13 O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

Job 19:23a Oh that my words were now written!

Job 19:23b Oh that they were printed in a book!

Job 23:3 Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!

Job 29:2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

Job 31:31 If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.

Job 31:35 Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

World Without End

The confidence we can have in our God, if we but only place our trust in Him.

Life has a way of repeating itself, and I have been down this road before.... to my shame, I have traveled it again... the Road of Fear. "Change" has a way of looming up in front of you, casting a big scary shadow over the foot path. How I tremble at that shadow. How I should not tremble, I have no cause to fear. To night, I was gently reminded to trust.

Isa 45:17-19

...ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens;

God himself that formed the earth and made it;

he hath established it,

he created it not in vain,

he formed it to be inhabited:

I am the LORD; and there is none else.

I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth:

I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain:

I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Nothing the Lord does is in vain, everything is with purpose. When He establishes, it is forever.

Ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded -- World with out end.

~You Are My Hiding Place~

You are my hiding place,

You always fill my heart,

With songs of deliverance,

Whenever I am afraid,

I will trust in You --

I will trust in You,

Let the weak say I am strong,

In the strength of the Lord,

I will trust in You.

You are My Hiding Place

In God's Time

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:

I know that, whatsoever God doeth,

it shall be for ever:

Nothing can be put to it,

Nor any thing taken from it:

Ecc. 3:11, 14