A friend shared this with me the other day. It made me think. I have been praying to be in God's will. I have been praying for His timing. I have been waiting on Him. All good things. But it seems like I haven't been praying boldly expecting the "impossible". I feel like I have been wavering back and forth and not holding strong to that faith that I have had in months past.
This morning, I was reading "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On" by Stormie Omartian, and these words stood out for me : You need faith that He WILL speak to you, that you CAN hear Him, and that it WILL be good news. She also said, "Don't be afraid of the perfecting process that prepares you to move into God's call on your life. It will establish, strengthen, and settle you (1 Peter 5:10). Just stand strong through the fire and you will be purified, molded, humbled, and made ready for what He has for you to do."
I look at Joe and Anna and the faith they have every day that God will provide for them, that He will bring them people to minister to, that He will protect them, that He will show them His plan for their lives. They gave up EVERYTHING to come to a place that seems like a wilderness ... none of the luxuries from back home. Many things are hard to come by and it's a huge adaptation. However, they never complain and they go over and above what you and I would probably do.
Their faith inspires me to be like that. To rest in Him and, no matter what, believe that He can do ALL things.
We spent the evening at church last night having Youth. It was wonderful to see all the teenagers gather and just have fun together. I am sure there could be many excuses as to why they couldn't attend .. such as exams the next day. But they were all there. It made me realize that, for this season, I am where I'm meant to be. Yes, we will be moving on in just over a week, but our time here has been perfect because it's been God's time. We have learned so much and have been blessed through this.
How dare I wonder why things happen the way they do, when I can look back and see God's perfect plans? So I will focus my thoughts on Him and Him alone, because that's what it's really about, right? Not about us, not about our circumstances, but about Him and our relationship with him. Our hope and our future. Our vision will happen, in the right time.
It was a cold, but beautiful evening last night and as I captured this sunset, it just reminded me that even though time goes by, I mustn't lose sight of the blessings and beauty in each moment.
So as we wait for our visa to be processed, I will boldly pray that God will find favor with it and that on July 7th, we WILL have good news. And that we will be able to change our tickets to come home shortly after that, trusting Him to provide what we need.
And, if this is not part of His will, if He still wants us to wait before coming back, that we will rejoice in that and trust that He still has a better plan for us than we do.
Trust with me. Pray with me. Hope with me. And realize that even though this is a difficult time, it's a time where we are learning patience, developing endurance and character and building up hope. God is good!!
THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
I wrote today's blog because what I was reading, spoke to my heart. I find myself looking at tomorrow or yesterday, and wondering why things haven't, or aren't, working out the way I'd hoped. My spirit gets downhearted and I forget that I am looking at things through my eyes and not God's. I forget that He has the WHOLE picture and that He is working out things for me in the background.
When something doesn't go as well as you'd hoped or planned, do you find yourself upset, angry or devastated? If we walk in the light of the Lord, we need to ask God to give us a new perspective. Sometimes we don't see the whole truth. Stormie Omartian talks about how she and her daughter have decided to take the situation and say "What's RIGHT about this picture?" - taking a negative and turning it into the positive. This helps keep us protected from the cynical, hopeless and bitter attitudes that we find ourselves developing. This is being willing to let things go of our determination to see things through our own narrow tunnel vision, and rather seeing things from God's perspective.
She states : "God is in the middle of doing something great for us and, because we are not as comfortable as we'd like to be, we don't recognize the good things He has put in our lap".
I have to look at our situation and ask "What's right with it?" in the midst of feeling disappointed, confused and, at times, sad :
NOT : We haven't earned any income since February, BUT God has provided for all our needs and we don't have any bills to worry about.
NOT : We don't have our own home to live in, BUT we have experienced the hospitality of our parents, and been able to rent a small flat in a place where we can help others, even in a small manner.... not worrying about leaving a house behind that needs taking care of.
NOT : How are we going to get everything together so that we can get back, BUT let's take each day and enjoy the people around us that we are getting to build relationships with.
NOT : What lies ahead in our future, and are God's plans in line with our desires, BUT what are the blessings God has planned for me TODAY.
NOT : Why has this happened, BUT it's wonderful how our faith and our relationship has been given the time to grow.
All of this is basically an issue of trust. We are believing that God desires the best for us. I have to stop looking to tomorrow, and look at today in case I miss a blessing. If my eyes are focused on Him, then what could go wrong?
Pray with me this week as we get ready to file for our extension. Pray that I will not focus on the things we don't have lined up yet to file, or to change our tickets, but that we will focus on God and His greatness and His plans for us.
I CHOOSE to see the RIGHT side of this picture!
PRAYER (From "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On, by Stormie Omartian)
Lord, I lift to You the situations of my life that concern me. I lay the worries before You and ask for Your mighty intervention to show me what's right when I can only see what's wrong. I am determined to see the good, so help me not to be blinded by my own fears, doubts, wants, and preconceived ideas. I ask You to reveal to me Your truth in every situation. Give me Your perspective. Bless me with the ability to understand the bigger picture and to distinguish the valuable from the unimportant. When something seems to go wrong, help me not to jump to negative conclusions. Enable me to recognize the answers to my own prayers. I trust You to help me see the light in every situation. In Jesus's name, Amen
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