The other day as we were about to park the van for church, we were stopped by a friend. 'Don't go in there, a skunk has been in there,' they said. Thankful for the warning and that we gathered for church in the fellowship hall instead.
It's a lot easier to be understanding, patient, and grateful when we know 'why'. That's often not the case but that doesn't mean there isn't a reason for it. For the most part, we go about our lives as blind mice. We can't see what's ahead but God does. Delays can be a blessing.
I think about the time my cat, Georgie, was very sick. We had done all we could for her as far as medicine would do. We went to church and then to a missions meeting afterwards. It seemed to take longer than normal and I was not happy about being delayed so long. I wanted to get home to check on her. When we got home, we could tell she had died just shortly before. As much as I wished to have been there for her, God spared me of seeing her suffer. I am grateful because He knew there was nothing I could do.
From intouch.org........''In the Christian life, learning to wait is vitally important because until you do, you'll never be able to walk in obedience to God, have an effective prayer life, or experience the peace of resting in His loving sovereignty. We must learn to trust His judgment--about not just the big events in our lives, but also the trivial ones which cause us to become irritated, impatient, or even angry. If we're sensitive to His instruction, each delay has a lesson.''
Delays show us we are not in control, but Who is.
So true. I love this, Angie. I have often thought when I have been delayed in traffic or otherwise, that I am exactly where God wants me to be...possibly avoiding further delay or even catastrophe if I took it upon myself to try to be somewhere else. Just be patient and wait. After all, "those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...they shall mount up with wings like eagles...they shall run and not grow weary...they shall walk and not faint....teach me, Lord, to wait." We used to sing that chorus in church from Isaiah 40:31 and I taught it to my children. It is hard sometimes, but it is so good to wait on Him. Hope you had a good day, girlfriend....we thought of you....I see now what you were doing....at least part of the day! Love you, T.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good message, Angie! I was going to quote Isaiah 40:31, so it's a good thing I didn't become redundant and looked at Twylia's comment. We are so blessed to have a Lord who knows at all time what is best for us and applies His best to our lives.
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