How Long Would you Wait?

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchman wait for the morning, more than watchman wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6 NIV

The parking lot was full when we arrived, we had hoped it was for another business rather than restaurant we decided to go to. Instead we entered a waiting room filled to the max with people, no one wanted to wait outside since it was a cold day. We put our name in and prepared for the forty-five minute wait for a table.

As I look around at the different couples, families, or friends waiting I sang (in my head) the song that was on the radio when I had gotten out of the truck. I figured I was in for the wait might as well praise God and since I was on a date with my husband I resisted the urge to pull out my cell phone and check on the rest of the world.

As time went on the people around me grew more restless. One lady from a group kept wandering over to the hostess to see where her name was on the list. She had a device like the rest of us, but I guess knowing where her name was brought her comfort. Another gentleman kept insisting that if he had to wait another five minutes he would leave and go to McDonald's. I was proud of one mom instead of having her child glued to an electronic device she had a bag full of trucks and found a place so her young son could play with them. One family after waiting almost to the time promised by the restaurant  handed the device back to the hostess and said, "We're leaving my daughter is starving."

Funny how each of us waited.

There are times when we have to wait on the Lord. We pray and pray every day asking Him about a certain situation and still we get no answer. We get antsy, we keep wandering to God and checking how close am I to having this answer; I mean my name should be moved up on the list. Or we say if God doesn't answer me right now, I am seeking other options. Or we sit back and patiently wait finding some way to occupy our time like maybe reading the Bible. Or when the answer hasn't come yet, we throw in the towel and just forget about God even though He was about ready to give you the answer.

The thing is God answers come in His timing not ours. Sometimes the answers come quickly, other times we have to wait awhile, and still other times God says "No, not now". God doesn't live in the "Give it to them now mode". God is all knowing, all powerful, and always present. We are the ones who need to hope and trust in Him because believe it or not He knows what is best for us.

This is the Day the Lord has Made

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 NIV

So the awaited day has arrived, we now have our 45th President of the United States. Now some of us are rejoicing and some of us are mourning. It's pretty much the same every time a new president is sworn in. In modern times though, we get to hear about how someone feels right away.

The thing is we have a choice in the way we respond. We can chose to rejoice in the fact that we live in a country where we get to make a choice. We can rejoice that it's a new day and the sun has come up, at least here. We can rejoice because we have a job. We can rejoice because a son or a daughter is coming home.

I rejoice because I can freely chose to worship God and believe in the things that are written in the Bible. I believe that the Bible is God's word and I will try to do what He says in it. There are times when His word is the only thing that has brought me comfort. There are times when the right verse comes to me in several different ways throughout my day, He is speaking to me.

Maybe you chose not to believe in God, and God has allowed you to do that. He gave each of us the power to make our own choices. Sometimes though a person's choice gets shoved in his/her face. Others bully him/her because it's not the choice they have made. If we are allowed to chose then we should accept the choice someone has made. Sure we may grieve that person's choice, one thing I do though is fervently pray for that person because even though it may not be the choice I would make, I pray that it is the best choice for him/her and if it turns out not to be; I pray that he/she may learn the right choice for him/her quickly.

So today let us come together and support each other's choices, don't badger or bully each other, and decide to pray for each other. Because as our new president says "Let's make America great again." Let us rejoice and be glad in that.

How Careful and Wonderful

Then the Lord God formed (that is created the body of) man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being (an individual complete in body and spirit). So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the rib which God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her and presented her to the man. Genesis 2:7;21-22 AMP

As God created the world, he spoke everything into being. He said, "let there be light"; He said, "let there be an expanse in the sky; He said, "Let the waters be gathered in one place and let the dry land appear"; He said, "let the earth sprout vegetation, plants"; He said, "Let there be light bearers"; He said, "let the waters swarm with living creatures and let birds soar above the earth,"; He said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures." Each of these things was so.

There was something different though when God created man. He didn't just speak us into being. He created us. His hand was there shaping and molding each part into place. He made us each an individual who is complete with a body and a spirit.

As I read this verse this week for some reason a new message was revealed to me. I have thought about how everything was created by God, but it didn't occur to me how different He took the time to create man. If He takes this much time and detail creating each one of us than maybe we should take that much time getting to know Him a little better.

He didn't just create Adam & Eve, no He has helped create each person. Psalm 139: 13-15 "For you formed my innermost parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will give thanks and praise to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows very well. my frame was not hidden from you, when I was being formed in secret, and intricately and skillfully formed (as if embroidered with many colors) in the depths of the earth."

God takes the time to create each human life. Let's celebrate that. We are each special to God so as we look at others, take a moment to remember that God uniquely made them just as He made you.

My Intentions Were Good

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

So finally, I have the chance to sit and blog.

My intentions last year were to write here at least once a week. Unfortunately, that didn't exactly happen the way I planned. Sometimes I just needed a rest, other times I just found myself too busy. Not exactly the way I wanted my last year to go.

There have been several times when things haven't gone exactly as I intended. I find myself wondering about different things and lose my focus. Maybe I let a little bit of laziness get in the way. In any case, here I am again with good intentions. I plan to get back to my writing. It is something I enjoy doing and is a good outlet for me.

I am excited for what 2017 has in store for me. Much like a lot of us are. I know some of us were just plain frustrated with 2016. Frustrated because maybe the election didn't turn out exactly the way we wanted. Frustrated because several actors/actresses passed away. Frustrated because life has a funny way of being down right awful at times.

The thing is God has good plans for us. He doesn't want harm to come our way, but when it does He has a way to help us turn it into good. He doesn't want us to be not prosperous, but when it happens He has blessings in store we just may have to look a little harder for them.

So as we journey through another year, crossing off the days of 2017 let us keep in mind that God has good plans and we need to put our hope in Him. After all, God knows everything about us, shouldn't He be the one we look to when things go crazy.