Okay, so I'm a little late on the theology for today, but it was a busy day and I am always a little behind on everything.
Anyhow, today was a day of little and big lessons and one in particular has sat with me all the way through this crazy day.....so, here it goes:
Hurry Up and Wait
"Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him."
(Psalms 37:7)
I read this verse in the Lifeway Journey, that our church passes out each month, and I breezed through it like I do with most things. I wanted to have my prayer time with the Lord, but I also had a very long list of things that needed to be done, and done before 3:30PM. So I read this verse and the comments that went with it and was ready to get up and get going with the children, dishes and everything else that needed to be done.
I went out into the den to get the kids moving. I told them to go get dressed and brush their teeth and be ready to start working on their schoolwork. My son, who is very bold and quite direct, asked me why I was always rushing them. Actually, I think his reaction was more like, "why do you always come out of your room in a bad mood and make us stop having fun, so that we can do whatever you want. I don't want to brush my teeth, yet, and I don't want to do my school yet. I just want to sit here until my body wants to go."
Well, I guess on a normal day, I would have just gotten frustrated with him and told him to go do it anyway. Because I had read that verse, and even if it was quickly and not really studied carefully, it stuck.
This morning, I just stopped. Instead of hurrying everyone along and getting frustrated because they were going to mess up my plans and my list, I just stopped.
I told them to go ahead and watch a few more minutes of t.v. and if they were really quiet while Mommy did her "real" Bible Study, that she might even take them out for ice cream that day, even if it wasn't on her list.
Of course this made them very happy, but it also made me go back and re-read God's Word, a little slower this time.
One of the first things that stuck out at me was this, "Obviously, God's timing is not based on our schedules--". You mean God doesn't sit around waiting to fit into a line on our planner? I guess we all know this deep inside, but I know I get so wrapped up in what I think "has" to be done, that we don't take the time to be still, really still.
I can be still for a t.v. program (if it is on after all of the children go to sleep, so that I can actually watc more than 2 minutes at a time). I can be still waiting in the grocery line, the fast food line, the Post Office, the Doctor's Office...but not for God?
How many times in our life do we hurry up to get some place only to have to wait? When we ask God for help in our crazy, motherhood lives, we want a quick and easy answer. We want to pray quickly and get the fix right then and there. God really asks so little of us and for me I do even less than that.
Sometimes we will have to wait for an answer. Maybe we will never get the answer, which means it probably was no to begin with. Maybe God has your answer and if you only took that extra few minutes to stop, be silent and read the Word or talk to a friend He has placed in your life, or just do nothing at all, maybe then you could get the answer God has for you.
I know I am the worst at this. I feel like I am always running behind and frustrated that my "To Do" list is never totally complete at the end of the day. But I know for certain that I need God, wholly and that when I wait on God's answer, it will always be right. I will trust that the time I give to God, to wait on God, will always prove to be right.
I am thankful that God speaks to us when we are quiet. I am thankful that He uses my children as tools to set me back on the right path. I am also thankful that He gives us a period of waiting on Him. This way I will have to rely on Him fully and put all my trust in Him.
I might not like things that I think slow down my busy day, but there is clearly nothing that will mess with your day more than rushing through and skimping on prayerful time with Him. He is a patient God and what could be better than that....
Here are some verses I found for today:
"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope."
Psalms 130:5
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.." Psalms 37:7
"Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.." Psalms 25:5
And last but not least:
"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." Psalms 16:11
I hope you enjoyed this and if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them.
(Psalms 37:7)
I read this verse in the Lifeway Journey, that our church passes out each month, and I breezed through it like I do with most things. I wanted to have my prayer time with the Lord, but I also had a very long list of things that needed to be done, and done before 3:30PM. So I read this verse and the comments that went with it and was ready to get up and get going with the children, dishes and everything else that needed to be done.
I went out into the den to get the kids moving. I told them to go get dressed and brush their teeth and be ready to start working on their schoolwork. My son, who is very bold and quite direct, asked me why I was always rushing them. Actually, I think his reaction was more like, "why do you always come out of your room in a bad mood and make us stop having fun, so that we can do whatever you want. I don't want to brush my teeth, yet, and I don't want to do my school yet. I just want to sit here until my body wants to go."
Well, I guess on a normal day, I would have just gotten frustrated with him and told him to go do it anyway. Because I had read that verse, and even if it was quickly and not really studied carefully, it stuck.
This morning, I just stopped. Instead of hurrying everyone along and getting frustrated because they were going to mess up my plans and my list, I just stopped.
I told them to go ahead and watch a few more minutes of t.v. and if they were really quiet while Mommy did her "real" Bible Study, that she might even take them out for ice cream that day, even if it wasn't on her list.
Of course this made them very happy, but it also made me go back and re-read God's Word, a little slower this time.
One of the first things that stuck out at me was this, "Obviously, God's timing is not based on our schedules--". You mean God doesn't sit around waiting to fit into a line on our planner? I guess we all know this deep inside, but I know I get so wrapped up in what I think "has" to be done, that we don't take the time to be still, really still.
I can be still for a t.v. program (if it is on after all of the children go to sleep, so that I can actually watc more than 2 minutes at a time). I can be still waiting in the grocery line, the fast food line, the Post Office, the Doctor's Office...but not for God?
How many times in our life do we hurry up to get some place only to have to wait? When we ask God for help in our crazy, motherhood lives, we want a quick and easy answer. We want to pray quickly and get the fix right then and there. God really asks so little of us and for me I do even less than that.
Sometimes we will have to wait for an answer. Maybe we will never get the answer, which means it probably was no to begin with. Maybe God has your answer and if you only took that extra few minutes to stop, be silent and read the Word or talk to a friend He has placed in your life, or just do nothing at all, maybe then you could get the answer God has for you.
I know I am the worst at this. I feel like I am always running behind and frustrated that my "To Do" list is never totally complete at the end of the day. But I know for certain that I need God, wholly and that when I wait on God's answer, it will always be right. I will trust that the time I give to God, to wait on God, will always prove to be right.
I am thankful that God speaks to us when we are quiet. I am thankful that He uses my children as tools to set me back on the right path. I am also thankful that He gives us a period of waiting on Him. This way I will have to rely on Him fully and put all my trust in Him.
I might not like things that I think slow down my busy day, but there is clearly nothing that will mess with your day more than rushing through and skimping on prayerful time with Him. He is a patient God and what could be better than that....
Here are some verses I found for today:
"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope."
Psalms 130:5
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.." Psalms 37:7
"Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.." Psalms 25:5
And last but not least:
"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." Psalms 16:11
I hope you enjoyed this and if you have any thoughts or comments, I'd love to hear them.
Sarah
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