Thursday 10/11/2012

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.

~ Psalm 37:7, NLT

Are you ever restless?  Anxious?  Antsy?  There’s something occupying your thoughts and though you suppress it and go through your day doing the things that have to be done like going to work and functioning effectively, it sits there, heavily, in your heart and mind.  If you’re like me, you pray and give it to the Lord, but that doesn’t mean it goes out of your thoughts.  If you’re like me, your day is filled with prayers about whatever it is that’s in your heart and mind.  You’re trusting God, but you’re still thinking about it, still worrying a bit, and so you keep on praying because that’s what God says to do. 

It had been over a week and I hadn’t heard from him but he said he’d try to call every week, and I’m a bit OCD so I expect a call when someone says they will call.  Even though I know it might not be possible.  But that call, that voice, is so important to me and I need to hear it.  I mentioned to my daughter that it had me fidgety and she reminded me that sometimes no news is good news and I needed to trust God.  Boom – right smack in the middle of the head by my own child!  I am so blessed!  Of course, of course! 

Still, throughout the next few days I prayed.  I prayed for him to have God’s armor on, to be surrounded by the angels of the Lord to protect him and his unit.  I prayed for them to walk in the safety of God’s presence with them every step.  I prayed for the Lord to bind the enemy and deflect all harm.  And I prayed and prayed…just let me hear he’s okay.  And I also prayed…in your will, Lord, in your time, I know, I know.  Help me to feel it, Lord. 

Feelings are sometimes our worst enemy and Satan uses them to deflect our thoughts, our trust, and our faith in the One we call Lord.  We have so many of them from joy to grief to pain to worry to love to hate and a plethora in between. When our feelings override what we know, they can hijack our thoughts, our actions.   Sometimes it’s hard to separate feelings from truth, and when we are there, we have God’s word to help us do the sifting.  Of course, we read have to read our Bible to know what He says.  Sometimes people are sent our way to help us sort it out, sometimes it’s the words to a song, sometimes it’s a dream or thought that persists, and sometimes we seem to hear God’s voice loud and clear.  When feelings pull us further from Jesus, our response should be to consider the source of those feelings, and if those feelings are yanking us, we need to yank back, and run like crazy to God.   

My life verse, given to me years ago, is Psalm 37:7 and I learned it from the American King James version “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently upon Him…”  The NIV version says “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…”  I have to remind myself of this over and over and over in my life.  And each time I do, I move closer to the Lord, and grow stronger in His strength.

I went to bed praying, literally speaking God’s word in my prayer, reciting Scripture, His promises, and while doing this I fell asleep.  I had charged my phone earlier and had it beside my pillow, just in case.  I didn’t want to miss that call if it came. 

I awakened to my phone chirping and saw that an email had come from K-LOVE’s Encouraging Word to which I subscribe for a daily Bible verse.  When I opened it and saw Psalm 37:7, I laughed out loud.  Okay, God, I get it!  You’ve got this…I’ll rest, I’ll wait, I’ll be patient, even it makes me crazy!   And because I was taking the day off, I slept well past my usual get up time, something rare for me.

So many times that verse, God’s promise, has been my stronghold.  It was especially so when I was trying to have babies and had given up and then it happened.  It was there through teenage boy issues that required more of us than we had, but God provided the other part.  It was there through job losses, when starting a new business that flourished in a recession.  It was there when we were looking for a house, the right house at the right price in the right area and we were led to this one.  It was there through buying, not renting, a privately owned U-haul truck one year and then selling it at the end for more than I’d bought it.  It was there when we had more needs than means, yet the provision came at just the right time.  It was there when my personal pain became beyond bearing yet I clearly heard “Be still”.  How can I not trust the God who has been with me, carried me, held me, and provided for me through so many different things in my life?   

When I woke up, it was the first thing on my mind and I checked my email to be certain I had read the daily verse correctly and hadn’t just thought it.  It was there.  I went about my day a little lighter.  I thanked God for the reminder. When I told my daughter about it, she hugged me and said, “Way to go, God!”

I got the call I’d been longing for shortly after and heard my son’s voice.  I love that voice with every fiber of my being and am so thankful for hearing it today.  Thank you, Lord! 

Lord, help me to rest, help me to be patient, help me to wait and trust that in your time and your way, you always answer.