Patience....

The blessed patience stick hey.... I used to hate it... but at the moment i'm actually appreciating being taught the patience lesson. I figure that "wait" is perhaps better than having no answer from God at all.

You see, I've been praying about a particular something for a long time now, and I've been told very firmly by God that I have to wait. For those who know me well, you will no that I sometimes am not the most patient person in the world! But sometimes I wonder if this is just a reflection of our society. We live in a "fast food society".. we want it, and we want it now. That's the crux of it really. So naturally (and sadly because we, or at least I) are so influenced by this world, when we pray, we expect God to deliver pretty quickly.... Hello God.. I want it, and I want it NOW!!

And when you don't get an answer straight away, do you feel like God is holding out on you? Like he's denying you these things, or maybe that he's not even listening to you? I watched a Nooma the other week (gosh they're awesome!) called Kickball, and this quote really struck me.

"Your question is, How long do I have to wait for this? When is God going to deliver?. and maybe God's perspective is "How long till you see that there's a bigger perspective here?. Do you see your life as a part of a bigger picture, a larger story?"

God has a bigger perspective of my life than I do. I'm a human, who has a very limited perspective of whats going on. I may see a situation, and think, Yup, now is the right time, but God can see more than I can, and knows that it wouldn't be right if he allowed it to happen now. It's like a parent-child relationship. God wants to give us everything we want, he really does, but he knows that not everything is going to be good for us. Like a kid asking their parents for things, I can ask God for things, but God can see what I can't, and maybe what I'm asking for wouldn't be good for me, so because he loves me so much, he doesn't answer that prayer the way I want.

But deep down, no matter what, I believe that God is good... I mean really good! And until we believe that deep in our bones, nothing is ever going to make sense. No matter what, God is good. And God's perspective is far greater than ours.

If trusting in God, knowing that He is good, and has a bigger perspective than I do means that I get his best, then waiting is exactly what I am going to do. Because my God is for me, and not against me. And He is good...

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you're not disappointed." Jer 29:11 (msg)

For Him Alone

Ness :-)