Category: God is in Control

What Are You Waiting For?

Read Time 2 Minutes

Are you waiting for healing? Are you waiting on a relationship? Are you waiting for direction on your next steps? Are you waiting on a hurt to heal? Are you waiting and wondering when something will end? Are you waiting on a prayer to be answered? Are you waiting on God to show up?

Sometimes the waiting can be agonizing. Don’t lose heart! God is not going to show up…God is already there! He is in the midst of everything you are waiting for!

“Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.
3 You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, Lord.
5 You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.
6 This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.

7 Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9 If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,
10 even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”—
12 even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.” Psalm 139: 1-12

Waiting is tough! Especially when we are feeling bad, sad, and lost! Here are a few things you can do while you wait:

1. Wait expectantly!

“At daybreak, Lord, You hear my voice;
at daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.” Psalm 5:3

“Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him;” Psalm 37: 7

2. Believe God’s promises and hold to them even when you aren’t feeling it!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
6 think about Him in all your ways,
and He will guide you on the right paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

3. Think back and remember all the times God has rescued you in the past. Thank Him! When we remember what He has done for us, we remember His faithfulness. We remember His love. Praise Him for what He has done. This can turn our focus of self-pity to a refreshing focus on Him. We will remember that He meets all of our needs. We will remember that we are more than conquerors through Him!

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.” Psalm 77:11

“My soul, praise the Lord,
and do not forget all His benefits.” Psalm 103:2

4. Take a nature walk or drive and marvel at His Majesty! Remember that the God who is the Maker of heaven and earth cares for you!

“I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

“When I observe Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You set in place, what is man that You remember him,
the son of man that You look after him?
You made him little less than God
and crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalm 8: 3-5

5. Finally, remember that there is reward in the waiting.

“…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

May you find special blessings from Him today while you wait!

The Fun Side of God

“Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Read Time 5 Minutes

Ready, Set, Go, And STOP! At the beginning of this year, I wrote a blog post called, “2021…Ready, Set, Go”. Shortly after, I stopped writing. I started off the year inspired to live a victorious 2021 through Christ who strengthens me no matter what the year held. Now it is September. How am I doing?

At times I feel fatigued with life and the world around me. I stopped writing for a variety of reasons including the drain of everything surrounding the pandemic, our country, and the world. I really began to feel that I wasn’t living the victorious way that I had hoped. Recently, I realized that victories can be small and can be daily! Just overcoming obstacles on a given day by grabbing God’s hand and ending the day at peace is a victory. Waking in the morning after a hard day before and feeling God’s new mercies available to me is a victory!

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, right in the middle of a continuing pandemic, I had the opportunity to visit Juneau, Alaska. Yes, I had a chance for recreation and refreshment in the form of a visit to “The Last Frontier” State! In the midst of chaotic times and a very weary country (Covid-19 issues, divisiveness through media and politics, controversies, and confusion), I played! And, God reminded me that in addition to Him being All-powerful, Almighty, and many other perfect characteristics, He has a fun side! This is the multifaceted side of God that creates, that wants to delight us, and that wants to shower gifts on us! He certainly did all of that for me in Alaska!

He is a fun Father! As a parent, I wanted to create delightful experiences for my daughter as she grew up. It was a joy to watch her have fun in every new adventure or every new activity that I provided for her pleasure and growth. Just think how much more God wants to shower us with amusement and happy experiences as our Heavenly Father. He loves us and loves to give us good gifts! He is the ultimate Creator. Creating is fun, and God wants us to enjoy his majestic creations. It was evident to me that God must have been having great gratification being the Creator when I saw the amazing environment of Alaska. When I spied for the first time a sparkling blue glacier calving, I thought to myself, God must have had fun creating the scene that I was viewing! I also felt that He must be feeling great joy that I was happily immersed in His beautiful creation, for I am His daughter, a daughter of the one true King!

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

My experience went beyond just being awakened to God’s fun side. It also reminded me of what a personal God He is to each one of us. He showed me that the fun He was allowing me to experience was a very personal gift from Him to me. Each daily adventure seemed to be perfectly timed. I encountered sunshine, rain, misty low clouds, and mild temperatures…all which seemed unmistakably to work well with each activity. Also, as cruise ships disembarked many tourists to flood the area, I somehow began or ended my excursions around the cruise ship crowds without any awareness of their schedule. Thus, I had a very quiet and peaceful time as well as private moments in Alaska.

On top of all of that, I received answered prayer! My favorite part of God’s creation is His animals. I prayed that I would have animal encounters and I especially wanted to see a bear. Oh!!! He must have been having such a wonderful time watching me play! God provided multiple humpback whale sightings. One such sighting was in a very secluded moment when I had just stepped out of the car to take in the views of Auke Bay. I first heard the distinctive sound of blow and then turned to look. There were 2 humpbacks feeding very near the shore…I believe, a mother and her calf! He also allowed me to see four mountain goats feeding and resting on the steep mountainside while on a boat tour. On that boat ride while I was taking a picture of the mountain goats, a Pacific white-sided Dolphin leaped 2 times right by the side of the boat! The glistening two-toned creature is still vivid in my mind. Seals were added to my list of animal sightings as I witnessed them lounging on the sea ice.

And finally, on the last morning in Alaska, I saw my bear! Not in the wild on a hike, but very boldly strolling down the sidewalk in front of gift shops! He seemed to be doing his own souvenir shopping and then turned a corner and climbed over a fence before disappearing. Once again, there were very few people around. I know God was delighting in my delight in that moment as he answered my prayer!

My reflection on this Alaskan adventure includes more than the reminder that God is fun. More importantly than that is the fact that the same God who created mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, and amazing animals is not only personal, He lives in me! My heart is His home. In that reality, I can face everyday in victory…in confidence, and even in joyful playfulness!

Also, as I watched the antics of the animals, it struck me that they were so relaxed in a potentially dangerous and harsh environment around them. They were not worried about what the next day would bring. The seals were totally at ease as the glacier calved giving them a ride on the sea ice. Their behavior seemed to amplify the fun of life as they bobbed in the wavy water as though they were in the lazy river at a water park.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

So… Ready, Set, Go! Take some time to recreate! Have some fun! God is in control!

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17