Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Two of my favorite "toys" are my blackberry and my bluetooth. It really isn't that I'm hugely into technology as much as I'm HUGELY into music and my bluetooth allows me to listen to the the music of my choosing and not the TV shows of my children's choosing.
*Fred Hammond or Dora? Yeah....that's hard*
This has been an incredibly good thing lately because I have not been feeling very patient lately. I'm okay with the people around me...but circumstances....that is another matter entirely. I have been telling myself, "if we can just get through the next month, three weeks, two weeks, ten days everything we've been expecting will be here and we can take care of all things around us that need fixing" (yeah....100 year old house....fun stuff).
I find myself constantly stressing and checking the dates and waiting as if my sitting here impatiently is going to do any good. So I've developed a bit of a playlist to calm me down when things get a little uptight for me.
Fred Hammond - They That Wait
Not entirely unlike the verse quoted above, this song reminds me to calm down and "hold on a little while longer" because it will all be okay. One of my favorite things to tell people is this: it might not be easy, but it is simple. Waiting on God is a lot like that. It requires a trust that He will work things out for you regardless of what circumstances look like because that is what we were promised (Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.) Speaking of which, that brings me to another song on my playlist.
Israel Houghton - Everywhere That I Go
This guy will probably get quoted a lot on here because I LOVE his music and I LOVE his story and his passion for worship is just awesome. This is a song I will listen to literally 6 or 7 times in a row just to be sure it sinks in.
*for the record, the lyrics I'm posting here should be attributed the the artists I'm talking about just beforehand.*
"You promised me you'd never leave. You promised me I'm never forsaken. I believe goodness and mercy will follow me surrounding me, where I go, everywhere that I go."
That isn't always easy to remember. I once thought about how easy it is for Christians to believe that God created all that's in existence, parted the Red Sea and raised Jesus from the dead but believing Him to come through with things like bills and sick family members is just too much. That must sound so ludicrous to Him!!! "Yeah, God, I know You made manna fall from the sky for the Israelites but this is my car note God!!! Can you handle that? Cause I'm just not so sure...." *blank stare* "Really....I made you...out of nothing....Yeah...think I can handle that...and your electric bill." And yet our faith falters any time things look rough. But the promise that we have is that goodness and mercy will follow us...from the God who made us out of...well...nothing. That should inspire at least a little bit of confidence, don't you think?
Jonathan Nelson - Bettah
"My praise causes things to look bettah. It loosens and breaks every fetter. My faith is increased, new blessings released. My praise causes things to look bettah. My praise causes things to look bettah."
If you haven't done this yet you should. There is no better way then to get yourself out of a bad mood, bad space, bad time like worship. 2 Corinthians 10:4 tells us that the weapons we fight with are not of this world....they have the power to demolish strongholds. Worship is one of those weapons. I can't tell you - though I have many stories, some of which I might post here - how many times I have needed God to show up (side note, while we're talking about music, the song Show Up! by John P. Kee is incredibly encouraging in these times as well...honorable mention) that He has done so as a result of my obedience to worship...this next part is important - whether I felt like it or not (another honorable mention side note....Praise Him In Advance by Marvin Sapp....guess I'm really feeling like a gospel theme today)
I need to go be productive....so I will finish this later. One thing before I return to my children....a lesson I learned about God from an interaction with my son - that happens quite a bit.
My oldest was having a panic attack because he wanted to play a game on my laptop that needed updated to work properly. Because of the autism, he was having problems understanding this concept. So the laptop was next to me and he was in my face on my lap crying and screaming over this game. I kept trying to make him feel better and telling him I could help but he wouldn't listen or move out of the way so I could update the game. Finally, I made him look me directly in the eye and said, "Honey, Mommy can fix it. But I can't do anything if you won't let me."
So, while I'm waiting (which reminds me of a song I'll talk about next post), I'll remember that God has got everything under control. He sees what we need and knows when we need Him to show up. He's got everything figured out even when I don't. So, since that seems to be His specialty, I'll move out of the way. I can panic, I can scream, I can cry, I can freak out. But if I'm in His way, He can't move freely. I don't want to prevent Him from fixing what's wrong or doing what needs done.
------> moving that way.
~ Monique
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