Waiting is an all too familiar place for us. It feels like such an enormous waste of time most often. Every day, it seems, we are required to wait for something or someone. For those of us who like to keep things moving along, and especially for those adept at multi-tasking, having to wait can be frustrating!

How about waiting on God? From our vantage point we pray and ask God to answer our prayer in a specific way. But we can’t see what is up ahead. We cannot see how the timing of our need being met might intersect with another’s expectant prayer. But God. I can’t even begin to imagine how God manages all of it…and all of us. Except that He is God…and there is nothing that God cannot do.

I think maybe the first time I really got a glimpse of the intricacy of God’s plan was one day while reading the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah in Luke 1. They were serving the Lord, careful to keep His commands, in fact the Bible says they were blameless in how they lived. And they were childless….and now they are old. You know they must have cried out to God fervently for years to have a child. And yet…there were none. Until God said “it’s time” and sent His angel Gabriel to Zechariah to confirm…‘God has heard your prayer.’ Luke 1:13 (NIV)

Their child would be known as John the Baptist. The one who would pave the way to say the Messiah is coming and baptize Jesus at the start of His ministry. While John and Jesus were born only months apart…the age difference between Elizabeth and Mary the mother of Jesus was counted in decades. While Elizabeth and Zechariah prayed over and over…and waited and waited…their answer was dependent on the timing of Mary’s story! I’m guessing that their prayers for children began long before Mary herself was even born. And so they waited…until God said, ‘it’s time!’

What you are waiting for, believing God for…don’t give up! Sometimes our answer is dependent on another’s. But God. He is holding all of the pieces in His hands. We know that God is faithful. He hears our prayers. And His answer will always be right on time.

The Apostle Paul told us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We know that it is easier said than done. If it were easy then we wouldn’t struggle with thoughts like “what if they don’t like me? what if I mess up? what if I have an epic fail?”

We find ourselves trying to fill our lives with all kinds of things to fill up that space. More clothes, more shoes, more food, more stuff. “If I have all of that – perhaps people will like me more?!” Even more things to do on our calendar can be a way we try to fill up the empty place in our heart that makes our head try to fill it with the most immediate gratification. We may even put pressure on the people in our lives to fill us up with accolades and answers to our deepest needs. Which is really unfair…because they have an empty place that needs filling too!

The only way to appease the emptiness in our soul is to open our heart and life to Christ. C.S. Lewis said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Only Jesus can fill our longing for more. And even then…while we are in this world…we may still feel a little lost sometimes, a little out of step sometimes. Because that need to find our way home…even when we are where we call home for now…is because we just aren’t home yet. We were made for another world. Only Jesus makes it possible for us to finally make it home.

Years ago I heard a story about limburger cheese that I’ve never forgotten. I’ve never tried this kind of cheese but the way I’ve heard it described it smells like really dirty socks. Anyway, as the story was told, Grandpa was sleeping in his favorite recliner in the living room when his grandkids decided to play a little trick on him. While he was asleep the kids took a little piece of limburger cheese and wedged it in his bushy mustache.

When he woke up, Grandpa sniffed and said, ‘this living room stinks’. He got up and walked into the kitchen and said with a little more emphasis, ‘this kitchen stinks!’ Finally, Grandpa walked outside the house onto the front porch, took a deep breath, and exclaimed with his fists in the air, ‘the whole world stinks!!’

Everywhere he went, it smelled awful because Grandpa was carrying the offending source of the terrible smell with him! Are we guilty of doing that same thing ourselves at times? We’re not hauling limburger cheese around. Bad attitudes and hard feelings toward others around us will cast a shadow over everything and everyone. Allowed to hang out indefinitely those attitudes and offenses can really stink up our world!

Proverbs 4:23 (NCV) tells us to “be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” It’s dangerous to give our thoughts free reign. Positive attitudes and giving grace to those who have offended us doesn’t just happen. We have to choose good thoughts. And we need to decide to keep short accounts with others. When we do, we’ll find that the atmosphere around us is different. Kinder. Sweeter. So take care of what you think…and your thoughts will lead you into a better day!

“You can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.” You’ve probably seen that saying before. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who didn’t pause to appreciate the sight of a rainbow in the sky. Can you imagine what it must have been like to look up in the sky and see the very first rainbow?

In Genesis 9:12,13, 17 (CEV) God said, “The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever. When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.”

After all that rain. All that loss. When Noah and his family finally emerged from the Ark, with all of that uncertainty and maybe even some anxiety, there in the sky was the most unusual, spectacular sight. A rainbow. A sign of the presence of sunshine and rain. And a sign that even today, all of these thousands of years later, God still keeps His promises to us.

I heard an interesting take on life’s struggles that we go through and the blessings we receive every day. They said “blessing is not an escape from struggle. The man paralyzed (in the New Testament) couldn’t have received the blessing of healing without the struggle of paralysis. The blessing wasn’t the healing. The blessing was the whole journey of that struggle. Sometimes we may not see the fruit of the blessing this side of heaven.”

We don’t really understand the depth of our blessings without experiencing the pain in our struggles. But God is faithful and good and kind. And He will not leave us to walk through any of it alone. And just when we feel like we cannot go on – in the midst of the rain – the sun will peek through – and we will get a glimpse of the colors in the rainbow…and we remember His promise.

I love giving credit to great servers! The best experiences I’ve ever had at eateries are almost always connected to having a fantastic person taking care of me while I am dining in their establishment. We recently took my Dad to a steak restaurant to celebrate a milestone birthday and we had a guy named Jason taking care of us. He was attentive, friendly, helpful in his recommendations and…fun!

When I told Jason that we had a birthday boy among us…he made it his mission to let the whole restaurant know that Charlie was turning 85. He let him ride their stationary bull while everyone shouted out a resounding birthday ‘yeehaw’. My Dad had a great time and for the rest of our evening there, as patrons got up to leave, they would come by our table and wish him a happy birthday.

I’ve never been a server in a restaurant. I worked 3 months in a fast food restaurant and decided that was not for me. That may be one of the reasons I especially appreciate those who serve hungry people. What a mission field! But speaking of mission fields, where we live, and work and shop…where we interact with people…THAT is OUR mission field.

Someone woke up this morning in a world of hurt. Someone that we will connect with today will need Jesus and we get to serve them up a gentle serving or a heaping helping of the Savior as needed. 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT) tells us, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” You and I really are servers! We are called to serve others using the gifts that God has given us and to use them well. Let’s show up for the one that’s just hanging on…your server will be right with you!

My mom and I were talking recently about someone we had seen listed in the obituaries. She shared a memory that she had of this man from more than 40 years ago. He was an answer to her prayer.

She shared that one morning as she was driving to work, her car quit. She managed to pull off to the side of the road. This was long before we had cell phones to call for help. So she prayed. She asked the Lord to send her someone who could help her…and…that it would be someone that she knew. Within minutes a gentleman pulled up ahead of her and walked back to ask her if she was alright. She recognized him right away. And he knew exactly what to do to help her!

I love the story of two blind men who encountered Jesus outside of Jericho. You can find the story in Matthew 20:29-34 (NIV). As these two guys were sitting by the side of the road they called out to Jesus to have mercy on them. Everyone told them to be quiet which made them shout louder. Jesus heard them and answered, “what do you want me to do for you?” and they answered, “Lord, we want our sight.” These two were specific in their prayer need with Jesus. Jesus was moved. He touched their eyes…and immediately they received their sight.

Just like those two we can pray specifically when we have a need and Jesus hears us when we pray!

I love God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Most likely you’ve heard it quoted when the topic of conversation is about how bad things have gotten. How we need God to intervene. Make a way in the desert. Save us from all the evil in the world. We DO need God in every area of our lives and in our world.

I have prayed 2 Chronicles 7:14 for our country so often. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Recently I was struck by this thought. This promise is not for the unsaved. This verse was given to those who call themselves Christians. You and I. He said, ‘If My people’ and then God makes it really clear…’who are called by MY name’.

There’s a pattern that God laid out for us. Humble ourselves. Pray. Seek God. Turn away from sin. When we do this, God promises us, ‘then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’ That’s His promise to respond when we follow His direction.

So as we pray for revival in our nation, this promise from God is a direct link to see miracles happen across our land, for healing in our country to happen and keep happening. Humble ourselves. Keep talking with God and turn away from anything that creates a wedge between us and Him!

Heal our land, Lord. And let it begin with me!

I bought my husband, Ken, a gift for his birthday and I wanted him to have it before his birthday. But he sat it on the counter, along with all the other cards that came in the mail before his big day, so that he would have them all to open on his birthday. Technically, the gift that I bought him was already his. But since he wouldn’t open the gift he had no benefit, pleasure or concept of value of the gift. Ken could have been enjoying that gift all along if he had chosen to receive it. Instead, it sat on the counter for a week or two, wrapped up and unable to bring him joy.

There are scriptures in the Bible in which God clearly requires that we take action. If you do this…then God will do that. Romans 10:9 is a beautiful example. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Our salvation came at a great cost, purchased by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The work was already done. The penalty for our sins has been met.

There is however something that we must do to receive it. We must confess that Jesus is our Lord and acknowledge that we believe that God raised Him from the grave. It is only then that we are saved. Salvation is a free gift. But we must receive it and walk in it for it to affect us. The good news is that when we do – it changes our lives forever!

We check our email, our voicemail, direct messages….and then we scroll. We scroll through what social media calls our ‘news feed’. Before we know it we have scrolled through the feed for hours and still…we are hungry. Hungry for connection. And even when we say we are connected through all these different media outlets…still… we are starving to be known.

Jeremiah 1:5 (NASB) says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you.” When we truly understand that our Creator, the God of the Universe, Jehovah Shalom, the Lord of Peace, knew us before He even formed us in our mother’s womb, we will be able to silence the voices that tell us we are not enough. Knowing that we are known by God allows us to tune out the voice that says you have little significance.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with our communication outlets but we will never find our significance in the number of friends, likes and follows that we get there.

You are of great significance in this story because God Himself is writing you in His story. Before you were born He knew you…and called you by name. As you are taking your next breath, responding to your messages, scrolling through your feed, don’t search for connection and value there. Seek out God. Know that He has called you and set you apart for the plan He created you to walk in. And God knows you. You are His beloved and He is yours. In God, you will find connection and the joy of being fully known.

Nesting is one of my favorite things to do! When my husband, Ken, and I moved into our first home I began to make that house feel like home. After living on a bus for the first few years, with half a dozen other people sharing that same space, I was thrilled to have our own place…and that it wasn’t on wheels!

One of my favorite authors of that era was Emilie Barnes. Emilie wrote over 80 books and while I haven’t read all of them I’ve read quite a few over the years. She spoke to the busyness and clutter of my life and her book “Welcome Home” taught me some wonderful ways to really create the feeling of HOME in our house.

I’ll never forget one of my favorite stories about her quiet time with God. Emilie would burn a scented candle every day while she was reading her Bible and praying. She said that long after she had blown out the candle and gone back to dishes and laundry and taking care of kids…she could smell the fragrance of that candle and it reminded her of her time spent alone with the King.

It reminded me of Esther who won the heart of the king and became Queen. Can you imagine a solid year of daily spa treatments? Six months of the oil of myrrh and six months of spices and cosmetics. Esther quickly found favor with the one in charge and found herself in the best rooms of the palace with attendants to take care of her every need. I’m convinced that during this time there was something happening in her heart as well. God was preparing her for the purpose and plan that He had for her. It is a beautiful story of courage and honor that is so worth reading from beginning to end if you haven’t in a while.

Esther 2:17 tells us, “The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight… so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen.” 

I believe that the first thing the king smelled when Esther came before him…was her perfume. Her consistent daily regimen had prepared her to capture the attention of the king. And it opened the door for her to find favor with him.

Did you know that we have a fragrance too? Our worship is a beautiful fragrance before the King! And it delights His heart. God’s heart is already FOR us but when we worship the Lord that sweet fragrance connects our heart with His so much that when we get busy in our day the fragrance of our time with God will still be noticeable. Not only will we be reminded of our time with Him…but I’m convinced that others will notice as well!