Waiting

Remember what God has done for you

September 3, 2012 by standing

Yes, I’m in the midst of another crises – this one of employment and career. There are many pressures and worries that are attacking my mind and many hurts that have cut my heart. However, the fact remains is God is in control and he loves us. It’s good during these times to remember all the ways God has come through for us in the past. This time is no exception. Consider this Psalm of David:

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. – Psa 103:2-6 NIV

The fact is we can’t live life alone. We would have been destroyed and killed a long time ago without His help. God will fight for you, but he wants your trust.

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
– Exodus 14:14 NIV

Filed Under: Fear, Finances, Trusting God, Waiting, Work pressures

God sees your mission is done even though you are still waiting

August 6, 2012 by standing

What does your unanswered prayer have to do with a space mission? The recent successful landing of JPL’s Curiosity mission on Mars demonstrated a similar principal in the Bible- success can already have happened even though we are still waiting for it. Confused? Read on . .

Since it takes radio waves 14 minutes to reach Earth from Mars right now, the Mars mission control at JPL in Pasadena received word of a successful landing long after the events had already happened. While the scientific world sat on the edge of its collective seats, and waited as each bit of telemetry and data trickled in, on Mars the probe had landed many minutes earlier, guided automatically to its landing.

We too have a limited view in our lives of the events we are praying for. It seems to us we are waiting forever for our prayers to be answered, but in God’s eternal time, he already sees the end. To our earth-bound minds, it seems like the answer to our prayer is a long time off. But God’s way will happen; you can be sure. Trust Him to unravel your prayer in His time.

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Isaiah 46:10

Filed Under: Prayer, Trusting God, Waiting

Dad, are we there yet?

August 1, 2012 by standing

We have to do a lot of waiting in this life. We wait for loved ones to come to the Lord. We wait for reconciliation. We wait for God to improve us. This waiting is is part of God’s way to mature us:

“When you are going to play with me?” “Not yet. Not until I finish this report.” Fifteen seconds later the child asks the same question, this time with a tone of voice that can drive you mad. But the child is in us all. We too look forward to the day when we have learned perseverance before the Lord. It is the older wise man or woman who can take the many hassles of life in stride, without grumbling and complaining, with contentment rather than resignation. God has chosen to inject his character of perseverance and patient waiting into everyday, earthly life. We are patiently waiting for the Lord’s coming. Creation itself is patiently waiting for the time when it will be liberated from bondage (Rom. 8:22).

Welch, Edward T. (2006-11-01). Depression: A Stubborn Darkness (p. 94). New Growth Press. Kindle Edition.

Filed Under: Books, Edward T. Welch, Waiting

Pray with the right motives

June 10, 2012 by standing

Are you praying for your loved one? Yes? Excellent. But the Lord convicted me of something recently. You see, my prayer for my loved one was often focused more on myself. “I want our relationship restored.” “I want her to have the joy of salvation.” “I want . . . . ”

You get the picture. It is so important to continue to pray for marriage restoration, but we need to pray with God’s heart, not just our own desires for a restored marriage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that wanting a restored marriage is a bad thing, but our heart should first be the Lord’s, which is focused on Him and his will to help and save our prodigals.

Jesus used a model prayer to teach us how to pray (Luke 11:13). This this prayer Christ teaches us to pray first for God’s will and way, then to forgive others. Later in this chapter Christ reminds us that heavenly Father is good, and so we are to expect He will give us good things.

So let’s continue to pray for our loved ones, but ask that the Lord would give us His heart and will when we pray. Then we can leave all the good things he has planned for us to Him.

Filed Under: Prayer, Waiting

Mourning the Loss of Eden – Looking Forward to Something Better

June 12, 2011 by standing

Songwriter Brandon Heath’s 2011 album Leaving Eden describes a very real thing all of us go through who have suffered the loss of our hopes and dreams at the hand of our own sin and that of others.

We tend to look upon our own losses, such as divorce and separation, as “our own thing” a private pain unique to us. However, what we need to see is that our loss is a part of the overall human loss suffered at the “ground zero” of sin, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God and had to leave Eden.

Christ, in addressing divorce in Matthew 19 reminds of that broken relationships and divorce was not part of God’s hope for us. Christ says “But it was not this way from the beginning.”

We need to mourn our losses and move on into forgiveness. The only way to move on from all this world of pain, brokeness, and heartache is to have a place to go that has the forgiveness we need. This place is Christ, and as David says in Psalm 9:9 “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” Christ has a plan for you and for all this world to make things right and to restore that which was taken by sin from our lives. He promises in Isaiah 61:3 to “to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Ultimately in Christ says “Behold, I am making all things new” Rev 21:5.

Filed Under: Music, Pain and Hurt, Waiting

God Will Restore All Your Wasted Years by David Wilkerson

December 8, 2010 by standing

You have wasted years. These may be years spent with the pain and regrets of broken relationships, years wasted in drugs or alcohol, or years wasted where you were far from God and not the husband or wife you should have been. Within these wasted years your life was eaten up by worms of sin, addiction, sadness, and brokenness.

Joel 1:4 What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.

When you come to Christ and repent, and let Him fill you up with His life, He will more than make up for these wasted years by an ever increasing Love from and for him. This will fill you up and will flow over to others, including prodigal spouses and broken family relationships. God can and will restore you and heal your broken relationships!

Joel 2:25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten– the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you.

Listen – David Wilkerson-God Will Restore All Your Wasted Years

For more information on David Wilkerson and his ministry please visit World Challenge >>

Filed Under: Audio, David Wilkerson, Pain and Hurt, Sermons, Waiting

Faith in the Waiting Room by Alistair Begg

December 7, 2010 by standing

Waiting for God to reconcile a relationship, to change another’s heart, to save a lost loved one, or to heal a sickness can be the most trying experience of your life. It is compounded by the voices of “reason” which are all around you among family, in the church. They say “Why wait? Get on with your life. Move on. Did God really tell you that he will restore?”

God wants more than anything to have your faith and trust. The age-old pattern is for God to have us wait upon him. In his wonderful Scottish brogue, Alistair Begg reviews the truth of faith that is shown in the lives of Abraham and Sarah. You may be pressured to take matters into your own hands, but the lesson is we will make a mess of things. Wait upon God, He will always be faithful and His outcome will always be best. Years may pass, but God’s word always comes true.

Listen- Alistair Begg-Faith-in-the-Waiting-Room

For more on Alistair Begg’s teachings, check out TruthforLife.org

Filed Under: Alistair Begg, Audio, Sermons, Trusting God, Waiting

Is Your God Big Enough? Stand Firm by Charlyne Steinkamp

December 2, 2010 by standing

If you have accepted Christ as your salvation, you are trusting Him to save you from death. But are you trusting Him with your life? You may say “There is no hope for my marriage – my spouse just keeps on rejecting. It is impossible. If you could only see how messed up things are” This is a lie. The word of God clearly teaches that God loves marriage, hates divorce, and can do the impossible, but we need to stand in faith.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mar 10:27

Please listen to the Charlyne Steinkamp’s message “Stand Firm.” Charlyne and her husband lived through separation, divorce, and so many marriage problems even the pastors in their church gave up! But God brought Charlyne back from hopelessness and she stood for her marriage and believed in the word the Lord gave her. God restored their marriage beautifully. God can heal broken marriages – just believe in what the word says and have faith:

Listen- Stand Firm – Charlyne Steinkamp

Please visit the Steinkamps ministry site Rejoice Marriage Ministries for so much more . . .

Filed Under: Audio, Charlyne Steinkamp, Forgiveness, Marriage, Revenge, Sermons, Trusting God, Waiting

God Must Change You First!

November 12, 2010 by standing

It is easy to point the finger at another person in a marriage crises or divorce, but God wants to change you.

It is not our own effort that will change us. We may have no more human love to give, being too hurt for too long. However, if you have Christ you have all His Love that can flow through you. This Love is not like the old human love, but is the pure sweet Love of God himself that will heal your hurts and work in you prodigal spouse:

1Cr 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Here’s a good resource –

http://www.marriagemissions.com/winning-without-words/

If they don’t believe the word, try winning without words. Let your life do the talking. If your life doesn’t shine with the reality of God working in you, then nothing you say will have any effect. But if your life does exhibit God’s transforming power, your spouse is sure to notice the difference.

Does this mean your husband or wife will be happy about the new you? Not necessarily. Even if you’re more loving, kind, and considerate than you ever were before, your spouse may become more troubled and angry than ever. But that’s not all bad. Lee Strobel explains from his own experience:

If you had asked me back then why I was so mad, I probably couldn’t have told you. Now, as I look back, I can pinpoint the root of my rage. Basically, as Leslie pursued a godly lifestyle more and more, her behavior increasingly accentuated the difference between that lifestyle and my own.

In other words, the more she sought after purity, integrity, honesty, tolerance, and forgiveness, the more obvious it became that my own life and relationships were corroded with cynicism, bitterness, superficiality, and self-centeredness. It was as if Leslie were unwittingly holding up a mirror and I was seeing myself for how I really was, and I didn’t like the picture. The Bible calls it being convicted of sin, and it made me angry because I didn’t want to face it.

The Strobels’ experience shows that loving, godly behavior by a Christian spouse doesn’t always produce a pleasant reaction. Their experience also shows that there’s no need for a Christian to criticize an unbelieving spouse. Why should you harp on things your spouse is doing wrong? Just depend on God to make you more and more like Jesus, and the contrast between your life and your spouse’s will do more to show him his sin than any words you could say. This may stir up negative emotions that are no fun for either of you, but such turbulence may be a step in a journey that leads to Christ.

Filed Under: Forgiveness, Marriage, Pain and Hurt, Waiting

Man’s Hour of Darkness is God’s Hour of Power by David Wilkerson

November 7, 2010 by standing

Man’s Hour of Darkness is God’s Hour of Power by David Wilkerson

Description:
The hour of God’s power manifests at the end of man’s resources. God is pleased to wait until all striving and human effort cease and your situation calls for nothing less than a miracle. God knows the day and the exact hour that He will intervene. In the midst of these dark seasons while we are waiting for Him to act trust that the Holy Spirit is standing by ready to take action. God is calling His people to abandon themselves to prayer and praise, believing that He is still on the Throne and He is in control! In the day of darkness Jesus Christ is still the light of the world!

Filed Under: Audio, David Wilkerson, Fear, Sermons, Trusting God, Waiting

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