Done! Finished! Ain’t got time for that! These are all words that I said yesterday. I have been saying for a week, 2 weeks or even
3 now. We all have stuff. Stuff we are trying to work out, work
through! Some of this stuff we have been
holding on to for a very long time and we are waiting…waiting…waiting. And we wonder at times will we ever get
through. God has shown me the way my
life will end just as I am sure He has shown you all things in your life. And we think “Oh Good!” It’s nice to know how the story ends. But sometimes the hard part isn’t knowing how
it ends, it’s how we get there. And not
so much HOW but WHEN! And there we have
to wait again!
James
1:12 (NIV)
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because,
having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord
has promised to those who love him
So let me begin at the beginning. I struggle, but as long as God is leading the
way, I say OK. Here recently I am
getting tired of just that daily walk.
You know how it is, we go along do what’s expected, what is commanded of
us but it doesn’t feel like we are getting anywhere. So for whatever reason it all piled up on me
this weekend and I said “ENOUGH, I’M DONE” I don’t have time to wait around for something that may not
happen for years! (Well I actually do
have time, but…) Now I know it will
happen, because God said it would, but I don’t want to wait for it! I want it and I want it NOW! Yesterday I decided to go to evening church
with my sister, haven’t been able to do that for a while because of conflicting
schedules. He said right off that he
didn’t have a sermon but as the service began he said God had given him a word
for someone. That word was persistence, persistent!
And as I listened I thought, hmmm, not for me! He talked about being obedient
to God and if you do, everything else works out! Now that was for me! I thought, Yes I can be obedient, but
persistent? No, done with it! I told him so after service. I have not been angry with God but let’s just
say I was feeling a little “miffed” and I told God the same! I am not seeing results so I am ready to
throw in the towel! Persistent? Nah, not for me! So when I got ready for bed I opened this
book I have been reading to chapter 9.
Draw the Circle, by Mark Batterson, was recommended by a friend and so
far I haven’t been disappointed. It’s
one of those books that you read a chapter a day- 40 chapters, 40 days! So this is my Sunday chapter. I open the page and it says
Crazy Faith
Luke 18:5 (NIV) Yet
because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so
that she won’t eventually come and attack me.
Luke 18:5 (NLT) This
woman is driving me crazy!
The first line of this chapter calls her a persistent
widow! Now when I read that I actually
had to chuckle out loud! Really God? So I guess you are telling me that, yes, that
word that Pastor Rodger said was “someone” was actually for me! Even after I told him, NO WAY! Not for me!
Batterson goes on to define persistent, A nice word for crazy. So not only is God telling me that yes, that’s
your word, but you are kinda crazy. And
yes, you are a widow. But he also says
when the cause is a righteous one, it’s a holy crazy! So I guess that’s OK! Jesus Freak and Holy Crazy, kind of sums me
up.
So after I read my
chapter I received that word, persistent.
As I drifted off to sleep I tried to think what that meant. And I prayed…Lord help me persevere, help me
stay on that path. As I thought about
what I wanted I realized I just WANTED! I
wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it!
Pastor Rodger gently reminded me that if we don’t persevere for Gods
Will and strive for what He wants for our life, we let Him down. We fail Him!
When I opened my email first thing this morning my memory verse for the
day James 1:12 shouted perseverance at me!
And then I received
Ephesians 6:18 (KJV)
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
I have to persevere.
You have to persevere! Be persistent
because it’s God’s will, not because I want to receive something at the end of
my journey. I want it because God wants
it for me and I have to wait for it. It’s
what’s best for me…It’s what’s best for you!
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