I’m learning to embrace the journey the Lord is taking me on to teach me more and more about who He is and how He is sovereign and in absolute control of all things. He has so gently been teaching me some incredible truths about His heart over the past several weeks and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Ok, maybe I’d trade some of the dark days and some of the times where I didn’t think the tears would ever stop falling once they had gotten started.
Many of you know already about the journey I am on with my Mom and her Dementia as well as how she’s been very ill with an infection in her backbone. Helping my Dad take care of her in Arkansas while living here in Texas has been a challenge. On top of that, building a new worship facility as well as a house simultaneously has been a challenge in and of itself. To maintain some sort of sanity in the midst of all these things as well as some heavy things on my heart that I’m carrying on top of these (You know the ones, the ones we would rather not have on our plate, yet the Lord asks us to carry these burdens with Him and trust Him that He has everything under control and that He’s working ALL things together for good….those things) has had me feeling anything but in control. if you’re like me, you like to be in control. You like all of your ducks to be in a row and you’d prefer it pretty much stay that way…forever.
Back in November the Lord asked me to step away from something I had really been excited about helping with. I had been studying and preparing my heart to lead, but the Lord very clearly asked me to push pause and step away. In the beginning I was incredibly sad, but had a huge peace in my heart knowing that if He had asked me to be obedient, He would be faithful. Little did I know…He was slowing me down from preparing to teach to just listening to His heart, truly capturing the bigger picture.
By now, it was the beginning of Advent season and I knew deep down in my heart the Lord was preparing my heart to teach me some things that would change my perspective from this point forward. If there’s anything I’ve learned this year during Advent, it’s that He’s in the waiting. Advent is a season of waiting for the Messiah. I don’t know about you, but I’m not very patient when it comes to waiting. I found a study from The Daily Grace Co. called Waiting for Advent. This study has literally rocked my world. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same, especially when it comes to celebrating Christmas and the birth of our Savior….our Promised Messiah.
Many of you have heard me mention how the Father put Psalm 91:4 on my heart earlier this year.
Since the beginning of time, generations had waited for their Redeemer, the coming of the Messiah. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to hear the promise but have to wait to see the bigger picture of how everything would unfold? I know what it’s like when my heart grows weary, when I don’t understand the Lord’s plan. It’s just like my heavenly Father to lead me to an Advent plan that would focus about how He always keeps His promises. He is working, even when we can’t see it. When our hearts grow weary, He is our refuge.
Three separate times during different readings the Lord brought the story of Zechariah in front of me. When the angel appeared to Zechariah to let him know that the prayers of God’s people for generations had been answered and that Hope was coming and that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a son that would prepare the way of the Messiah, he was very confused and didn’t believe. You see, they had longed for a child and it seemed that God had not heard their prayers and they had lost hope. Because of his unbelief, the angel declared that Zechariah would be silent until this promise would be fulfilled.
Now when the angel appeared to Mary, a young virgin girl, to tell her that she would give birth to the promised Messiah, although she was confused and scared, she believed. “Be it unto me according to Your word, according to Your promises.”
The Lord asked me…..will you be Zechariah, Shannon? Or will you be Mary? Will you believe my promises even in the waiting? Even when you don’t have all the answers? Even when you can’t see how everything will work out?
The following are the lyrics to a song He led me to during this study.
“Take Courage”
Slow down, take time
Breathe in He said
He'd reveal what's to come
The thoughts in His mind
Always higher than mine
He'll reveal all to come
Take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
Hold onto your hope
As your triumph unfolds
He's never failing
He's never failing
Sing praise my soul
Find strength in joy
Let His Words lead you on
Do not forget
His great faithfulness
He'll finish all He's begun
So take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
Hold onto your hope
As your triumph unfolds
He's never failing
He's never failing
Take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
Hold onto your hope
As your triumph unfolds
He's never failing
He's never failing
And You who hold the stars
Who call them each by name
Will surely keep, Your promise to me
That I will rise, in Your victory
And You who hold the stars
Who call them each by name
Will surely keep, Your promise to me
That I will rise, in Your victory!
So take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
And hold onto your hope
Watch your triumph unfold
He's never failing
He's never failing
So take courage my heart
Stay steadfast my soul
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
He's in the waiting
And hold onto your hope
Watch your triumph unfold
He's never failing
He's never failing!
He's in the waiting...
https://youtu.be/r49V9QcYheQ
Advent is a way for us to remember that the Lord always does what He says He will do. I pray as you celebrate this Christmas that we will stop and rejoice in Jesus the Messiah who has come to save us who has come to fulfill every promise He’s ever made.
No comments:
Post a Comment