When It Seems Like Everything Is Going Wrong
Here I sit wondering when I will be thrown offline again. There is so much static on my phone line that the computer has been going off about every few minutes. If I turn the email off, it seems to last longer. I have no idea what that is all about.
I have friends in Houston. I know one did not get out before Rita. I don't know about the others. I pray for everyone who is being impacted by this hurricane.
So, I can't work (computer) and I don't know about friends. That equals patience and faith. Ouch! I have done a surface attack on patience. I will go back and read those.
Now, I need to work on faith.
God only wants the best for us. He has been so good to me. He has put a roof over my head and I most certainly am not hurting for food. I look at my freezer and wish I could get more order in it. I am wanting to "cook from scratch" but I will have a problem with leftovers. I love to put them in single serve size containers but there will be no room for them. Such a problem. LOL
We need to put everything in perspective and focus on the positives. Oh, how I need to learn that.
What can you be thankful for? Take a look at your life. Start with the small things. Then, you can put a smile on your face and feel so much better. And, that is so much more fun.
God will take care of us if we will let Him. But, he needs something to work with.
Prayer For Hurricane Victims
Rita is already causing problems.
Water is already pouring into New Orleans again.
A bus exploded on the interstate and killed many elderly.
There are people left in Houston. I know of one family that wanted to get out but they saw the problems on the interstate and decided they would be safer at home than on the roads. They are in a higher area.
Please lets all pray for these people. It could have been us. Anywhere we live, there is something that can affect us.
More Patience - But, Don't Pray For It
Oh, how often I have heard "Don't pray for patience. It will only bring you trials"
It kept me from praying for it, but how much I have missed.
God allows us to go through trials to strengthen us and bring us closer to Him. I grieve at the times that I have tried to do it myself. He was right there waiting for me to ask and wanting to help. If only I had asked Him. He will not just barge in and take over. We have to be willing for Him to help us.
He is our Heavenly Father. He wants only the best for us and would give us everything we ask for. But, sometimes He says "No" because He knows it would only harm us because we could not handle it. He loves us enough to say "No".
How I long to be closer to Him in every aspect of my life. But, how I miss the mark. He wants us to talk to Him and listen for His answer. I need to get better at that.
I am finally writing again. I just did not have the words for so long. I prayed about it - not often enough - and waited. He allowed it to happen at just the right time. Now, all I want to do is write.
I was not always patient about it. I begged Him to show me what was wrong. I pleaded with Him to give me some ideas. Finally, in His timing, it is happening.
Wait on Him. Whatever is His will for your life will happen in His timing.
Determining Our Daily Plans
Have you ever had what you thought was just the right plans for a morning or day only to have them squashed right after you got everything ready?
One morning I thought it would be wonderful to sit out on the dock and study my Bible. Well, I packed a satchel with my favorite Bible and several other resources and off to the dock I went. I unpacked it all and laid it out ready to start. Then, I felt a drop and then another. "Okay, God, I know I should pack it all back up and go in. But, then what? Do you have another plan for me or shall I spread all of this out on the living room floor and study there?"
I really don't remember what I did that day but there are two ways to look at this.
Was it Satan trying to keep me from studying and I should not allow him to do it?
Or, was God telling me that this is all well and good but not what I have planned for you right now.
The only answer was to pray about it. But, what if you get no answer from God. Or, at least, you are not ascertaining it if it is coming.
Just wait on the Lord. How hard that is to do. It is one thing that I am having to learn to do right now. It is not easy. "Lord, are you there? Do you hear me?"
Of course, the answer to both of these questions is "Yes." But, sometimes He has other things He wants to teach us as we learn to watch and wait.
Like I said, it is not easy. But, oh so worth it. After having come through a trial, it is such a joy to look back at it and say "That is what you were up to." Don't look up in the sky and ask Him to tell you what He is up to. He will just say "No. Trust me."
Oh, for more patience. But, don't pray for it. LOL
