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But I
know why I saw that eagle over the city.
I was
busy complaining to the Lord that things are not moving
fast enough to suite me. My hopes and dreams are not moving
toward fulfillment. At least not in any way that I can
see. So I was telling the Lord how I felt. I wanted to
see some immediate progress. I wanted something
significant to happen. Right away.
At
about that point I reached my destination and got out of
my car. I looked up and there, right over the city, was a
bald eagle flying high in the sky. I kept staring at it,
not believing what I saw. Yes, there was no mistaking.
It was a bald eagle. And of course, the verse from Isaiah
came immediately to mind:
...
those who wait on the LORD
Shall
renew their strength;
They
shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They
shall run and not be weary,
They
shall walk and not faint.
I knew
that the Lord had sent the eagle. God was telling me once
again to wait for Him, to be patient, to trust His good
timing. That's not the answer I wanted, but I knew it was
a clear message from the Lord. I knew because lately He's
been telling me to wait.
Like
the verses in David's Psalm that says:
I
believe that I shall see
the
goodness of the LORD
in the
land of the living.
Wait
for the LORD;
be
strong,
and
let your heart take courage;
wait
for the LORD!
Patient trusting in God is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in
redeemed human lives. To the extent that our lives are
filled with (yielded to) God's Spirit, to that extent we
will see the evidences, the fruit. On any given day, at
any given time, we're either filled with ourselves or
filled with God's own sweet and powerful Holy Spirit.
We can
sometimes judge just how "filled with the Spirit" we are
by how we react to passages that tell us to wait. Of
course, if we're not pushing for anything to happen in our
lives, we'll be just fine. But if we have ambitions,
goals, and personal dreams sitting on the front burners of
our hearts, then we can get a true test of our
spirituality.
I
don't often feel very spiritual when the Lord (or anyone
else) tells me to wait. I can feel the blood rising when
I'm not getting my own way. But the Lord has been very
faithful and consistent over the years in teaching me a
few things. I know that I'm wrong when I react in a
negative way to whatever God is saying.
Wisdom
teaches us to "fear" God, or to hold the Lord in great
reverence. We may not understand (and often we simply
don't), we may not agree with or like what we hear. But
God is always right.
The
Lord is always working for the ultimate good in each of
our lives. He gives us the dreams we hold dear in our
hearts. He gives us the hope that makes us dare great
things. And when He says to wait, it is best for us to
patiently wait. We can always trust God's timing, God's
intentions, God's inexpressible goodness to us.
He who
gave up His own Son for us, will He not also, with Him,
freely give us all things? Whatever we need, we will
certainly get. Whatever we've trusted God for with
patience, we will see. The Lord is faithful. The Lord is
true. The Lord is good. He is truly good. His wisdom,
His timing, His working in each human life is flawless.
Nothing in our lives escapes His notice or concern.
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Sometimes, like Moses at the Red Sea, we're busy standing
still when it's time to go forward. And other times,
we're so eager to jump forward when we just need to wait
for God to do what only God can do. The Holy Spirit is
faithful to teach us and show us what we need to do. If
we are paying attention, we'll get the lesson and the
signal from the Lord.
Why
does God work so slowly sometimes? Can't He keep up?
Actually, the delay is never about a weakness in God, but
always because something is lacking in us. We are still
growing. We're not yet perfect in all things. If we were
ready, then God would send us forward. But He's good to
hold us back until we've been prepared inside to move into
something new. Our hearts, our faith, our resolve must
grow strong enough to face whatever testing and
difficulties that await us on the "next level" we're so
eager to reach.
Any
loving parent refuses to let a young child run into the
street alone. So also the Lord holds us back from
"exciting adventures" we're not yet ready to have. We may
be eager to advance, eager to explore new things, but that
doesn't mean we know what to do.
When
the time comes, the Lord will take us into the terrain
He's promised us, that special "place" we're hoping to
reach in life, the work we're so eager to do. The Lord is
good to watch over us and to keep us back at times. And
when He leads us forward, we may not "feel" ready to go.
And so
I'm learning how to be patient — even when everything in
me says, "Go, go, go!" I know that God loves me enough to
pay a terrible price for my redemption. I know that God
loves me enough to forgive all my sins, and to hold my
hand whenever I'm afraid.
I need
to understand that God loves me enough to sometimes say,
"Not yet. But soon, when you're truly ready."
I have
a Father in heaven who loves me with a very great love. I
have a Father in heaven who loves me enough to say, "No."
And I trust my good Father to make me ready for all the
things He has promised me.
Isaiah
gently scolds us:
Have
you not known? Have you not heard?
The
LORD is the everlasting God,
the
Creator of the ends of the earth.
He
does not faint or grow weary;
His
understanding is unsearchable.
He
gives power to the faint,
and
strengthens the powerless.
Even
youths will faint and become weary,
and
the young will fall exhausted;
but
those who wait for the LORD
shall
renew their strength,
they
shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they
shall run and not be weary,
they
shall walk and not faint.
In any
war, the secret to courage and victory is to always go
fully prepared for the battle. As believers in Jesus
Christ our strength comes from the Presence of the Lord.
As we walk with Him, and as we follow His clear direction,
we will be prepared for whatever comes our way. Even if
the way is very, very long and very difficult, we will
rise up and shout with joy because He makes us strong. He
gives us the victory. To wait for His command is to grow
stronger in Him. To wait in quiet confidence is to win
the war.
Jim
(Passages cited: Galatians 5:22; Isaiah 40:31; Psalm
27:14,15; Isaiah 40:28-31. Passage referred to: Romans
8:32)
Peace with God |
