Wait

Our Saturday morning group has been going through Andy Stanley's bible study "Discovering God's Will". It's a good one. This poem reflects a little of that. It is by Russell Kelfer...

WAIT
Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, He replied.
I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child you must wait."

"Wait? You Say Wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why.
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future, and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me, 'wait'?
I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no,' to which I can resign."

And Lord, you have promised that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking: I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So I slumped in my chair; defeated and taut
And grumbled to God; "So I'm waiting, for what?"

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes met with mine
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, darken the sun,
Raise the dead, cause the mountains to run."

All you see I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint."

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust, just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me,
When darkness and silence was all you could see."

You would never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart."

The glow of My comfort late in the night;
The faith that I give when you walk without sight;
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"And you never would know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'
Yes, your dreams for that loved one o'ernight could come true,
But the loss! if you lost what I'm doing in you."

So be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' my My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all... is still... wait."

Getting older...and hopefully a little wiser

My birthday is at the end of the month - the last day of the month to be exact! Just in case you were wondering:) It's not really hitting me too hard this year that I am turning 27. I've basically been telling people that I'm already 27 just to get myself into the swing of things. It's really no biggie. I like getting older...I learn more about myself, about life, about others, about my job, about relationships...it's crazy what you can learn as the days fly by.

It's funny when we are young, in elementary school, in middle school, in high school....we think we know everything. We think we can stay up late when mom tells us to go to bed at 8:00, then when we do stay up late...we are exhausted and cranky in the morning. Guess she did know what she was talking about afterall!

I feel like I've made some good choices in my life...and some bad ones, but I've learned lessons from them all. God is good like that. He can't keep us from making those bad choices, but He can be there to pick us up when we fall, brush off the dirt from our knees and help bandage our wounds. I've enjoyed looking back to see how He has helped me up in the past, how He has led me on this journey called life, and I'm anxious to see the turns, hills and even the bumps that lie ahead. I know He is faithful to lead me through every situation, but it is up to me to surrender every day to Him and to follow Him faithfully.

Year 27...bring it on! :)