Waiting on the Lord

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is loving kindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And  He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Psalm 130:5-8


Have you ever taken a moment to notice what an impatient society we are a part of?  There are more drivethru opportunities than one can count, every grocery store has opened an express self-check so you don’t have to wait behind another person to pay for your groceries, our kids are accustomed to the instant gratification of shows at the click of a remote, games at the click of a mouse, a meal after a short spin in the microwave, activities at the end of brief car ride … the list goes on about how we as Americans today do not like to to wait.  I admit, I fall into that trap more often than I like to admit.  How often I find myself switching 
lanes to avoid the sweet little grandma driving below the speed limit in front of me only to meet her at the red light moments apart.  How often do I find myself hurrying one of our children through something a simple as putting their coat on in a vain attempt to gain extra seconds in our routine. There are so many more examples but you understand the point.


One of the important teachings of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises special blessing for waiting, waiting is one of the most difficult commands of Scripture. Why is it so hard? Because, as a part of our sinful nature we are naturally prone to taking matters into our own hands, to follow our own schemes. Yet, over and over again we are told in Scripture “wait on the Lord.” 


When we think of waiting on the Lord, there are a number of important questions that need to be answered and understood in light of the principles and promises of Scripture. Why? Because without these answers, we become like a long-tailed cat scurrying around in a room full of rocking chairs. We become fidgety, fearful, frustrated, anxious, and even angry. However, because the Lord tells us to wait, and since it has some wonderful benefits, we need to know what it means to wait and how that is to be done. 


When the psalmist wrote in Psalm 130:5-6: “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning,” he was comparing waiting expectantly on the Lord to the night guards of the city who watched the passage of time in anticipation of the coming dawn when they would be released from duty. The coming of the dawn was certain, but not without the passage of time. In our “I want it now generation” we must understand and accept the fact that waiting on the Lord always involves the passage of time just as it does when we are waiting for the news, a special TV program, for a plane to arrive, or for retirement. Waiting on the Lord inevitably means enduring the passage of time, but it means more, much more.


Waiting involves an expectation of something special. Waiting means anticipation, expectation, confident hope in something that will take place. Ultimately, waiting on the Lord is like waiting on the sun to rise—waiting expectantly for the Lord’s answers to human needs as the sun brings the warmth of the day.  The ability to wait on the Lord stems from being confident and focused on who God is and in what God is doing. It means confidence in God’s person: confidence in His wisdom, love, timing, understanding of our situation and that of the world. It means knowing and trusting in God’s principles, promises, purposes, and power.


Dear Lord, we are an impatient people yet You desire us to wait expectantly on you.  Help us to take time to seek you out, to discern your voice and to follow your ways.  Let us examine our priorities and hold them up to your example.  Amen 

Birthday Cake

1 John 3:2—Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

I make our kids birthday cakes every year.  It has become a fun tradition to seek out the perfect combination of yumminess and their interests to create  a cake that that tells about them.  Last year the experience was not all it was cracked up to be yet I learned something form  it.   Savi and I poured through pictures of cakes and she decided she had her heart set on one that looked like Belle the princess, dress and all.  I stared at the picture and thought, no problem!  With the cakes made and set into their form, I began to ice the yellow ball gown.  Well, I didn't freeze the cake quite long enough and the frosting would not go on as smooth as I had hoped.  With tiredness setting in and my perfectionist form setting in, I was frustrated.  I wanted the perfect cake for her.  After completing it, I stared at it and thought " that was definitely not what I had envisioned" and I went to bed discouraged. Finishing it in the morning seemed the best plan of action.   The next morning I woke to squeals of glee as Savannah and her older sister found the cake in the kitchen!  They were hollering for everyone to come see the cake I had made - the cake I had gone to bed so dejected about.

I guess whether or not a cake is beautiful all depends on what you are looking for in a cake. If you’re looking at the cake as it is, it may or may not be beautiful at the moment. But if what you see is what your cake is on the way to being—in other words, the finished product—then it probably does look beautiful. Savannah saw her cake was beautiful because it was yellow and sparkly and looked like Belle, and because she knew it would turn out to be exactly what she wanted. That was enough for her.

Too bad it’s not enough for us sometimes when we look at ourselves. As women and as moms, it’s particularly easy for us to look at ourselves and see nothing but the imperfections. We know what we’d like ourselves to be, but we don’t trust the Maker that that’s possible.

What if we saw ourselves the way God sees us? What if we trusted Him to make perfect beauty from what looks imperfect now?

God knows that even though we’re not there yet, we’re at least on the way to being what He wants us to be. He sees the finished product He’s in the process of bringing to completion, not the imperfect intermediate one. He sees the beauty of the work He’s put into us, not the blemishes of the ways we’ve messed up. Sure, He knows we’re not perfect—but He also knows that one day, we will be, because of what He’s done in us.

One day we will be sinless. One day we will get things right—all the time. One day, we’ll be what we’ve always dreamed of being—glorified and beautiful, though physical beauty won’t hold the same importance for us anymore.

If only we could begin seeing ourselves differently right now—on the way to becoming, rather than messed up or imperfect. I wonder how we might treat ourselves differently as well as those around us. You see, they’re in the process of becoming, too. Maybe if we realized that we’re all still in process, we’d be able to give ourselves and others a little more grace. Maybe even a lot more. And maybe instead of reacting negatively to our imperfections, we could rejoice at God’s creative work in us as He gradually shapes us into the perfection He has is mind for us to be one day.

The crumby cake is not what we ultimately are. It’s not our final identity. It’s merely a stage on the way to becoming the beautiful cake God envisions—and it may even be beautiful at the moment. And just like God did for me that day, He may sometimes send us a little reminder—maybe even in the form of a delighted four-year-old excited about even the in-between stages.

They are his kids!

Ex. 2:2-3: But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile (NIV).

I was agonizing over an issue that one of my children had encountered and feeling quite overwhelmed to be honest.  I was trying to figure out in my mind how I was going to fix things and make them better.  It then occurred to me that I am not the one able to mend the struggles in my children's lives.  I am not the one I should be relying on to "make things better."  I needed to take it to the source that created these special beings that call my mommy and let him guide my steps.

Pharaoh ordered that every male born to the Hebrews be thrown in the Nile. Moses was born during this time and, after three months, his mother realized she could hide him no longer. Imagine her angst as she left him in the basket among the reeds in the Nile River! She did not know what the future held, but she released her son by her faith in God.

Some moments bring a special awareness that we, too, are releasing our kids to God. Saying goodbye as we drop them off for their first day of kindergarten. Handing them the car keys as they take it out for a drive on their own. Watching them stand at the altar and commit their life to another in marriage. As you release your kids, remember that God has a plan! The road may not always be easy, but have faith in His wisdom and eternal purposes.

Trust God—they really are His kids after all.

Pour out your hearts

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8


The 5 o’clock hour at our home can not necessarily be considered the most peaceful part of our
day. Between homework completion, four hungry tummies roaming around, tiredness creeping
in and dad not home yet, finding time to talk to the kids one-on-one about their days is almost
nonexistent. A rare moment occurred one afternoon this week where my oldest daughter and I
found ourselves....alone.... in our kitchen while I cooked. The floodgates opened and I had the
pleasure of hearing, uninterrupted, about her whole day. From who she ate lunch with, to how
she did not like her math lesson, she talked and I listened. What a treat! In that moment I felt
us grow closer. I felt us share even more things in common and I could sense the comfort she
got in laying her day out before me.

Relationships thrive on good communication. God lovingly invites us and encourages us to
communicate with him through prayer, much as a parent encourages their child to share their
daily lives with them. Our faith relationship is incredibly important to Him, not because He
needs it but because He loves us. He created us for relationships - first and foremost with
Him but also with others. He sent his only son to die for us to save us from all that makes us
unworthy of God. He wants that relationship to grow to the point where it is more important than
anything else and this happens when we reach out to him in prayer. There are lots of kinds of
communication - facial expressions, hand gestures, tone of voice, physical gifts. But above all,
verbal communication consists of all those things expressed in words. Prayer is that kind of
communication with our Heavenly Father.

It is both humbling and thrilling to realize that God wants to hear from us. He wants to hear
about our days, to hear out fears, our joys, all the mundane things included. He wants us to
bring our requests to him with open and sincere hearts. In Psalm 62:8, God tells us that we
should pour out our hearts to Him because He is our refuge. God is always available, never
distracted and and always eager to share our lives.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the gift of prayer. Thank you for loving us so much that you desire to have such
an initimate place in our daily lives. Help us each day to humbly come before you with all the
things that burden our hearts and all the joys we want to share with you. May we prioritize
those conversations with you so in turn our relationship with you can continue to grow deeper
each day. Amen.

Lessons from a Wedding

"Take our lives, and let them be one in Christ eternally,

take our moments and our days let them flow in ceaseless praise."


Jon and I had the pleasure of attending a wedding last weekend.  The kids came along with us to the ceremony and we got a chance at a date when the reception took place two hours later.  During the wedding, my 5-year old could not tear her eyes away from the breathtaking bride and the happenings at the altar.  She was rivoted to her seat, a silent observer of a beautiful moment in this couple's life.


As the unity candle portion of the service was taking place, she leaned over and quietly asked what they were doing.  I explained about the joining of the families and more importantly how God is the third person in every marriage, the part that holds the two together.  She seemed satisfied with my less than eloquent explanation and went back to her study of the bride.  Two minutes later a tug at my arm drew my attention back to her.  In her whispered voice she said, "Mommy, I wonder who God has for me."


In that fairy tale moment, when my little girl was dreaming of that day when she would be wearing the Cinderella dress, I was reminded of why I pray every day for those people my children will marry.  I was reminded of how each day our children look to us and our marriage as an example they will someday emulate.  Do they see God in our marriage? I hope so!   Do they see him in what we say to one another?  In how we treat one another?  In how we love one another?  I think marriage in today's world has lost the awe, the magic that happens when God joins two people together as one, for eternity. Even in our imperfection, God created us to love.In Matthew 19:4-6 it says "At the beginning the Creator "made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two two will become on flesh' So they are no longer two, but one.  Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."  Pray today for your marriage and for all marriages.  As you pray for His presence, thank Him for your prince or princess.