...for him that waiteth for Him.
January Theme Verse:
For since the beginning of the world
men have not heard,
nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen,
O God, beside Thee,
what He hath prepared
for him that waiteth for Him.
~Isaiah 64:4~
Here I sit, drinking blueberry tea, and thinking. (I've never been a tea-drinker - never could aquire a taste for it - but a few days ago I tried it without honey, just plain. You know what? I like it.)
Thinking... Thinking about the above verse, which is my January theme verse this year. "Wait on the Lord" seems to be the spiritual theme the Lord has given me for this year. Seeing a friend's recent post took me back to that verse.
We can't see the end of the story. We only see a paragraph or two from the middle, most often right in the centre of the conflict! As the chapter unfolds, we cry, "Lord, uh, what are you doing? This is dreadful! How can this be your faithfulness to me?"
We have limited vision. He gives His Word as a lamp for our feet. Not a floodlight. Just a small lamp. Just enough to take the next step. In Proverbs 27:6 we read, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend..." And that's just the case. It's in His FAITHFULNESS that He turns up the heat, denies our dreams, tells us one again to "wait." Because He's not finished. The refining process isn't finished. The story doesn't end here.
Romans 8:28 tells us, "And we KNOW that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to HIS purpose." I don't know where this next quote comes from, but I've been encouraged to remember this conclusion that would follow Romans 8:28, "If it's not good yet, it's not the end yet!"
God is so good and faithful, and it's ONLY in faithfulness that He "wounds" us. The time in the fire is necessary for growth. Nothing happens to us by chance... God allows each trying circumstance, each fiery trial, each broken dream, each denied hope. And it's all to fulfill HIS high purpose for our life. Yes, it may be that His purpose is not what we would choose, but, I believe with all my heart, we WOULD choose it if we caught just a glimpse of what a glorious ending He has planned! Someday, we'll understand.
I'll leave you with a poem:
The cares of life o’erwhelm my heart,
O’erhead a threat’ning sky
My Father feels my deep distress
And knows the reason why.
When all I know comes crashing down
And I just want to cry
I can run to Father’s arms
He knows the reason why.
The strain is much, the pressure great
The heat is turned on high
My Father is Refiner, too
He knows the reason why.
It comes by pain, but needful, yes
My will must fully die
And I will trust my Father’s heart
He knows the reason why.
When I can see Him face to face
In that sweet by and by
He’ll take the veil from off my eyes
And show the reason why.
--MMW, April 2006
By the way, I got a lovely note from onlygrace in the mail late this past week, and I just wanted to thank you, Leah! ::hugs:: It was a special bright spot in my day. There's just something about a letter, especially handwritten, that's so encouraging. : ) It reminds me to be more faithful in writing. Thanks!