Isaiah 25:9 "And it will be said in that day,
"Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.""
This verse comes from a prophecy of Isaiah of the end times.
How beautiful. It describes our lifelong waiting as not in vain, but in
rejoicing. (See
post #1, While I Wait). We are called to wait
as an action, not an inaction, as an attitude, as a response to God's great
love and promise to us: Walk with
Him, Acknowledge Him in all things, Invest in Others, Tell of His deeds. And wow, is it worth it.
However, I think we can all agree that waiting is harder
than it seems. We know that Christ will return to this earth and redeem and
restore it just as He is continually redeeming and restoring His children now.
And while we know this to be true and trust Him, it can be hard to know what to
do in the meantime, what to do while we wait for His return: What jobs and
opportunities to pursue, how to spend time and money, etc. Each day we are
faced with hundreds (if not more) decisions requiring our attention and choice:
what to wear, where to go, where to sit at church, class, work, etc, who to
talk to, what to eat, who to call or text or email…and that barely scratches
the surface. Bigger decisions we are faced with include where to apply for jobs,
where to live, what opportunities to pursue and which ones to let pass, what
college to attend or not…trying to figure it all out on our own is downright
stressful. Amen?
The good news is that while we wait, while we try to figure
out the daily decisions of our short fleeting lives (Eccl.), we are not alone.
Despite the futility and brevity of our lives, God has a plan and purpose in it
all. What a beautiful demonstration of His love for us, His great,
unfathomable, unmatchable, inseparatable love for us!!! "Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!"
Romans 8:28 "And
we know that in all things He works for the good of those who love Him, who
have been called according to His purpose." God will work out all the
details of our lives while we wait. We need only walk with Him and acknowledge
Him in all things. He will direct, guide, and protect. I have come to realize
that sometimes in life, more times than I'd like, we are faced with two (or
more) great opportunities or choices. It is hard to know which to choose. Both
may seem viable, both may seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but both are
inevitably mutually exclusive. A choice must be made. A direction walked in.
Those are the times that God brings us to our knees in recognition that we
can't do this life alone, we can't wait for Him without Him. We are brought to
our knees in prayer and petition for guidance of what path to walk down. Take
the job or stay in school? Move there or stay here? Go on a mission trip or
stay home investing in family?
Once I had the choice of either staying at home and
potentially getting teaching credentials, or spend the summer working at a
youth missions camp. I ended up choosing the missions camp, and now looking
back can't imagine my life any other way. BUT the truth is that both would have
been glorifying to God, both would have utilized unique skill sets that He has
given me. At the time, I didn't know which one to pursue. I didn't know if one
was a better choice than the other. I even worried that if I chose the wrong
one I would completely ruin my life. I know that’s not true. I know Romans 8:28
tells me just the opposite, that no matter which path I chose then God would
have blessed it, God would have provided, God would have guided me and used me
in it. And has He ever. There was no right or wrong choice then and looking
back now I can see God's handprints all over the choice that I did end up
making, though I couldn't see it then. Though I didn't feel like I heard Him tell me anything clearly then, He did. Now, 3 years after that decision was
made, I see God all over that time in my life though in the moment He felt far.
It was through prayer that God guided the blind me to make that decision, He knows me far better
than I even know myself. That is comforting.
Proverbs 19: 21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart,
but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, but the
Lord directs his steps."
Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears will hear a word behind, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the left or to the right."
As I find myself at a crossroads now of another major life
decision, remembering God's faithfulness then brings me hope now. (tell of His deeds). Brings me hope that
no matter what I choose will be the right decision. Though I may feel lost and
confused now, I know that ultimately the Lord will direct my steps, His purpose
will prevail. I will pray, I will seek, and ultimately, I will decide and
rejoice. All of this, while I wait
for His return.
Isaiah 25:1 "O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You,
I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect
faithfulness."
Proverbs 20:24 "Man's steps are ordained by the Lord,
how then can man understand his way?"
Waiting has purpose. Decisions have purpose. We are not
alone; God guides. We walk, we acknowledge, we invest and we tell; God guides. Ultimately,
we rejoice. Waiting has purpose.
