God is not an ATM; He takes His time
Saturday at the young adults group at church, we had a night of prayer. The intercession team had prepared a skit illustrating different aspects of prayer, such as: thanksgiving, adoration, meditation, intercession, and listening to God. They had also prepared a number of power point slides with various subjects for prayer under several main headings. The young adults prayed out freely for well over an hour, while a young lady discreetly advanced the slides projected up on the screen. One of the subjects caught my attention: "savoir attendre et saisir les promesses divines." Under the heading of “personal life,” this subject, knowing how to wait for and seize divine promises, grabbed my attention.
What a great thing to pray for! I felt convicted myself, because while I have no problem seizing (or claiming, as we say more often in English) the promises of God, I have a big problem waiting for them. I’m so impatient; I want what God promised today! There I sat, surrounded by college students, in a generation I heard recently described as the “ipod generation.” In their lifetime, microwaves always existed, so dinner was available in a matter of minutes. ATM’s were always a part of their lives, so money was available at the touch of mere buttons. Even instantaneous email was standard by the time they were old enough to read and write a snail mail letter. It amazed me to think about all of us sitting there praying to learn to wait for the promises of God.
It reminded me of Hebrews 11:13, where it reads, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” Abraham died, having never seen the God’s promise fully realized, but he believed God, and that was credited to him as righteousness. I hope that I can see God’s promises come to pass before I die, but even if I have to wait all my life, I want to believe in the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen.
In other news . . . A missionary friend recommened the website: www.oneplace.com and I am recommending it to you. It contains radio broadcasts by pastors, such as Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans, David Jeremiah (some of my faves) and more. Yes, Mom, you can even listen to J. Vernon McGee and Unshackled! I listened to Tony Evans’ The Alternative yesterday and his sermon for yesterday on the movitation of giving was amazing! I thought that those of you who have the ability to listen to streaming audio might enjoy this website.
Also in other news . . . on Sundays here, people like to buy lunch “out” since it’s a big family day. On my local corner there are several little roadside stands that pop up each Sunday, selling local oysters, rotisserie chickens, and yesterday, french fries. I had just walked out of the bakery with my loaf of French bread for lunch still hot in my hands, the breeze blowing through my hair. Suddenly, I was transported to Ocean City, MD down at the inlet, with the salt from the briny ocean breeze mingling with the salt of Thrasher’s french fries. Supposedly, smell triggers memory faster than any other sense. It must be true, because just the momentary smell of those fries cooking in their vat of oil triggered a whole host of beach memories in my mind. It was like being home for a few seconds while I inhaled as deeply as I could!
What a great thing to pray for! I felt convicted myself, because while I have no problem seizing (or claiming, as we say more often in English) the promises of God, I have a big problem waiting for them. I’m so impatient; I want what God promised today! There I sat, surrounded by college students, in a generation I heard recently described as the “ipod generation.” In their lifetime, microwaves always existed, so dinner was available in a matter of minutes. ATM’s were always a part of their lives, so money was available at the touch of mere buttons. Even instantaneous email was standard by the time they were old enough to read and write a snail mail letter. It amazed me to think about all of us sitting there praying to learn to wait for the promises of God.
It reminded me of Hebrews 11:13, where it reads, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” Abraham died, having never seen the God’s promise fully realized, but he believed God, and that was credited to him as righteousness. I hope that I can see God’s promises come to pass before I die, but even if I have to wait all my life, I want to believe in the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen.
In other news . . . A missionary friend recommened the website: www.oneplace.com and I am recommending it to you. It contains radio broadcasts by pastors, such as Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans, David Jeremiah (some of my faves) and more. Yes, Mom, you can even listen to J. Vernon McGee and Unshackled! I listened to Tony Evans’ The Alternative yesterday and his sermon for yesterday on the movitation of giving was amazing! I thought that those of you who have the ability to listen to streaming audio might enjoy this website.
Also in other news . . . on Sundays here, people like to buy lunch “out” since it’s a big family day. On my local corner there are several little roadside stands that pop up each Sunday, selling local oysters, rotisserie chickens, and yesterday, french fries. I had just walked out of the bakery with my loaf of French bread for lunch still hot in my hands, the breeze blowing through my hair. Suddenly, I was transported to Ocean City, MD down at the inlet, with the salt from the briny ocean breeze mingling with the salt of Thrasher’s french fries. Supposedly, smell triggers memory faster than any other sense. It must be true, because just the momentary smell of those fries cooking in their vat of oil triggered a whole host of beach memories in my mind. It was like being home for a few seconds while I inhaled as deeply as I could!