Today's PW Devotional is a continuation of last week's. And, my thoughts today don't have much to do with the devotional...so you can skip on down if you want to bypass my verbosity.
I travel mostly the same route every day to work. Down Orange-Olive, Merge onto Kramer, Right on Katella, Left on Main St., Left into the CHOC Employee Parking lot. Boring. Efficient. Bypasses freeways. Works for me!
When I returned from Hume Lake a few weeks ago, I noticed a lot of construction going on down my commute on Katella Avenue, so I continued down Kramer until it becomes Glassell and I get the fanciful jaunt down Old Town Orange and the Orange Circle. I LOVE going that way. However, it packs on about 15 more minutes of commute time to my typical 10-12 minute drive time. Multiple STOP signs, reduced speeds and pedistrians crossing streets piles on the added time.
Last week, the construction was over. So I resumed my normal route. All that construction on Katella Avenue was to sandblast away road markings, relocate a traffic signal and move it closer to the Railroad Tracks. The first thing I noticed was a HUGE white sign painted on the street, "HERE WAIT" and then a white line where they want you to idle while the Railroad crossing arms deploy prohibiting you from traversing across the tracks (and getting smashed to smitherenes by a train!).
I've noticed I've been waiting there alot these past 2 weeks. My commute time seems to coincide with the Metrolink Commuter Train. Though the wait is annoying to me...it has allowed me time (albeit brief) to consider my fellow waiters, the oncoming train, traffic and the newly installed railroad crossing arms. And, sometimes I pray.
Why is the wait so annoying to me?
Isn't the wait protecting me from a certain collision with a commuter train?
If I really don't like the wait, why don't I go a different route?
Or, why don't I leave 15 minutes earlier/later to avoid said commuter train?
Today, I prayed at the HERE WAIT. Before I knew it, the waiting was done...and I was on my way! I wasn't annoyed by the wait today.
Then I started thinking about all the HERE WAITs God sends along our routes in life. Like me, many of us get annoyed at having to wait. And, waiting on God seems so hard to do most of the time!
I believe all those HERE WAITs from God are opportunities for the Holy Spirit to grow our faith and build our trust in God. God's timetable is so radically different from mine or yours. And we, thinking we know better, aren't inclined to wait. We want ACTION. We want ANSWERS. We want obstacles removed. We want paths cleared. We want wishes granted. We want people to behave. We want that relationship so badly!
Wait on God.
Just wait.
It is hard to wait. But, so worth it! Frank and I were talking about this recently. We can look back and see the times we didn't wait on God and really messed things up. Taking matters into our own hands is about as insane as allowing a baby to play with a loaded gun! Don't believe me? Read what Proverbs has to say about this:
Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
I don't know what you are going through...but I do know God wants you to trust Him with everything.
Wait on Him.
Just Wait.
God knows what we need...when we need it.
Read what Jesus has to say in Matthew 6:25-34:
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I hope this brings you comfort today.
HERE WAIT
| Like Jesus: Run for Nothing? Posted: 31 Jul 2010 01:00 AM PDT ". . . in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing." (Philippians 2:15-16) Some people don't like the book of Ecclesiastes. It's a book of great wisdom, but it asks a lot of hard questions -- and it doesn't answer all of them completely. The author's most famous line is the first one: "Meaningless, Meaningless, says the Preacher, all is meaningless." Solomon concludes more than once that you won't find the answer to life's meaning "under the sun."
In his writings -- also inspired by God but after the mystery of Jesus is revealed -- Paul answers a lot of Solomon's Ecclesiastes questions more fully by showing all the meaning that flows into our lives from "beyond the sun" through knowing Jesus. Today's passage is one of those answers. Here he says that his life -- his mission -- will be meaningful when the Philippians (and other believers of his day) live in such a way as to "hold out the word of life" to the next generation of Christians.
A life that matters involves passing the torch of faith in Jesus to others who are looking for meaning in their lives. As Paul describes it, those living in the darkness of a crooked generation will notice people in the light. Are you ready to talk about the source of your light with anyone who asks?
Think: Do you think Paul's life would really have been less meaningful if the Philippians had not pointed others to Jesus? Do you think he was confident that they would?
Pray: Ask God to help you live in a way that would attract unbelievers to come to you looking for the light.
Do: Whatever you do, do NOT start singing the camp song "Pass It On" in your head today; you'll never get it out. ("It only takes a spark to get a fire going . . .")  |
Mary E.Hickcox
www.CalvaryBaptistSM.orghttp://mary-neotes.blogspot.com/
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