"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hop. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you." ~ Jeremiah 29:11-14
Its a dull cloudy breezey morning here. The sort of morning where I want to stay curled up, coffee in hand & blanket around me. Quietness & thoughtfulness filling the space in my head. Of course, with a busy toddler, quietness usually goes out the window, as well as sitting still. But now, as he naps, I have that quiet peace, that time of thoughtfulness and its my time with God.
I've sure been asking God a LOT of questions lately. And listening for His voice. I know He's speaking, but I can't hear it. I seek His directions, His answers, His peace... but it feels so far away. We seem to be going through a lot of valleys lately, and I feel like we're down here alone. In my heart, I know we're not, but its so quiet, not the kind of quiet I want.
I've asked God to SHOUT at us, if we aren't hearing His quiet voice. I've asked God to speak to us, even give us hints at his direction and I keep coming back without any answers, any hints.
I guess that could mean his answer is "just sit tight" for now, on all the issues we're questioning him about, but it feels tough living in limbo. Its hard not to want to take charge, and we've tried that, time & time again, but yet, we're still here, still waiting for Him to show us the way. Waiting on WHERE. Waiting on WHY. Waiting on WHEN. and so much more.
Some days it feels like the valley is just getting deeper, and the blue sky up above is turning cloudy. We know there is sunshine up above those clouds, somewhere higher up on the hill, and we're longing for Him to lift us up onto the higher rocks & ridges, and just give us a glimpse of what He has in store for us, an idea that we might be going in the right direction, and not just circling the bottom.
I know His plans are better than whatever it is we think we're waiting on... and I know there is much joy, happiness & peace in the moments of each day, in the smiling face of a bouncy toddler, in the calm peaceful breeze of a cloudy morning such as today.
So I wait. I pray! I try to keep having faith that He is planning to give us a future and a hope.
I am doing fine. I like your post and understand how you feel. I have been in the wilderness a bit myself. The last six months have been filled with great joy and disappointment. Feels like I have been on a roller coaster. I am waiting on something too.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Janice
Becky, this is one of my favourite verses....I cling to it when I think about not only me, but about Matthew and what will his fututre hold when I am no longer around to protect him from life's crueleties and dangers. I lean on it when I wait on the unknown for Stevie and what lies aheah for him, and for all the others I love in various situations that I feel responsibilities for. And I count on it when I feel alone, and dried up and extinguished and without any direction......Good Verse.....you should find an approriate photo and use this verse as a caption and hang it where you can see it every day. :) Luv you, my chosen little sis.
ReplyDeleteOh my. I keep forgetting that you are up and running again with your blog!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is so challenging when God is quiet. I wonder what Joseph thought when he was doing the right thing, but got thrown into prison for years.
Then there is the story of Daniel praying like crazy and getting no results. Finally an angel got through the "battle" and informed Daniel that the Lord dispatched him as soon as He heard Daniel's prayer. (The answer is coming).
On a previous post, you spoke of faith...and allowing God to be in the drivers seat. That sounds like the best posture to take right now...and make sure your heart is open to all--to all things.
You are in my prayers.
I know what you mean my friend. We go through peaks and valleys in this life, but God is with us always. It may seem like he is silent, but as we wait on him, he will renew our strength and we will mount up with wings like an eagle. I once posed a question to my loving mom in a dark time and said, "If God would just unravel a scroll from the sky and list on it what I need to do, I'd do it." Do you know what her response was? "Honey, that's what faith is about. Faith is the substance of things unseen."
ReplyDeleteWaiting is hard to do, I know because I feel like I'm in one of those valleys right now with my health and other things that are going on, but one fact never changes, God is good and he loves us with an ever lasting love.
And those awesome verses in Jeremiah? The people of God were in captivity in Babylon. Yes, those words of hope were in a very difficult time indeed.
Hugs and prayers from your adventuring blog friend from PA, USA,
Susan