Wait On The Lord

Psalm 27:11-14 KJV

Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. 

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Way too often we try to get those things, including the outcomes, that we want. We want what we want and we want it now. But, those things that we desire are not always what we need or what is best for us. It may seem like too much hardship or struggle to have to wait to work things out the right or the best way so we rush things and the end does not always end up the way that we anticipated that it would end.

Things may feel hard; but, there are times when we must endure and trust in the Lord to see us through. The Lord know what is good for us. Wait on him. He will open the doors that are meant for you. 

Do not make rash decisions to try to get what you want. Be of good courage and wait on the Lord and you will see the goodness of the Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Don't Worry

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matt 6:33-34 NKJV)

Is that not the truth? Do we not usually have enough trouble to worry about each day without considering what trouble might come our way tomorrow?

Actually, I tend to look ahead a lot! However, I do not look ahead with worry. I look ahead because I strongly believe that things go much better with preventive measures taken prior to the anticipated problem becoming a real problem.

For example: I pay my bills on time so that I do not have to throw more of my income on late fees or added interest in the future. I try to take care of the necessities of today, today. Tomorrow there will be enough for me to do without adding the things I was supposed to take care of today. Not being responsible for taking care of things that should be taken care of today just adds to the worry and stress of tomorrow. In the end, it is best to just worry about today and take cares of the tasks at hand and you will have very little time to worry about tomorrow.

In about eight months, my intention is to retire from Parish ministry. No, I'm not giving up on serving the Lord, just retiring from Parish ministry so that I am not tied down to serving in one place. My husband has been retired twice already. It is our intention to down-size as much as possible and pretty much live off the grid. We will be selling our home in Florida. Am I worried about not having a home in a state we plan to spend a lot of time in? No! God has been with us our entire lives. We have had some really tough financial times through the years. There were times when we were first married forty-some years ago that we were so broke that all we had for supper before payday was pancakes made with flour and water or navy bean soup with no meat whatsoever. Between my husband's and my careers, we've moved more times than I can even count any more. We have owned a lot of homes with those moves and lived in just about the same amount of rentals. Buying homes is costly and selling them can be even more costly. But, no matter what has gone on in our lives, God was with us through each and every day and has blessed us richly.

One of the things that I have realized over the years is that it can be quite difficult to seek first the kingdom of God or to follow wherever he would lead us when we're tied to a piece of property or any kind of contract with someone in this world. Those obligations often end up taking precedence over serving the Lord. It is time for me to be beholding to no one but the Lord.  

Whatever tomorrow brings, there is not much sense in worrying about it. Take care of today and trust that God is with you and will see you through both today and tomorrow. He will guide you. He will guide us wherever He would have us go and ultimately it will be to the Kingdom that Jesus has prepared for all who believe.

God's Peace - Pr. J