I have a friend whom God uses to speak truth into my life.  Many times the words that God speak through her are very hard to hear, but direct, on the mark.  Recently I was complaining to her concerning an email I had received from a manager that I work with.  The email was implying that I wasn’t consistently doing my job.  I replied to this email with some very direct words and I even put one in ALL CAPS!  Yes, I know, I yelled through written words.

My friend had told me how wrong my reply was and why.  I proceeded to explain to my friend why I was so upset by the email as I work hard and take great pride in my work, and in this case the accusation was obviously an error.  My friend simply said the words of God when she said, “Then you should take great pride in your response as well.”  Ouch!  She was right, because God is always right, See why I call her, “The Rev?”

Waiting on God is hard.  We ask, we seek, we pour out our hearts to him, and then we don’t see any change.  When this happens it is easy to wonder, “Have I done something wrong?  Is God trying to punish me?  Is he even listening to me?” The longer we wait, the harder it becomes to have faith.  Remember faith is:  “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.”  Heb. 11:1 (MSG)

So what is going on while we wait?

The longer you wait on God, if you will endure, your faith becomes stronger.  It would be easy to believe in God and wait upon God if he delivered solutions faster than Amazon Prime!  And aren’t you glad that there is no “prime” service with God to those who may appear to be more spiritual than us?  I assure you Billy Graham, and Mother Theresa have waited on God just as much as we do.

When you do exit “God’s waiting room” (as Scott Cochrane puts it), and you will, you become assured that he did hear you, and he counted every one of those tears that poured out of your eyes.  You see waiting on God builds character within us.  Not only is your faith stronger when you get to the other side, but you have also developed Godly character.  Please, no matter what, do not try to answer your own prayers, but wait on God to answer your prayers his way, in his timing.  You will be glad you did.

Isa 40:31  But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.  (AMP)

My daughter was telling me about a young woman who she works with in a Christian bookstore.  My daughter informed me the young lady has been there long enough to start understanding the flow of the business.  In other words, what needs to be done in the store and when those task should be completed.

Instead she continues to ask a lot of questions on things she has been told many times how to do and when to do it.  She will approach my daughter and just interrupt even while my daughter is assisting a customer.  My daughter had become very frustrated with this individual, and even beginning to wonder how she got through the interview process.

My daughter said she was so frustrated she decided to pray about it.  After she had shared with God her frustrations she paused, and it was in that moment God gently spoke into my daughter’s spirit, and she heard God say, “I love her.”  My daughter said she wept, apologized to God for her attitude, and renewed in her mind to accept the young lady she works with as she is.  She determined to “love” her as God loves her.

Everyone was made in the image of God.  Everyone has value.  Sometimes it is hard to see this truth, but it is there.  You may have to dig deeper, get to know them better, but you will find their worth.  This kind of effort takes unconditional love, acceptance, and time.

My friend was expressing his concerns in an area of his life.  The way he was talking it became clear that he was limiting God and not even realizing it.  I said to my friend, “You are limiting God.  You are putting him in a box, and theoretically saying, “God, in my mind, you can only do so much.””  My friend smiled and said to me, “You should write that down.  That was good.”  I told him, “I don’t have to, because God has been telling me that as well.”  I said, “It is written down on my heart.”

It seems as if it is so easy for us to forget just how big God really is.  Just how mighty and awesome is his power.  In the way we think and talk to him we must make him feel like looking down at his name tag.  To see if it still says, “Hello, my name is: God” I think it is in those times God wants to review with us his resume.

“Am I not the one who created the heavens and the earth?  Am I not the one who said, “Let there be”, and there was?   Am I not the one who flooded the whole earth to cleans it of sin, and yet I provided salvation for the few who believed?  Am I not the one who divided the Red Sea and again provided salvation for my people?  I have made water come from a rock, walls fall, the earth stand still, defeated a giant with a stone, and little boy, shut the mouths of hungry lions, allowed my servants to walk through fire, and yet not get burn, again and again delivered the children of Israel from the hand of their enemy, raised the dead, healed the sick and the lame, and so much more, and yet if all of that wasn’t enough I am the one who gave my only Son to die on a cross and then raised him from the dead so that anyone can have salvation from eternal death!  Am I not also the one who can heal you, deliver you, provide for you, guide you, and keep you until the end?  Or did you think you were talking to a lesser god?”

We limit God, because our minds have limits.  For us there is only so much we can do, but not for God.  He has no limits.  Let him out of the box.  Give him the time and freedom to do a work in us, on us, for us, and hopefully through us.  Don’t be guilty of putting any kind of limits on God, especially a “time” limit.  Remember to stay focused on his name tag, for HE IS GOD!

While talking to a co-worker this last week she said she was most excited about “the day before” her last day of work.  I thought the phrase sounded odd until she explained.  “The day before my last day will be the greatest, because on that day I will know that “tomorrow” is my last day to get up and go to work.”

After our conversation I begin to think about those three words: “The day before”.  I seriously pondered what mine would be.  It wouldn’t be before my last day at work, but it would have to be the day before my last day on earth.  You see if I could know what my last day on earth would be then I would have the realization that the day before would be the last day I would have to fight the evil one, fight my flesh, and deal with people who have chosen not to accept Jesus Christ and live for Him.  You see those things make one weary.  I think that is why I will say and then hear, “I have fought the good fight of faith.  I have finished the race”, and Jesus tell me, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.” (2TI 4:7,  MAT. 25:32)

Of a similar thought, what would you do “the day before” if you knew?  If you knew that tomorrow you get that pink slip, or that positive blood test back, or you’re going to die, or a natural disaster was going to hit.  Who would you talk to?  What would be so important to you that you just had to take care of it…the day before?

Today could be the day before. For me, if my day before was before leaving earth, the day before I am fighting, but the day after I am truly living the way God intended all along.  Then I will be living life abundantly.  With no more sin, no more hurts, and no more tears.  I am looking forward to my day before!