Learning to Welcome the Wait [03.22.08]

Laying still on the cool ground she drifts into a sleep that floats lightly upon her, coming and going. When awakened she prays. She must learn to welcome the wait, because it appears waiting is what she is being called to do--at least for this time.

Fog settles over her mind, she's too tired to continue to pray; but she has prayed, asking for the Spirit to guide her. That if she must stay and wait that she grow able to rejoice in the wait--for she knows she's blessed.

She awakens fully and goes to the stream in the desert to quench her thirst.

God planned it so that the words echoing up from the stream be just those that she needs to hear at this time.

"...when God delays, He is not inactive. This is when he prepares his instruments and matures our strength....God is never in a hurry. He spends years preparing those He plans to greatly use, and never thinks of the days of preparation as being too long or boring....the most difficult ingredient of suffering is often time....'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver' (Mal. 3:3)....Today we may be unable to see the final outcome of the beautiful plan that God has hidden "in the shadow of his hand" (Isa. 49:2)...we can calmly await the time when, in heavely delight, we will say "all things [have] work[ed] together for good (Rom. 8:28)....There is a reason behind every lesson, and when we are ready, our deliverance will definately come. Then we will know we could never have served our place of higher service without having been taughtthe very things we learned during our ordeal....

Don't steal tomorrow from God's hands. Give him time to speak to you and reveal His will. He is never late--learn to wait."

From: Streams in the Desert March 22

She rolls the thoughts around in her head, though they speak of waiting they bring a joy with them, and when she looks out upon the land...she thinks she may just see the morning's promise upon the horizon.