Let me tell you the story of an undercurrent in all this. When my sister was here just 10 days after this happened, she told me, “I don’t know why but the Lord keeps telling me you are Noah.” We joked about it for a little cause it didn’t make any sense. Not only was I not building a boat, I don’t think anyone was mocking me while I obeyed a ‘crazy’ command from God. But, later, I started singing that kids song…”The Lord told Noah to build him an arky, arky…It rained and poured for forty days, days,” and I stopped. I went and reread the story of Noah and discovered that not only did it rain for 40 days, it took an additional 150 days for the water to recede. 190 days for new life to appear. Over the past several weeks, I have taken this as encouragement to remind me that this is just a time in my life and it WILL end some day. Don’t get me wrong, I have the days marked on my calendar too, just in case. (April 5). :)
Each night, I read a psalm before I go to bed. About 10 days ago, I read Psalm 29 and I don’t remember much except verse 10: “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood.” Yes, he does, I thought and went to bed.
Two days later, the day before someone posted Psalm 27:13-14 on my blog, I wrote it in my journal. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
A couple of days ago, one of the ladies in my Bible study posted on FB this message: Becky, I was praying for ya'll this morning and felt led to share this thought with you: Emily Grace is in God's perfect healing, but this will take time, just as she is supposed to still be in your womb to grow, you will need patience through all the ups and downs as God heals and grows her to perfection during these next few months.
I know it is hard to tell, but I think that just maybe God has been telling me something. Unfortunately, I hate waiting and I don’t really understand the huge significance in waiting, so I decided to look up some verses about waiting and I was taken to Isaiah 30…I can’t type it all so I will pick highlights, but if you have time, you should read from verse 15-26. The Lord is speaking to Israel: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength but you would have none of it…Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!...How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’…The moon will shine like the sun and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.”
And then, as if I needed more, last night, the sermon was about seeing miracles in our lives. Step one is to hear a word from the Lord and step two is to obey it. Step three is to WAIT and serve while the miracle works itself out in your life. I am fairly certain I know the word for me, and it is literally one word. WAIT. So I will obey the word. I will praise my God and remember his goodness while I wait for the Lord. And I will wait in patience and hope, until the day he reveals to me that I need to wait no more.
I think Psalm 140:5-6 sums it up better than I could. “I will wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in his Word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord. More than a watchman waits for the morning. More than a watchman waits for the morning.” I love his sense of anticipation here. I will wait. I am not sure what for, but I will wait. And live life in between.
I hope this encourages you as it encourages me. Thank you for your prayers and God Bless you all!
The life and adventures of two former MK's...and their new additions. Our first daughter was born full-term on Jan 19, 2009 and 10 short months later, our micro-preemie was born Nov 6, 2009 at 24w3d and 1 pound 6 ounces. Read her story and our journey below.
3 comments:
Andthese were the words that the Lord gave to me this morning in my devotions, and then they were read again at church, so I knew that the Lord was telling me to past them on for you two, Zephaniah 3:17. We love all of you, and you are constantly in our prayers and thoughts.
The Lord is sooo good to be patient and loving with us all as we go on in life. It's a continual thing to be waiting and learning from Him. We'll keep praying for your precious family!
June
What an inspiring entry! When our son was hospitalized for several months (as a 23 year old) I found myself reading Lamentations. Jeremiah tells God what's on his heart and then he refocuses as he finds hope in the midst of affliction. Chapter 3 has the familiar verses about His mercy being new every morning, Great is His Faithfulness! Chapter 2:19 was one I wrote the date in the margin when it spoke to me with comfort--- "Arise, cry out in the night as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children..."
He hears your every prayer, your every cry and what comfort to know that. Lamentations speaks of Israel's sin and need for forgiveness, but during a time of sorrow these verses spoke to me nonetheless. Great is His Faithfulness to me.
We continue to read your blog and pray for you! May Christmas bring blessed times for your family.
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