Friday, May 4, 2012

God's Waiting Room


WAITING.... (lake hamilton AR)
God’s Waiting Room

I, through @biblememcoins -  host a weekly Bible Chat where we are discussing some of the main stories in the Bible.  It is live each 

Monday evening at 6pm. Follow along on twitter by searching #mkbiblechat
Reaching others for Christ, one tweet at a time.  These are my notes from that discussion:

Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on this chat as we encourage those who are waiting on answers & help only YOU can give.

Today we are discussing God’s Covenant with Abraham and pulling out some truths that can help us when we land in God’s Waiting room

When we are waiting on God for any reason, we feel so alone and that no one in the world understands what we are feeling

There are many examples of great faith in the Bible when it comes to waiting… Joseph, Moses, and Abraham

Abraham was a man of faith. God told him to go and without doubt or argument, Abraham went.

What is a covenant?  Dictionary.com says it is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not to do something specified

Gen 12:1-3 What was God’s covenant with Abraham? And what was Abraham’s responsibility in this promise?

See Also Genesis Chapter 15 for the ceremony

Gen 13:16-19 God also told Abraham that his seed would be as the dust of the earth so that it couldn’t be numbered.

Abrahams descendants will possess the promised land, God will be their God &
Through Abraham’s descendants all Nations of the World will be blessed.  He would be the Father of many Nations

God also told him And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee
Abraham responded to the covenant with faith! Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness

Difference is, when Abraham believed…he stepped out and WENT by faith.
Abraham has a choice (part of HIS part of the covenant) he must believe God and be faithful.
Was this covenant just to Abraham alone? Who else was included?

How many times do we say God…if this, then that? We are playing with fire when we don’t keep our end of the promise.

Dont take lightly your promises to the Lord.  While grace abounds, HE is a Just God!

Abraham, obviously a man of faith believed God. But like many of US Christians, the waiting got to him/them.

No doubt after 12 years and still childless, his heart wondered how his descendants could be as the stars in the sky.

When we pray, God always answers. Always.  We may not like the answer but HE always gives us an answer.

God will either reply to our prayers with a Yes, No or Wait.  We are thrilled with the immediate “yes” aren’t we?

We have to often times work our way through the “no” from the Lord as our finite minds can’t comprehend HIS wisdom

The “sure…but WAIT” from God is often the hardest.  In this day we want what we want, and we want it now.

Abraham was in God’s waiting room along with Sarah his wife.  They should have encouraged each other but what did they do instead?

You would think with the example after example of people messing up by pushing past God that WE would be smarter and not do it

Not waiting on the Lord and trying to fix it ourselves ALWAYS puts us in another mess

This is one place where we fall down on the job as Christians. We don’t encourage each other to wait on the Lord.

Isn't God good to keep His promise of never leaving us or forsaking us! even when WE cause our own problems

God showed everyone that regardless of age, or being past child bearing years, HE COULD. we need to grab hold of that

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him.  Faith will shine in your life!

Will you risk believing? Will you step out on faith? Will you wait on the Lord? Even though you don’t understand?

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles

Is. 40:31 Continued - they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

God wants us to trust Him.  God wants us to Wait on Him.  God wants us to believe HIM.

What is your favorite go to verse to remind your heart to Wait on the Lord?

Something I try to remind others and do so often, (and myself) “Time spent waiting on God is NOT Wasted Time”

Just as you count on the sun to rise, You can count on the promises of God. God wants us to prove Him. Mal 3:10

Some last thoughts:

Do you have loved ones you want to see come to Christ? Keep praying for them.

Do you have financial needs that are an “only God” category in your prayer journal? Keep praying for them.

Do you have Children that seem to be moving farther and farther from the Lord? Keep praying for them.

Do you have dreams of making a difference for the Lord in the lives of others? Keep seeking God’s direction

Do you want to use your gifts for the Lord more often? Seek HIS face daily and trust God to guide you.

Do you fear that your faith isn’t strong enough or big enough? Remind God that you believe, but ask Him to help your unbelief.

Do you want God to use you for much? Be faithful in the little He gives you.

Trust God!  Even when your heart says it’s impossible.  Even when your gut tells you not to step out.  TRUST GOD…regardless

When you are in God’s waiting room, remember you are not alone.  Remove your eyes off of your own fears, doubts and hurts

And do something to encourage someone else that is in God’s Waiting Room.  [handing you a magazine]

Reflect on some times where God has blessed you beyond your imagination.  Will you share in the comments below?  The idea is to get you to remember so that the next time you are waiting, you won't forget. 

Share your favorite verse about waiting on the Lord. You never ever know who it may encourage! 

While you are waiting… praise HIM

1 comments:

Laura Rath said...

This is great! I'll have to remember about the Monday Bible chat. I feel like God has been teaching me a lot about trusting and waiting over the past few years. The waiting can be so hard, but knowing that waiting does not mean doing nothing helps. In the waiting, He is teaching me and preparing me. I'm learning to trust, trust, trust.
Blessings,
Laura

 
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