How Do You Wait?

I am a creature of routine and habit. Every morning I grab a cup of coffee, sit in the same spot, and read a devotional and the Bible In A Year plan on the Bible app.  Afterwards I journal and pray.  Then I start the rest of my day.  It is comfortable and familiar.

But sometimes it is not effective.  Many times, once I open my laptop and start talking with customers, I completely forget the conversation that I had with the Father this morning.  I forget about the awakening that I felt regarding some verse or issue or prayer.

Most often, I forget about the request that went unanswered.  The desire for more that I left on the altar and walked away from.  Did I ever really believe that He was going to answer that one anyway?

Our Yorkie, Peanut, is also a creature of habit.  Every morning he comes downstairs and does spins on the floor until I let him out.  If I seem to be ignoring him, he will perhaps bark or put his front paws on the edge of the couch and scratch, just in case I didn’t hear the bark.

After he comes back in, he then walks over to his food dish and verifies that it has both food and water to supply him for the day.  If it doesn’t, he spins, barks, and scratches his nails across the empty metal bowls to secure my attention.  Then he will just sit by the bowl and wait.  If I don’t respond in a few minutes, he will repeat the process, and wait.  He repeatedly does this until I finally put down my bible and coffee, and fill the bowls.

In Psalm 5:3 David writes “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly“.

David acknowledges that the Lord hears his prayer.  He acknowledges that he brings his prayers before him daily.  And then he waits…expectantly.  David knows that God is going to hear and answer.  His faith motivates him to wait.  Just as Peanut knows that I will feed him, and this knowledge motivates him to wait. And when he grows tired of waiting, he asks again.  And waits.  He believes that I will answer.

There is an old adage that says “I want to be the kind of person that my dog thinks I am”.

Perhaps to that I could add “I want to believe that God is the kind of person my dog thinks I am…and So Much More“.

Before The Light Fades

As my wife and I were finishing up our weekly shopping, the cashier commented on the large number of Cup-o-Soups and other easily prepared meals that we had in our cart.  Jackie explained to her that our church fills back packs each week to send home with 30 needy children in our community.  All of those items were being purchased to give away.

Jackie and the cashier entered into a conversation about the living conditions and life circumstances that many people in our area face each day.  For many children in west Georgia, the free breakfast and lunch that they receive at school are the best meals that they have all week.  Many of the children that we assist take their back packs home each week and share the little that we give them with the rest of their family.

As we were preparing to leave, the cashier looked at us and said ‘I think that a lot of those people just have their priorities in the wrong place’.  In other words, they have the money, but they don’t spend it wisely.

Her parting comment has been weighing on my mind.  It is so easy to look for fault instead of offering help.  In the end, I think that we are looking for a way to justify our lack of action.  But it’s a fair question…whose fault is it that they are hungry?

In the 9th chapter of John, the disciples of Jesus had a similar question for their Rabbi.  Upon seeing a blind man, they asked Jesus ‘Why was this man born blind?  Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?’

Can you hear the accusation in their voices?  Hey Jesus, whose fault is it that he can’t see?  Is it something that he did?  Maybe something his parent’s did? Who is to blame?  It’s easy to hear them today…Hey Jesus, whose fault is it that he doesn’t have any food to eat?  Is it something he did? Or are his parents just wasting their money on beer and cigarettes?  Whose fault is it Jesus?

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:3‭-‬5 NLT

Jesus simply says ‘Neither’.  It happened so that the power of God could be seen in him.  When we give of our supply to help others, we are showing them the love that God has for them.  When we allow blessings to pass through us, we are revealing the power of God in the world.  We are being good sons and daughters.

And we too must act quickly.  There is a brief period of time in the life of a child where their innocence and sense of wonder are still intact.  Everything in the world is working right now to destroy their hope and belief.  Your sharing the love of Jesus through a meal, or mentoring, or countless other ways may be the act that opens their spiritual eyes and alters their life forever.

Make a difference in a life today.  Not because they deserve it.  And not because you ‘have to’.

Do it because the light is fading.