Comfort While Patiently Waiting
Isaiah 40:3-5, 6-8
"Make a highway for the LORD through the wilderness. Make a straight, smooth road through the desert for our God. Fill the valleys and level the hills. Straighten out the curves and smooth off the rough spots. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together."
"...people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in the field. The grass withers, and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."
God never gives up on us, no matter if we are struggling through the wilderness or wondering aimlessly in the desert. No matter our situation or circumstance or things we've done. God NEVER gives up on us! The punishments of these things will end. God will restore us. He meets us right where we are, just as we are. He gives us the strength, courage and endurance to clear out the obstacles in our lives so that we are able to reveal that highway in the wilderness and that road in the desert to follow. We wonder aimlessly and get lost only because we've taken our eyes off of Him who directs and leads us. We start off great...so we think...skipping down that path like it's the yellow brick road. We've got all our necessities on us...handbag stocked with all the proper girly stuff, refreshments for the trip, good looking walking shoes...everything that we think we need for our journey. But we've decided to bring a little something extra, our PAST! We're just tugging it or carrying a little something, something...but honestly, it's a load! It's much too much for us to carry so we scrunch it up like in those infomercial vacuum sealed bags. WOW! Look it there! We just condensed it making more space for more stuff! PILE IT ON!
Well, eventually that load has become a mountain but we keep on our journey determined that we can handle it. Each step that we take tugging at and pulling our load, things begin to seep out falling onto the path. Sometimes we see it happening, but think that it's OK, it's only a little. No one will really notice. Everyone has a minor breakdown here and there. But continuously it is happening whether we recognize it or not. All the while we are polluting the path making it harder and harder to take a step. We become exhausted because we have created an obstacle course. We look back and remembered all the times that our "stuff" seeped out and spilled over, but what can we do about it now? We keep trying to move forward the best we can. We are still ever determined and white-knuckled as ever totting this load behind us. We notice that the path is gone...outta sight. It's still there, it wasn't destroyed or removed, it's just completely and totally covered up with our life "stuff." We have no direction to go. No compass to follow because we once had clearance to look upward toward God for direction on a clear to somewhat clear path. Now that we have obstacles to climb and crawl over our focus has become toward them. There may be times that we look upward in desperation crying out for help. And God is faithful. He gives us the help and then we lower our heads to focus on those obstacles yet again to push past. We keep on keeping on through all this stuff getting bruised and battered and even more exhausted.
Jesus is a true gentleman, ladies! He is ever ready and willing to carry ANY and ALL of our luggage, our load...the cute, the ugly, the despicable, the horrendous...ALL of it! It is absolutely NOT yours to carry. It is vital for us to understand that we cannot undo a lifetime of damage, hurts, regrets, disappointments in just a few moments or to pack them away in a 'suitcase' trying to forget about them and then carry them around with us. It is a challenge to wait patiently in general here on Earth and even more challenging to wait patiently on God who is at work within us. EVERY part of healing requires time and patience. It also requires that we wait on God.
"But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength . They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
Waiting on the LORD has its rewards..."The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him. So it is good to wait patiently for salvation from the LORD." Lamentations 3:25-26
God gives us the strength and the stamina to bear up under the strain so that we won't faint or collapse under it. God will continue to lift us up like wind beneath the wings of eagles as we are learning to trust the LORD and wait on Him. Developing patient faith in God means we will be able to endure.
Now that we've let go and let God we must take action. It is our responsibility to act on and use what the LORD gives us to clear out those obstacles in our lives. As we do this step by step, day by day, sometimes even minute by minute, more & more of the "forgotten" path is being revealed. And God is so good, the obstacles that are just too large for us to remove He will remove Himself. When we deal with our obstacles through Jesus Christ, then we are FREE! Free to become all that God has for us. Free to have a closer walk with Him and a more intimate relationship with Him.
Through this the glory of the LORD is being magnified in us and all are seeing it. The once withered, tired, defeated and not so graceful person that was mashing about a bunch of 'stuff' as well as carrying a whole other load of that 'stuff putting on 'FACE' to have it all together is now...RESTORED! Refreshed, filled with goodness from God and walking much lighter and so much brighter. No longer having to have a low head watching every step, now our heads are held high basking in our Father's love and His grace that shines down upon us.
Hope & Joy are filling the valleys. Strength & Perseverance is leveling the hills. Faith & Trust is straightening out the curves and smoothing out the rough spots.
Thank You, Jesus!
Take care & be blessed,
Christy Krezman
Rosette Ministry
