This week I learned in Chapter 5 "It’s SO Worth the Wait!" that this waiting and this time it is necessary so that we will be shaped and ready to receive what the Lord wants to give us. We do not understand how God acts, but what we know is that after all the evidence and fight that comes against us, we come out much stronger and prepared to take the position to which He has called us. Sometimes so that one person will be able to listen and be encouraged by you. So God allows various difficulties for us to go through and what we know is that they are temporary, and when we work according to His will, and we look at what He sees and not the circumstances we see, that's where we really let it all go and are able to live the Lord's promises.
I've been faced with a long period of waiting. I know it's necessary, but one of the things I've been struggling with is the silence of God. I want to act according to His will, but I do not know what He wants me to do or where He wants me to go. One of my biggest problems is to be quiet enough to hear the voice of God; every time I go to my place to be alone and listen, there seem to be thousands of thoughts in my head. That along with my vain imaginations, increase my anxiety and fear during my wait, taking my focus away from the Lord. But these times I believe is what will help establish me, believing that the Lord knows every one of my difficulties and that even this silence is to discipline us, teaching us to be quiet and wait for Him.
I come away from each lesson always reminded of the wonders that the Lord has done in the lives of His prophets, and even before starting this lesson I was sharing with a prayer partner what God has done in the life of Moses and Joseph, and how their suffering was necessary to the great plan and promise of the Lord. And I want to firmly continue the ways of the Lord, waiting, even if it is difficult, even though sometimes I want to give up, because I know that what He has in store is far greater than what I'm feeling now. And I should comfort others and should also encourage them even during my pain and my struggling hopes.
Thank you for loving me Lord, to teach me, and to see something in me that nobody else sees, I do not know Your plans, but I know that they are bigger than mine, and I know also that You are always by my side, and have never left me, however, that's sometimes how I feel, you've left. Yet I know this time in the desert is for me to mature.
Dear brides, you are not the only one who is suffering and undergoing tests, many of us are or have been in the same situation, but know that for everything you're going through, there is a time given for it to be complete. Even to our suffering and that all it will be used for the greater good, to honor and glorify His name. We were called to great things, but we have to be prepared and trained to go through this desert to experience His power so receive what the Lord has entrusted to our lives.
Do not be discouraged, I know what suffering is, but I believe that at the right time the Lord will grant us victory. Believe in Him alone. Dear brides, do not look for your circumstances, your problem or distress, but look to the Lord for He is greater than all this, remember the marvels He has already done, and the power and sovereignty that He has to change everything just a second. Work with God during your wait, because now we do not understand why all of this, but soon you will see and so will everyone else who is watching.
Thinking about this book, this course, book Finding the Abundant Life after Chapter 5 "It’s SO Worth the Wait!" what comes to mind is the book of Ecclesiastes where He says all life is vanity. What this ministry and its materials do is help us understand that without God and a relationship with our HH, we will not find the true meaning of life. Most important of all this journey is the relationship, and, the pursuit of intimacy with the Lord. The materials are goods for restoring a marriage that will make us happy, but the certainty and love and intimacy that can find Him is what is most important. The real abundant life is with Him.
~ Sara in Turkey
Do you want to PRAISE Him for how He's faithfully bringing you through the silence while you wait? Aren't you thankful that Sara again took the time to share her PRAISE with you an Encouraging Woman?
Remember, Matthew 7:13-14 tells us to “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”
And Psalm 100:4 tells us HOW to Enter— “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
Be sure to submit a Praise Report today and enter through that narrow gate few ever find!