Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Learning to Wait on the Lord - July 13, 2011

Good Wet Wednesday morning! The flash flood warning goes for another fifteen minutes, if they haven't extended it that is. We had one wet night. It will be no surprise to you that I dreamed that I was being bombed at one point last night. With all of that thunder and lightning I'm sure that many folks around here had dreams of a similar nature, at least those that got any sleep that is. More good news: the wheat harvest has not been cancelled this year, but it might be kind of late. Of course this morning the fields are all mud anyway.

Some mornings I look into the old inspiration tank and there just isn't anything there. On mornings such as this, the places that put out devotions written by a team of folks seems kind of like a good thing. After all if one writer has nothing, the others can surely find something to write about. However, I also realize that all of our Christian devotionals come from one Spirit. The Spirit of God is not spending extra time with this team of devotions writers over on the West Coast while I languish out here in Nebraska. The East Coast writers don't get an extra dose of inspiration from the Spirit this morning because mine has been taken away. If a fellow down under in that other Sydney is writing a devotional at the same time as I am, the Spirit is not spread too thin. So where is the problem with my inspiration for this morning?

Probably... most likely... there is no problem at all. It could be that God wants me to wait for just a bit this morning. While I am waiting, it could be that God wants me to step up a notch in my trusting in Him. I believe that at the end of this life when God calls each of us home in His own time we will have accomplished that perfect trust in our Lord through the teaching of His own Spirit. Until that time, my trust is sometimes beset with doubts and my faith tends to waver a bit on the journey. God knows that six days each week I sit down in the morning to write the devotional. If I need to wait for a bit for inspiration to come, I know that the wait will not be long.

One of the things that has obstructed all of my writing has been trying to force it. Whether it is in a novel or in a morning's devotional, to try to force the writing to flow has done no good whatsoever. God is teaching me to wait on Him, and I must admit that it is often difficult. I don't know God's timing; the Lord doesn't mark dates on my calendar. Perhaps that is a good thing. The last time God wrote on a wall, disaster struck that very night. Waiting on the Lord is one of the most difficult tasks we have in this Christian life. While we wait, we also learn to trust in God: in His timing, in His providence, and in His wisdom. That is a lot of learning for the former rebels of this sinful world. Enjoy the wait and learn to trust!

Now look at that: all that whining about a lack of inspiration and ta-da.. there is a devotional for this morning. Of course the fifteen minutes I mentioned at the beginning has long passed. That's good news, we don't need another flash flood anyway. Have a great day in Christ!

Bucky

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