Blessed!

What is happiness to you? Does your happiness include God? I happen to be a grumbler who often finds things to be disappointed with. Rarely does a situation meet the expectations of what I think it should be. I wonder if God wants us to be happy, and if so, what should this happiness consist of? I recently read that another definition for the word, blessed - makarios in Greek, is happy. Scripture tells us the following will make us happy:

Happy are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2: 12)

Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (Psalm 32:1)

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psalm 34:8)

Happy is the man who makes the Lord his trust. (Psalm 40:4)

May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be happy in him, all nations call him blessed! (Psalm 72:17).

We have every reason to be happy! We, as Christians, are grafted into God's family. We are adopted sons and daughters:
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:4-7)

We are made new in Christ!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! (Philippians 4:13)

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! (Romans 8: 38-39)

Why do we grumble? We are blessed indeed!

Wait on the Lord

Wait 

To arrive at his high school, my son must drive a route that passes over train tracks. We often wait impatiently while trains inch forward and backward to change tracks at this frequently crossed intersection. One morning last week, Gabe's impatience got the best of him. He began turning around in an effort to get to school by a different route. However, the shoulder gave way under his tires, and the car careened into a ditch. Luckily, Gabe is safe, but the car is in sad condition.

We wait for trains, for healing and for direction; we frustratedly hold the phone waiting to speak with customer service representatives or change grocery story lines to get more quickly out of the store. We tap our fingers and chew our nails in our impatience. Sometimes waiting results in angry outbursts.

Scripture often reminds us to "wait on the Lord." Yet, like Gabe who was not willing to wait for the train, we opt not to wait, but rather take matters into our own hands.

Why is waiting so difficult? It requires that we stop the momentum and trust that something will take place. Similarly, waiting on the Lord entails the ability to pause, submit to a higher authority and trust with confidence in God's action.

As Gabe found out, an inability to wait may actually hinder our progress.  We can mess things up when we take matters into our hands rather than trust in God's understanding.

What are you waiting for? Perhaps you are waiting for your child to learn obedience or for your spouse to see things your way. Maybe you're waiting for just the right job to come along or to save enough money so that you can take a vacation. You could be waiting for your body to heal so that you can exercise again, or you might be waiting to see if a new medication will help you feel better. Life is full of waiting...so how do we deal with it?

We can use times of waiting to grow in our walk with God. In Psalm 130: 5-8, the psalmist wrote,
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope. 
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

When we wait with hopeful expectation that the Lord will answer, we are confident that He will make something happen when it is the right time. We anticipate His answer and rely on His guidance and His unfailing love.

Dear Lord,
Help me in my impatience to place my hope in Your Word and Your unfailing love.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.

As I was mulling over my week, making a list of all that I need to accomplish before my eldest son's wedding, I pondered this Scripture verse.  How often do I plan my week without leaning on God's understanding? Do I even acknowledge Christ when making my plans or worrying about how much needs to be accomplished? Whose understanding do I usually lean on?

In all honesty, I first trust my own ability to navigate through circumstances and get things done. When events don't go as planned and obstacles come in my way, I will then reach out to God for help and ask for His guidance. I realize how backwards this is in light of Proverbs 3:5.

Martin Luther, the great reformer, wrote, "Work, work from morning until late at night. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer." Martin Luther found that time with God in prayer enabled him to get his work done. I too want to spend more time with God so that, without anxiety, I can be productive and give glory to Him.

I pray for you, dear reader, that you would trust in the Lord with all your hear. I ask you to lean not on your own understanding but to gain strength from time in the Word and in prayer and relationship with your Savior.