5 Things to Keep in Check While Waiting on the Lord

I have heard it said that the teacher is always silent during a test. This may be true at some times, but I think that we often allow our own impatience to overcome our availability to actually hear God’s voice. 

This is exactly what happened to me when my husband first entered into the Navy. We had been given the news that we would soon be moving our family across the country to Chicago  where my husband would finish his training. We were not able to talk much at all while he was away aside from an occasional phone call and hand written letters. The responsibility of picking out our new home and moving our belongings had been entirely left up to me. At the time our oldest was only eleven months old and I was currently pregnant with our second child. I was having difficulty finding a home in a place that I had never been to before and the overwhelming urge to nest was beginning to consume my brain day and night. I finally decided that it would be best for our family to live in an apartment nearby the base and not in military housing. The area I had chosen had good reviews and seemed to be in a safe environment. I had based my decision off the urgency to find a home and what I had thought to be wise. 

The time had passed and we were finally able to make the journey across the country to be reunited as a family and move into our new home. Our new apartment was nice but what we didn’t realize was that the other expenses that came with our apartment would push us way over our housing allowance. Soon after that I became very sick with what I thought was the stomach flu and had to be rushed to the hospital twice. I was nearly 30 weeks pregnant during both of my visits to the hospital. The nurses were very concerned and placed me on a monitor because I had been having contractions that were closer together than most of the women who were in active labor. Thankfully, they were able to give me medicine that helped to control my upset stomach and all of my contractions. I was able to leave the hospital with my family but we weren’t able to go to our new apartment because there had been black mold discovered throughout our kitchen. 

My decision to move our family into the apartment was hasty and I had not given the Lord an opportunity to confirm the decision to me. God is very gracious, and we were able to stay in a hotel for a month through our insurance and later move into a military home. Our son was born shortly after that and he was perfectly strong and healthy. Seasons of waiting can be so challenging and sometimes our hasty decisions can lead us into seasons of turmoil. I like to go by these five reminders whenever I find myself needing to hear God’s voice:

1. You will have peace. 

Even if your situation is dire, God can still give you peace, because it’s not about your physical surroundings being at peace it’s about your heart. He wants you to have that same peace that He gave to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they chose to take on the flames of the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3. “You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you” Isaiah 26:3. Although my situation with the apartment seemed to be very logical, I felt very restless about the endeavor. Walking in peace doesn’t mean that you are waiting to see or hear various signs and wonders from God, it simply means that when and while you are making a decision your heart will be confident and at peace.

2. Is your heart filled with gratitude? 

Madame Blueberry is one of my most favorite Veggie Tales movies. If you’ve heard of Veggie Tales or maybe you’ve seen them when you were younger or with your kids now, you will know exactly what I am talking about. I love Veggie Tales because their shows are always filled with little nuggets of truth. “A happy heart is a thankful heart.” This statement couldn’t be more accurate. A happy heart truly is a thankful heart. Whenever I am waiting for something I always double check my heart posture. Discontentment makes it difficult to make decisions with patience. The best way to cultivate a heart of thankfulness is to think on things that are true. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8

3. Other believers will confirm what God wants to say to you.

The Bible says in Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” It is important to be in fellowship with other believers outside the average Sunday church service in order to obtain Godly counsel. The best way to get into fellowship with other believers is to join a weekly Bible study that encourages members to be open with one another and talk about real life problems. I love going to my weekly women’s study. Having the opportunity to be around other women from different generations and various backgrounds has really helped me to stay in alignment with God’s plan for my life.

4. God’s Word will confirm it to you.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12. It’s so important to spend time in the Word and get quiet with the Lord. You won’t be able to hear what He wants to say unless you make time to listen. If you have little kids or a busy schedule this may seem challenging. Take some time to assess your day and maybe instead of listening to the radio in the car listen to the audio version of your Bible app or take a few minutes while your kids are napping to sit quietly before the Lord and just listen.

5. Are you willing to yield?

James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” This one always gets me. I often get tunnel vision whenever I set myself on a goal. My goal is the only thing I can think about all day all the time until I am able to achieve it. This is good, but it can also be not-so-good, because Isaiah 55:8 says that God’s ways go above and beyond what we could ever think or imagine. Sometimes God needs us to surrender our plans to Him in order to give us that future and a hope He talks about in Jeremiah 29:11. We should always be willing to yield ourselves to God’s way, because His way is the best way.

Written by Jo Rogers. Used with permission.

Wise Children

Recently I read a popular book that’s been pretty controversial. As I read through it I found some good points and thoughts from the author, as well as many statements that didn’t align with Scripture. In fact, there were quite a few things the author claimed as truth that simply aren’t.

But the book is well-written, and some false statements are close enough to being correct that they sound good. It got me thinking about how my kids will process the information they read and hear.

How will they know what’s accurate and what’s not? How will they avoid lies and things that will lead them in the wrong direction?

Many times parents and other well-meaning adults try to control every aspect of a child’s life. We try to shelter our kids from bad things, from lies, from things that will lead them astray. Certainly there is wisdom in that to some degree, but there also can be danger in trying to control so much.

Though my kids are young and I don’t have the experience of others, I have seen a method that works and is Biblical. Instead of trying to oversee everything related to your children, give them the tools to do it themselves. To weigh pros and cons, to determine whether something is right or wrong, to ask questions and come to reasonable conclusions.

We can teach our children how to figure things out for themselves. It may sound tedious, and I’m sure at times it is -- but their foundation on the Word of God is essential. They need to know His Word just as we do.

In our own lives, we strive to learn and grow in Christ, do we not? How do we do that apart from knowing Him through Scripture? (Answer: we don’t.)

So just as we learn how to navigate life and obstacles through God’s Word, we ought to do the same with our kids. Teach them Scripture, and teach them what the verses mean. Have them memorize it and hide it in their hearts, so that they can refer to it and understand the depth of its meaning over time. I am a testimony to this; I memorized Scripture in kindergarten that has stuck with me since, and over the years I have learned more about what those passages mean. Just because they don’t understand it at age 4 doesn’t mean it’s not worth memorizing.

When your kids have questions about things from their day, things they read or hear or see, enter into their world. Talk about it. Work it through with them. Help them get from A to B mentally, but don’t do it all for them. If you can be the assistant while they learn the decision-making and how to implement wisdom, they will be equipped to do it on their own later.

I don’t know about you, but having children who are capable of keeping a solid head on their shoulders and the Lord as the leader of their steps sounds like an incredible gift. Ask the Lord for wisdom and guidance to teach your kids, and be diligent to do the work. The outcome isn’t guaranteed, but ladies, as Christians we have the responsibility of raising our children in the way of the Lord. It’s never too early to be serious about doing so!

Written by Amy Parsons.

The Comfort of Consistency

“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been borne by Me from birth
And have been carried from the womb;
Even to your old age I will be the same,
And even to your graying years I will bear you!”
(Isaiah 46:3-4a NASB)

Dad Gamble had been in the hospital a few days and was feeling better. “I like living with you and Ray,” he said during my visit. “In the morning, honey, you come in with a cup of coffee and put it on my bed tray. You open the blinds so I can see the sun rise.” Then he continued, repeating our daily routine. In that strange hospital room in a new town and a new state, reflecting on our everyday habits gave him comfort. Remembering the consistent routine we had established at home helped him cope with the surprise and change at the hospital. Simply listing what was normal was reassuring.

“Nina,” says my four-year-old grandson. “When I go back to living in Virginia and you come to visit, will there still be a present every day when I wake up?” This little guy and his family are living with us temporarily, so in this household, much to his sadness, there are not presents every day. However, he thinks back on the familiar and loves remembering the consistent promise that when Nina and Papa visit, there’s always a fun bag with a treasure when you wake up and come downstairs in the morning. He is comforted to think that this routine will re-emerge once he’s back home again. It eases the unfamiliarity of living in a new place for a season.

No matter our age, consistency matters. Even though rituals and routines can feel boring at times, the lack of any rhythm to a life creates confusion and chaos and fear. We are most contented when we know what to expect and when those expectations are met. Just about everyone chooses certain patterns of living that guarantee each day has some certainties.

This beautiful passage in Isaiah is God’s way of telling us that there is great certainty in being His. Those of us born into His family are carried by Him. And “even to our old age” God will not change. He will be the same, and even to our “graying years” God will bear us.

Every week, I see a little more gray in my brown hair—the graying years have arrived. I’m Nina to five grandchildren with one on the way, and my hair will gray more with each passing year. Oh, how I am comforted by this passage! Since I was a little one of four, kneeling, and asking Jesus to come into my heart, my good, great God has carried me. He has been with me in good times and hard times. The reassurance that He will never abandon me lifts me up and makes me smile. The consistent love of my God is a wonderful comfort.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your deep, consistent love. I could barely understand what I was doing when I was four, and yet You loved me and carried me. When I’m very old, I suspect I may not be able to do too much then either—except love You and pray. And You will continue to love me even then. And, when I pass from this life to eternity, there You will be! Loving me still. Oh, how glad I am to be Yours. Thank you, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Originally written and published by Sharon Gamble of Sweet Selah Ministries. Used with permission.

Do unto your children as you would have them do unto you

The Lord has been convicting me from this verse for a few weeks. I am long familiar with The Golden Rule, yet it’s only in the last month that I’ve thought of it particularly in terms of my children—not treating them as they ARE but as I would have them TO BE. As often is the case, God used my son’s little secular hippie preschool to bring this home for me. At a parent meeting, the speaker asked parents what were their main concerns for their children’s behavior right now. Parents yelled out things like sibling rivalry, angry tantrums, hitting, general snotty attitudes and so forth. Then she asked what character qualities we hoped they’d have when they headed to college. The group suggested empathy, perseverance, and self-confidence, among others. As a believer, I would add grace, service, and love. I really want my boys to have personal confidence in who they are in Christ that equips them to extend grace to others. I want them to love as I Cor. 13 defines it – with patience, with a long fuse, not rude, not keeping a record of wrongs, giving the benefit of the doubt, and so on. I want them to serve like Christ.

Then the speaker led us in an exercise. She said, “Put your feet squarely on the floor.” She did it, and we did too. “Sit up straight.” She modeled, and we did it too. “Touch your thumb and first finger in an OK sign.” We did it with her. “Put the OK sign on your chin.” But she put hers on her cheek. And every last one of us in the room without thinking put ours on our cheek too. She had made her point effectively. We say we want one thing with our kids, but so often we model something else. And they will always pick up what we MODEL over what we SAY.

God got my attention. My son has an anger problem because I have an anger problem that I have well modeled for him. And when I get angry at him because he got angry and threw a toy, I’m not helping anything. Apart from Scripture, my default belief system is that when he sins I need to get really angry in proportion to the seriousness of the offence, that the angrier I get the more effective it will be at deterring him from doing it again. The only problem is that my anger is NOT a deterrent to him doing it again. It just models anger for him and educates him in more sophisticated ways to act on it. That’s not how God transforms me, and it’s not how He intends me to disciple my children.

Here are Jesus’ instructions from Luke 6.

31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

32 ″If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

As I wish that my boys would do to me and others, I should do to them. Not do to them in a reactionary response to what they just did. It’s my job to break the cycle of act and react. I should just ACT. Stay on course. Love. Grace. Compassion. Endurance. Act on my vision of what I want them to be and model consistently for them my end goal. My angry little boy sure can make me angry. But my job in Christ is to stop the cycle, correct him, and model for him with my life as well as my words a new and better way through gospel grace to deal with conflict.

Of course, the Golden Rule transcends child-rearing. I had just never thought of it in those specific terms. It applies to my children, my husband, my friends, and my enemies. Do to them not in reaction to what they just did to me, but do to them with a vision of where God is calling them. And THAT is the essence of being salt and light in the places God has called me to function.

Originally written and published by Wendy Alsup of Practical Theology for Women.