But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Our village inn coffee morning is the ideal meeting place for those needing to vent their spleen on any given matter that is over powering them, sufficiently to warrant sharing their feelings with their coffee table companions. Many are ill at ease enduring the frustration that the waiting game provides for the growth of the impatient person, anxious to vault their ongoing dilemma that they may find peace, even a little contentment for a day or so. In Scotland the wisest of whiskey connoisseurs readily declare that a suitable cask, and time matures whiskey sufficiently for it to be drunk with respect for its time consuming qualities.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ... ~ James 1:1-27
Our Father makes promises to us the result of us asking for His help when our life appears to spiral out of control. The Prophet Job sets an example for us by remaining faithful over the years, waiting for The Father to honour His promise to Job that He would support all His needs. Job's trust in God remained solid, despite his many doubts, and in time Job's fortunes were restored.
What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? ~ Job 6:11
Our Father tests our faith in our words, that we trust God to act on His promises to us. The maturing person learns through bitter experience that God is not to blame for our adversities. Through the storms of our life we grow out of our childish ways, blaming others for our distress into a faithful friend of The Father, following His advice daily seeding into our conscious awareness.
In those periods when our distress reaches into our innermost being with a determination to destroy our self confidence, it is the appropriate timing to enter into our inner room (the interior life, or sanctuary of The Lord) and speak plainly, sharing all our feelings.
The Father will answer in clear language asking us to follow His guidance, that we may find a path out of our misery into a land filled with harmony, and peacefulness.
Through his long standing patience, and trust in God's spoken word Job understands.
“I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You, therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
~ Job 42:2, 5-6
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