Wait and Work

Last night I was already to write about my bout with depression but this morning as I awoke another word beginning with the letter d came to my mind and persistent even as I begin to workout. Discouragement! In my Wednesday Bible Study class we started discussing defeating discouragement. The author of our Bible Study book Journey Into Overcoming: Rising Above Life’s Toughest Problems stated, “all of us have bouts with discouragement.”

In the five years of being on this journey with God, I have had discouraging moments. Moments where I wanted to walk away and some where I have walked away only to have God place me back in the situation to deal with it. On this journey with God one can find themselves discouraged by the promises/assignments they know God has given them. I know for me God promised in the first year of our journey He would restore my family and bring salvation. It is year five and only three family members have given their lives to Christ and one has walked completely away denounce Christ and accepting another Savior. So, I have had some questions for the LORD over these last five years and to my questions they LORD has said, “my ways are not your ways neither are my thoughts your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8

Then the LORD gave an assignment one was to write this blog. As the assignment came I gave God all the excuses in the world why I could not possible do it.

The writing assignment meant I would have to share very personal information about myself with people I do not even know and to that I told God, NO. There was no way I was sharing my personal struggles with a brunch of strangers and putting it on the internet for the world to access when ever they want, nah, He was going to have to find me another assignment, purpose and redesign His plans for my life because I was not going to do it. I know I made God laugh! I had expend all that energy telling God what I was not going to do only to find myself creating this blog on Saturday November 3, 2007. My first post was a greeting that posted at 9:27 p.m. which is significant to me because it is my birthday.

As I wrote the blog these last four years I get discourage from time to time because I believe more people should be following, reading and responding to the post. I can sometimes get caught up in numbers and forget that I should rejoice when one is encouraged to continue on the journey with God. That if I only have one follower then the one is who God has called me to share with and encourage.

My teacher/mentor shared with the class the principle of sowing and reaping. In Galatians 6: 7b-10, “A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Because God’s timing is not our time we may not see the fruits of our labor when we want to see them; but I have learned if I keep doing what it is I know God has called me to in due season, I will reap the harvest God has promised. When I started writing this blog, God promised to make my name known to many nations. Can I tell you He is fulfilling His promise? I receive email responses to the blog post from someone in China. While I do not understand the responses, I do know the hand of God is leading and directing me to the place He wants me to be and not where I think I ought to be. There is a line in one of Kirk Franklin songs where he thanks God for not giving him too much too soon.

As I wait and work for the Lord to fulfill all the promises to me, I know discouraging moments may arise. The lesson on Defeating Discouragement we are study now the author started with this sentence: “Discouragement is one of the most effective weapons in the Evil One’s arsenal. We have to remember God’s promises are real and we have to remember His timing is not our timing. “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.” Numbers 23:19-20

A couple of weeks ago God give me this scripture and it blessed my soul. It’s from Habakkuk 2:1,3 that is helping me to work and waiting on the LORD to fulfill. “I will climb my watchtower now, and wait to see what answer God will give to my complaint. But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!”