Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Hope deferred, when God has you in the waiting room...



I imagine we've all got some unrealized dreams, 
dare I even say, some unfulfilled promises from God.
Since I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, 
and that every word is included for a divine purpose,
I find it interesting that He included these words,
and yet He's the one with the power and ability to make the waiting stop.

The Hubs and I have three daughters.
They are all grown women now.
And every single one of them has been chosen by God,
{yes, I picked those words on purpose},
to go through long seasons of hope deferred,
long seasons of waiting.

Oldest daughter waited ten years and suffered through 3 miscarriages before she had her miracle.
Two beautiful little girls later, she looks back on those years with wisdom, compassion and gratitude.
The waiting made her better, not bitter.

Middle daughter waited and wondered and wandered looking for the open door 
for her to live and minister in her beloved Ghana, West Africa.
This has been her dream since she was a young child.
God has opened doors for her and her husband to minister in Ghana, 
even to stay for quite a few months at one time,
but at this time, it seems God has said, "not yet" to living there.

Youngest daughter is walking through her own wilderness of hope deferred.

As a mama, nothing has been harder for me to endure than this,
to see my girls hurting, waiting, wondering,
so see the enemy swooping in and lying,
breathing foul whispers that God doesn't see,
that He's turned a deaf ear to their cries,
that maybe their dream will never come to pass,
that maybe God's promise to them will never be fulfilled.

I know those are lies.
I know God is good and He does good.
He has good plans for each of my girls, my sons-in-law, my grand babies.
He even has good plans for my husband and I for these later years of our life.
He has good reasons for the waiting seasons.
Reasons that, at this time, are known only in the depths of His great heart.
But, I know that the beautiful words sung by Matt Redman ring true.
"His name is great and His heart is kind."
If God's got us in the waiting room,
it's in our best interests that we're there.
It's for our own good.
I believe that with as much certainty as I know my own name.

As much as I hate to be in God's waiting room myself,
I hate even more to see my loved ones there.
I hate to see them suffering from hope deferred.
I hate to see them heart sick.
Yet, I believe the rest of the verse.
Yes, I believe it's there for a reason, 
just like the first half of the verse,
Notice it says when, not if.
And since I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God,
and that every word is included for a divine purpose,
I find that very hope-full.

Still following,





27 comments:

  1. What a beautifully written post and what a blessing for me to read it by chance today. Thank you for the reminder. God is still in control! I will wait and rejoice.

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  2. Hi Elizabeth...nowadays I prefer to call God's 'Waiting Room' His 'Preparation Room'! Far from waiting as we commonly know the term as being pretty sedentary I remember one of my pastors saying it was 'entwining'...as in a rope with all the cords twisting together. 'Waiting' is a time to grow closer to Him, spending more time in study and prayer 'cos I know that when that preparation time is over sometimes there isn't the time for extra study and meditation 'cos there's a lot of 'doing' to be done. I am confident that the Lord has His mighty hand on your girls and will bring His plans and purposes to fruition. Have a lovely day!

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  3. I agree, Elizabeth! It's hardest to see those you love in the waiting room than being there yourself. (And I'm glad I read Carol's comment above re. "Preparation Room"! So true.)

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  4. Hi Pastor Elizabeth,

    Waiting rooms might be better if they had better magazines...

    But they're not so bad the second time, when you've been diagnosed and know what to do rather than being in the dark.

    But those first journeys however difficult help shape us for who we are though we might not always know all the answers.

    I love that song pastor's been playing that says, "Nothing is wasted." It's sure a lot better looking back though.

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  5. I agree with Carol, our loved ones go to the preparation room. We do not know all of the goodness and wonderful things that the Lord has in store for us. It may not be what we want, but it will be the best for us. God is good, Blessed is his name ~ he truly knows more than our little human hearts will ever know. He has a plan. Rest in his wisdom. I alway think of the passage "Trust the Lord with all your heart". Hang in there

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  6. Thank you for sharing. Really hit home about seeing your children having to wait and having hope deferred. It's so hard on me as their mother. But I too, am resting in God's timing and His precious promises.

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  7. "When" is a promise, isn't it?

    Blessings to you all.

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  8. Such encouraging words...thank you! God is so good!

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  9. One of our worship leaders sings a song that talks about there being "beauty in the waiting". That is my prayer for you, and for your family, that despite the waiting, beauty would be found, and blessings would abound.

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  10. I loved your wise and encouraging words...My oldest is only 17, but I can only imagine how hard this is. And yet, to allow Him to do His perfect work in their lives, knowing He is working and weaving it all together...HOPE-FULL indeed!

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  11. LOVE this post! I have spent plenty of time warming a seat in the waiting room and have also watched loved ones who felt they were in there for an indefinite length of time. It is so hard at times to hear 'wait' instead of 'yes' or even 'no'.....

    Thank you for writing this--lovely, lovely inspirational post.

    xx Cat

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  12. Gorgeous post. Just had it sent to me from my best friend and forwarding it to someone waiting who's waiting and praying for a baby.. XOXO

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  13. I'm right there with you. Right there.

    Linda

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  14. Thank you so much for this post. I have some dreams that have been waiting for over 20 years but I know God is going to make them happen in His Time not mine. Thanks for this reminder!

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    Replies
    1. Praying that every single one of your God-given dreams comes to pass!

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  15. Sometimes the waiting room is exactly where we need to be, to sit, wait and trust. It is hard but necessary to the process.

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  16. One day when my hope had been 'deferred' for so long, God brought Psalm 145:16 - 'You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.' The 'sickness' of having my hope deferred for so long was lifted and it wasn't long before He brought the desires of my heart to be! I often go back to this verse and claim it again as a reminder that He is still working to satisfy the God-given desires He has planted there.
    ~Adrienne~

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for sharing that verse. I'm going to give that one to my youngest.

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  17. Well said, Elizabeth! Thanks so much for your faithful sharing, and wonderful insights from our Lord.

    Blessings,
    marilyn

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  18. oh, what a powerful and important message! Yes! the Bible is the inspired word of God and he holds your daughters' hearts in his hand. he loves them more than we can ever imagine.

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  19. So glad what I wrote can be of help to someone! Love to you, friend. Wasn't it easier when our kids were toddlers, more tiring perhaps, but their struggles were much easier to fix!

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  20. Elizabeth, so beautiful and hope stirring. I know these periods of waiting. Oh I know them well. This is a beautiful song of trusting in his wisdom, timely and love for us.

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  21. Thank you for this, it was just what I needed to hear at this time

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