I have been a Christian since I was a young girl (age ten). Even during the years (and there were a bunch) when I was floundering around in my faith I never lost sight of my relationship with Jesus Christ. He has been the foundation and the Rock I have anchored my life to through all of the ups and downs in the course of my 62 years (as of two days ago when I celebrated my birthday) of living on this planet of ours.
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) states:
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in time of need.”I have to admit that most of the time I’m not so good at the “come boldly” part of that verse, not that I don’t pray. I do . . . a lot (and silently most of the time). But I’m learning more and more what it means to “come boldly.” And my boldness is still a bit on the timid side. That begs the question, “Can one be timidly bold?” Okay, maybe “timid” isn’t the right word . . . .
I read a devotion today on “A Daily Way” titled “The Triumph of Grace” (reblogged below) that reminded me that “God’s plan oftentimes has curves we never expected” and that “Waiting on God can be difficult at times. In our anxiousness to see Him move, we have a tendency to try and prod God along” (both quotes are from the reblogged post below).
Well, I have to admit I never saw the curve coming six years ago when I first applied for the job in Houston in May 2008 that I was hired for and started working at in September 2008 and then subsequently lost seven months later (and now over five years ago) in April 2009. And since that time I’ve done my share of “trying to prod God along” to get my life out of this limbo-land of unemployment I’ve been stuck in for way too long now, to absolutely no avail. I’ve also been known to beg a time or two (and plead, and stomp, and spit, too).
It’s not that God hasn’t been active in my life. In fact, He’s been extremely active. However, His activity in my life has not been in the ways I was hoping for, but in ways I couldn’t even begin to imagine before this trial of mine began over five years ago. Indeed, these past five years have become a living reality for me of what God has clearly stated in Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
This blog, originally started on July 20, 2010, has been part of that story. During this time I’ve also met and talked with a lot of folks and traveled, starting in May 2012, to many cities to include Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, Washington DC, Biloxi, and cities all around Florida in my quest to find employment but also because I love taking road trips.
And I’m still unemployed . . . .
The urge to continue to “try and prod God along” is still there, but at this point in time I still can’t see the whole picture (not that I ever could). There are obviously pieces to this puzzle that I’m not aware of–pieces that still need to be put in place. The height of my activity during this time took place primarily in 2012 and 2013, and there has been an apparent “winding down” (from all of the traveling) since my move back to Orlando two months ago; however, I am still anxious to move on with my life . . . to get off “hold” and move forward again.
As the reblogged post below reminded me (in the last paragraph), especially regarding these past five plus years, “God does not let us venture into new territory alone. He prepares the hearts and minds of those we are to encounter on our journey so that the fullness of His plan becomes apparent in the aftermath.”
The definition of aftermath is “the period of time after a bad and usually destructive event; a second-growth crop” (source here). Losing my job in Houston over five years ago was the “destructive event” leading into “a second-growth crop,” at least in my particular circumstance. And I’ve been living in that aftermath ever since that day I lost my job. Now I’m waiting for “the fullness of His plan” to become apparent (as it’s been unfolding over these past five years).
So I continue to wait, but I’m a lot less timid and a little more bold then I was five years ago. God tells us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Okay . . . I will!!!
Care to join me?
YouTube Video: This is one of my all time favorite worship songs (I’ve recently posted it on another blog post) titled “Revelation Song” sung by Phillips, Craig and Dean:
Click link for video: “Revelation Song”
Photo #1 credit here
Photo #2 credit here~see reblogged post from “The Daily Way” below~
Reading about the apostles of the New Testament, our views can be skewed somewhat by knowing the entire timeline of their ministry. We read highlights and letters, dramatic bits and pieces of lives that proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus along with the power of the Gospel. The days, months, and years they spent waiting for God to do the impossible in a post-resurrection world seem but mere pauses in a flurry of God-orchestrated activity.
Regardless of the vision we may have for our lives or the direction we have been led by the Holy Spirit, we cannot expect to get ahead of God’s timeline. After Jesus left the earth, the disciples spent a substantial amount of time waiting for prayers to be answered as well as wondering when God was going to rescue them from dire situations. We, too, must be willing disciples, waiting patiently for God to work in…
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Sara's Musings 
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