Ps 33:18 But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.
Even though God cares for us, does he guarantee we will not starve or die? I believe that is up to us, at least in part. While God keeps his eye on us, he also sees the choices we make. Our choices can alter his plan for us and skew everything in our life. As long as we rely completely on his guidance and follow him he will keep all his promises.
Sometimes God leaves us in difficult places so that we will learn to depend more on him than the world. One of the hardest principles to learn, is to “wait on the Lord”. We have instant food, instant communication and instant gratification. Waiting is not on our schedule. Children and some adults have an extremely hard time learning to wait. The day a child tells his parent that he knows waiting, working hard and being patient well help him achieve his goals is a day of rejoicing.
Even in relationships, God sets a plan in motion. No matter the connection, we need to take the time and let that relationship grow and mature. Sowing seeds is easy but nurturing that seed to harvest is time consuming. This became evident when I met Wayne, my husband. I saw him many times at church and each time God quickened my heart. I invited him to lunch after church. We talked and enjoyed the afternoon. Later, it seemed he avoided me at church.
Five weeks later, I was stranded at church. I usually took the bus to church and a friend would drive me home at night. Unfortunately, she had fallen asleep and missed church. Wayne offered to drive me home. We sat in the car and talked until midnight. The next day, I was stranded again when the ferry stopped operating due to unfavorable weather. God impressed on me to call Wayne. “Where have you been? I called your apartment all day to invite you to a bar-b-que,” he said. On the way home, he admitted that he was still thinking about our conversation the night before and asked if we could go out to dinner soon.
We began attending Christian functions together, and started praying for God’s will in our lives. We knew that God’s plan was for us to be together but was it in ministry or life? God showed us that ministry and life are entwined together. We were engaged on August 8th and married on September 30. Our love was in full bloom.
When God plants seeds in our life, he will water and allow them to grow. When we come to realize that time here is short but time with God is eternal, we can finally stop and “smell the roses”.
Jena Kleinpeter 