Truth for Today

Discouraging Thought: I want to know how my life is going to play out.

Encouraging Truth: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to
          prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
          - Jeremiah 29:11

Loving Instruction: "In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in
          trust you shall be your strength." - Isaiah 30:15

Our Reward: "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts
          himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all
          those who wait for him." - Isaiah 30:18

Isaiah 30 is talking about the Israelites, God's children, who would not wait for Him. They ran to Egypt for help, not wanting to wait for God's instruction or timing. Verse 15 says that God told them "In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.". They were unwilling, and ran to Egypt anyway, and verse 18 is God's response. I love how vast this verse proves God's love to be. Even when we sin, He loves us. He waits. Waits for us to see our sin, to know the truth, to repent, to trust. He's just waiting. Waiting for us to quietly rest. Waiting with mercy and grace.

Now, I love to plan. I hate surprises, always enjoying the knowledge of what's to come. Some days it drives me nuts that what we had planned for our lives hasn't happened. Mike hasn't finished, let alone started, seminary. We don't have school bills paid off. Every once in a while I get restless and ask Mike if he thinks he should enroll in a class to get seminary started, or if I should get a full time job, or  . . . fill in the blank. My wonderful husband calmly looks at me and reminds me that this is where God has us, and until God makes it clear that we are to be doing anything else, we are going to stay right here. Ugh! It's very hard to just wait. Rest. Quiet my heart. Trust. But I need to, because when I do, I will see Christ waiting. He's waiting to give grace and mercy.