While I'm Waiting by John Waller

Facing the Giants- While I'm Waiting

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

While I'm Waiting by John Waller {Fireproof music)

Failing to Wait

"And I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old?


And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!" But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." (Genesis 17.16-19).


If you are sensitive to the word 'failure,' more than likely you have faced a lot of criticism in your life. Failure is one word these people stay far away from. They often are perfectionists. They don't dare to fail. Some of it is that they don't want to face criticism but more of it might come from the sense of need to prove how good they are. "I'll show them how good I can be." But not everyone can always succeed. Sometimes even the perfectionists fail. If their pride is burst, then they can feel totally worthless.


We often think God treats us in ways that we have been treated by our parents. How fortunate we have in Abraham's life how God deals with failure in our lives. Abraham failed to wait upon God, a mess developed, and yet God helped him back up again to keep waiting until the promise was fulfilled.


ABRAHAM - CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT WAITING

Abraham stopped waiting. He had a son by another woman. The reasons for this were many.

Abraham had waited a long time for the fulfillment of God's promise to him. Years and years went by as people laughed behind his back about God's promised son to him. And even when he did take that bold step of going into his wife's handmaid, his wife encouraged him to do it. (1)

So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16.2)

Abraham and Sarah were past time to bear children and had given up waiting upon God. But once they took the matter into their own hands, they actually failed God. This not only brought a lot of extra turmoil into his marriage but brought long lasting consequences. Ishmael was born and from him arose Israel's permanent enemy right up to this day. (2)

ABRAHAM
WAITING FOR TRAINING

God didn't leave Abraham in his failure. After he failed God, the Lord in His goodness clarified matters. Even after a good while, Abraham still saw the fulfillment of the promise in Ishmael. But God rejected Abraham's assertion and instead reinstituted and clarified the promise.

"Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!" But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him..." (Genesis 17:19).

They again were positioned to wait for God's timing of fulfillment.

We can see through this that God was training Abraham and Sarah in faith. They of course thought God's promise would have been fulfilled long ago. But God knew even when He gave the original promise that it would be many years later before it was fulfilled. However, He put no time clause in it.

He never told Abraham. God was more interested in developing Abraham's faith rather than protecting him from scoffing. When the real test came to offer up Isaac, Abraham passed with flying colors. God brought a host of blessings into this world through that faith of Abraham.

Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore;

and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. "And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." (Genesis 22:15-18).

God was looking for that faith and found it. We can further learn from this that even if we have failed to wait as God wanted, we should get up, pick up the pieces, and by God's grace He will give us another try at it. He is our Father and is training us. But oh, may we live and not fail. We have enough bad consequences surrounding our lives that we need not any more!

Waiting On God Not Man

Waiting on God is the special process through which the Lord causes our eyes to turn to Him for help in time of need. By extending the duration or distress of our trial even a little bit, our weaknesses become apparent.


It is at this point our hearts become desperate, our faith is proved, and our hope is purified. The process is so common that the phrase "Wait upon the Lord" or "Waiting on God" is regularly used. We need to wait on God for a spouse, for a job, for healing, for wisdom, for ministry, etc. We might say that it is Satan tempting us, and in some cases he is, but at the same time it is God who is testing (proving) us. He is bringing us a step closer to Himself.


Waiting on God is a crucial step in which our dependence upon God grows. Without this deeper awareness of God in our lives, God restrains Himself from giving us more grace. Blessing without humbling brings increased susceptibility to temptation. This is the reason growth comes with tests. Humility keeps us from pride which makes us selfishly ambitious where we would otherwise forget the Lord.



Waiting for the Lord is not easy. Our heart is often crying out in agony. We feel oppressed and constrained. We yearn for freedom and provision. Waiting upon the Lord for needed supplies is one common area in which He trains us. We have to be needy so that we are forced to look to the Lord for help. Our other resources are stripped away. Someone yesterday said to me, "But I don't like what the Lord is bringing me through." How true this is. We squirm, squiggle and squeak.


Waiting upon the Lord are times in which we do not have resources, answers, or direction. Instead we are often confused, poor, broken and limited. Our hope is focused on what happens after that season of humility, where we will experience a period of God's blessing. If we live by confidence in our own resources and abilities, will we not become self-confident? What glory does that bring to God?! But through this process, God enables us to depend upon Him so that we know it is only He who does wonderful things in our lives.


Ultimately then, waiting upon God protects us, deepens our trust in Him, forces us to seek His ways and brings Him the most glory. They are times the Lord is testing whether we are really seeking Him and His ways.


I can remember experience after experience where I have cried out to God for help and deliverance. When going through those times, I think that if I could just get out of this one pit all would be well. However, not long after the Lord delivers me from one set of problems, I find myself in another whole set of problems. And again I am seeking His help with the same kind of desperate prayer.


It began to dawn on me that God has carefully planned out these 'pauses' in life in order to renew, strengthen, humble and focus us on God. This is much like the recommendation that one go around a fruit tree and cut off its roots - shocking it so that it will grow stronger and healthier roots. In this respect 'Waiting upon the Lord' is similar to pruning.

FUNCTIONAL DEFINITION OF WAITING UPON GOD

Waiting upon God is exercising confidence
in God's timing and help during difficult times.

Confidence in God not in my own resources

Steps to Waiting on God

Isaiah 38

Trust
If we do not trust God, then we will get bitter. We will believe His love or doubt it. This is the ultimate test. The testing forces us to make an important decision on how we will relate to the Lord. If we believe the Lord doesn't care for us, then we will turn to despair (I am doomed), self-help books (own resources) or bitterness.

Previous trust is important to establish a trust decision during a crisis. Hezekiah made this trust decision. He turned to God rather than away from Him. If we can't clearly think at such a time, just remember to turn toward the Lord.

Reject
We must consciously turn away from using other resources that we could turn to. We need to reject paths without God. The text is silent about this. But from this silence, we see that Hezekiah did not pull our his kingly reserves and see what could be done. This is because he believed God's message. Hezekiah would die. This was the end of his life.

He realized that he had nothing else to trust in. He could have tested God's Word by seeking medical help or the sage of philosophers, but he didn't. If we are a bit confused as to what the next step is, remember that we are not to first look at our resources. We need to reject them, even consciously if needed. We need to trust in the Lord for His methods.

• Pray
  My advice to people seeking God's will is to pray and stop thinking; pray and stop planning; pray and stop talking. Did you ever talk with someone who was willing to talk to everyone but God about his problems?!
  
  Prayer is prayer. We are called to talk to God about our problems so we can sense what we should do. To be true, prayer does take on many forms and means, but essentially it is talking to God about your circumstances. We need to seek the Lord in prayer. Hezekiah had two parts to his prayer.
  
  
  • He asked God to remember him.
    Hezekiah needed God to remember his own plight. No one else could change things. Does anyone believe that God did not remember his situation? I doubt it. God knows everything. We can't say He forgot someone like we sometimes do. More than this, King Hezekiah stated asked God to remember him now. He really believed the prophet's word about his impending death. His window of life was short. He needed instant action.
    
    
  • He told God about his life.
    This might sound a bit strange, but Hezekiah wanted God to remember what kind of life he had lived up to this point. If for any reason it was blocked from God's mind, Hezekiah believed his life was important enough to tell God about it. This was essentially telling God about his life and goals. He was no doubt hoping that God would reevaluate his circumstances. However, Hezekiah came short of asking God for healing. This didn't seem to make a bit of difference.

Hezekiah's prayer ended with bitter tears as his amen. The words he sent before God were soaked in tears from his heart. Various people will pray differently but all must pray if they are to wait upon God.

The Lord heard his desperate prayer. He did not need to wait long on God for an answer, but He did wait. He received an additional 15 years of life.

The principles above highlight that this waiting upon God is a process. This would not be the first or last time for him or us to wait upon God. God develops these life encounters so that we will be protected, strengthened, redirected and recommitted

Articol preluat de aici (just clik)

The truth

Copilul Meu,

Te ştiam înainte de începerea timpului... Ştiu câte fire de păr sunt pe capul tău. Eşti creat după chipul şi asemănarea Mea...nu numai că am planuri mari cu privire la tine, dar ţi – am dat şi abilităţi necesare pentru a le împlini şi ceea ce – ţi dau Eu nu – ţi poate lua nimeni, însă nu neglija aceste daruri. Nu uita să le exersezi şi să le pui in practică zilnic.

Fii liniştit, căci am început o lucrare bună in tine şi o voi duce la bun sfârşit, pentru că întotdeauna termin ceea ce am început. Cuvântul Meu cu privire la tine este dăltuit pentru totdeauna în cer, iar dedicarea Mea pentru tine este eternă! În viaţă vei înfrunta furtuni, vijelii chiar, însă înveseleşte – te, pentru că i – am luat diavolului puterea de a – ţi face rău, iar lumii, puterea de a te distruge.

Nu uita că, atunci când eşti în strâmtorare, Eu sunt aproape de tine şi te sprijinesc cu dreapta Mea biruitoare. Ce bucurie aş avea să – Mi dai toate durerile tale, toată deznădejdea şi amărăciunea din sufletul tău! Să – Mi dai toate temerile şi răurile provocate de cei din jur!...Să – Mi dai toate eşecurile tale, neîmplinirile din viaţa ta care zilnic te apasă şi nu te lasă să fii fericit!

Cand eşti copleşit de aceste probleme şi nu ai la cine să te duci, la cine să cauţi alinare, vino la Mine, vino la Tatăl Tău, căci Eu voi fi Stânca ta de adăpost şi Turnul tău de scăpare.

Chiar de vei cădea din când în când, nu vei fi răpus, pentru că eşti în palma Mea. Eu te înconjor pe dinapoi şi pe dinainte şi îmi pun mâna peste tine! Da , Eu întind mâna şi te smulg din noianul de încercări şi te redau vieţii. Îţi lumiez faţa cu zâmbetul Meu , îţi pun în ochi strălucirea dragostei Mele divine, în gură, cuvintele îndurării Mele şi pe buze, cântare nouă! Îţi înaripez paşii cu bunătatea Mea, mâinile ţi le încarc cu facere de bine.

Chiar şi dorul tău nespus care te chinuie îl îmbrac cu o îndelungă răbdare, iar gândurile ţi le înseninez cu iubirea Mea, iar inima înspăimântată am luat - o în căuşul palmelor Mele şi va rezista. Am acoperit – o cu sărutul răstignirii, am stropit – o cu dimineaţa învierii şi am suflat peste ea duh de viaţă nouă! Eşti al Meu! Eşti creat şi răscumpărat de Mine! De aceea, Eu să fiu pe primul loc în viaţa ta, bucuria şi desfătarea ta ! Dacă tu vei face aşa, nu îţi voi rămâne dator, ci îţi voi da tot ce – ţi doreşte inima...

Cu dragoste,

Tatăl tău , Dumnezeul cel Atotputernic!

What Jesus Did! - Trust vs. Crisis

Jesus got into a boat and his followers went with him. After the boat left the shore, a very bad storm began on the lake.

The waves covered the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The followers went to Jesus and woke him. They said, "Lord, save us! We will drown!"
- Matthew 8:23-25 (ERV)


THOUGHT:

The biggest issue in this story is not the storm. Just like the biggest issue in each of our crises is not the crisis. It's all about trust. Can we trust the one we follow to provide for us through the storms of life?


But more than that, the issue is whether or not we can trust his protection and care even when he does not appear to be paying attention to our troubles?

The Psalms are full of cries of desperation, pleas for God to awaken to the people's plight, and for God to quit closing his eyes to their problems. But just as God sustained Israel through the storms of destruction and defeat, Jesus, Immanuel (God with us), will also sustain, protect and ultimately deliver his followers.

PRAYER:

O Father, be near and not far. Hear my cries for those who are broken, defeated, and despairing. You alone can lighten their load and ease their burden. You alone can sustain them through their storms.

Please hear their cries and my voice too, as we all offer up our requests for your sustaining and protecting care until the day we are delivered directly into your eternal presence. In Jesus' name I pray.





Related Scriptures:




I look up to the hills {for help}. But where will my help really come from?

My help will come from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth.

God will not let you fall. Your Protector will not fall asleep.

Israel's Protector does not become sleepy. God never sleeps. - Psalm 121:1-4






Lord, don't correct me in anger.

Don't be angry and punish me.

Lord, be kind to me.

I am sick and weak. Heal me!

My bones are shaking.

My whole body is shaking.

Lord, how long {until you heal me}? - Psalm 6:1-3






How long will you forget me, Lord?

Will you forget me forever?

How long will you refuse to accept me?

How long must I wonder if you have forgotten me?

How long must I feel this sadness in my heart?

How long will my enemy win against me? - Psalm 13:1-2

De ce ne cere Dumnezeu sa asteptam?

Everlasting God-Chris Tomlin





Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary







Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles








" Asteptarea este cea mai grea provocare a sperantei. " Lewis Smedes

Unele tipuri de asteptare - pe autostrada sau in cabinetele medicilor - sunt triviale in peisajul de zi cu zi. Dar exista unele tipuri de asteptare mai serioase si in acelasi timp mai dificile:

* Asteptarea unei persoane necasatorite, care spera ca Dumnezeu i-a pregatit ceva, dar care incepe sa simta disperarea.

* Asteptarea unui cuplu fara copii , care isi doresc din toata inima o familie.

* Asteptarea cuiva care isi doreste un serviciu care sa-i placa si asa fie semnificativ, dar pare sa nu-l gaseasca.

* Asteptarea unei persoane profund deprimate, care tanjeste dupa o dimieata in care se va trezi dornica de viata.

Fiecare dintre noi, la rascrucile vietii , va trebui sa invatam sa asteptam.



Lewis Smedes scrie:

* Asteptarea este destinul nostru ca si creaturi care nu putem prin noi insine sa obtinem ceea ce dorim.

* Asteptam in intuneric o flacara pe care nu o putem aprinde.

* Asteptam cu frica un final fericit pe care nu putem sa-l scriem.

* Asteptam un "inca nu" , care pare ca se transforma in "niciodata".

* Asteptarea este cea mai grea provocare a sperantei.


Asteptarea s-ar putea sa fie cel mai greu lucru pe care suntem chemati sa-l facem. Asa ca este de-a dreptul frustrant cand deschidem Biblia si vedem ca Insusi Dumnezeu, care este atotputernic si atotcunoscator, le spune mereu oamenilor : "Asteptati."



Dumnezeu vine la Avraam, cand acesta avea 75 de ani, si ii spune ca va avea copii, ca va fi tatal unei mari natiuni. Cat a durat pana cand promisiunea a fost implinita? 24 de ani. Avraam a trebuit sa astepte.



Dumnezeu le-a spus israelitilor ca vor fi scosi din robia egipteana si vor deveni o natiune de sine statatoare. Dar poporul a trebuit sa astepte 400 de ani.



Dumnezeu i-a spus lui Moise ca va conduce poporul in Tara Promisa. Dar Moise a trebuit sa astepte 40 de ani in pustie.



In Biblie, asteptarea este atat de strans impletita cu credinta, incat uneori aceste doua concepte se substituie unul celuilat. Marea promisiune a Vechiului Testament era ca Mesia urma sa vina. Dar Israel trebuia sa astepte - generatie dupa generatie, secol dupa secol. Si cand Mesia Cel mult asteptat a venit in sfarsit, El a fost recunoscut doar de cei care aveau privirea atintita spre venirea Lui - cei ca Simeon. [...]

Numai in Vechiul Testament, se porunceste "Asteptati!" de 43 de ori.
Ultimele cuvinte ale Bibliei vorbesc despre asteptare : "Cel ce adevereste aceste lucruri, zice: "DA, Eu vin curand. "" Pare neverosimil, dar in lumina vesniciei, El vine curand. Tineti aproape.
"Amin! Vino, Doamne Isuse!" Foarte bine, vom tine aproape, Dar vino! Te asteptam!


De ce? De ce ne cere Dumnezeu sa asteptam? Daca este atotputernic, de ce nu ne vine in ajutor, de ce nu ne da toate raspunsurile si de ce nu vine acum?

Cel putin partial, pentru a-l parafraza pe Ben Patterson, ceea ce Dumnezeu lucreaza in noi in timp ce asteptam este la fel de important ca si ceea ce de fapt asteptam .


Capacitatea de a astepta este un test al maturitatii. Psihologii vorbesc despre acest lucru ca fiind capacitatea de a suporta recompensa amanta. M. Scott Peck scrie: "Amanarea recompensei este un proces al programarii durerii si placerii in viata in asa fel incat sa maresti placerea prin confruntarea si experimentarea durerii mai intai, astfel incat sa termini cu ea. Acesta este singurul mod decent de a trai. "


Daniel Goleman a scris o carte foarte influenta in care sustine ca eficienta in viata este bazata nu atat de mult pe inteligenta cognitiva, cat pe ceea ce ar putea fi numita "inteligenta emotionala". Din aceasta cauza oameni cu coeficient de inteligenta ridicat ajung sa aiba casnicii destramate sau locuri de munca frustrante. In miezul inteligentei emotionale se afla capacitatea de a amana recompensa si da a nu trai la voia impulsului de moment .

[...] Copii dezvolta tot felul de strategii pentru a le fi mai usor sa astepte: - canta, isi spun povesti, se joaca cu degetele. [...]


Incapacitatea de a controla impulsurile de moment, refuzul de a trai in asteptare rabdatoare si incredere, locuieste foarte aproape de miezul decaderii umane. [...]


Pavel spune ca in timp ce asteptam ca Dumnezeu sa puna ordine in toate lucrurile, vom suferi. Suferinta produce rezistenta, rezistenta, caracter; si caracterul, speranta. Dumnezeu poate produce aceste calitati in noi in timp ce asteptam. Asteptarea nu este doar ceva ce trebuie sa facem in timp ce primim ceea ce dorim. Este o parte a procesului de a deveni ceea ce vrea Dumnezeu sa fim. [...]


Asteptarea inseamna sa incepi sa inveti principiile biblice ale unei bune ispravnicii. Inseamna sa incepi sa cultivi obiceiuri financiare sanatoase cum ar fi intocmirea unui buget, plata zeciuielii si amanarea cumpararii unor lucruri pana in momentul in care ai banii cu care sa le platesti.

* Asteptarea biblica nu este deloc o asteptare pasiva; nu este o modalitate de a evada din realitatea neplacuta.


* Asteptarea dupa Dumnezeu inseamna o atasare de Dumnezeu plina de incredere, disciplinata, activa si uneori dureroasa.

* Asteptarea dupa Dumnezeu este decizia zilnica, continua, de a spune: "Ma voi increde in Tine si Te voi asculta. Chiar si atunci cand circumstantele vietii nu sunt asa cum mi-as fi dorit si probabil nu vor fi niciodata, imi pun toata increderea in Tine. Nu am alt plan de rezerva. "


Ce inseamna deci sa sti sa astepti?


Incredere rabdatoare: Asteptarea dupa Dumnezeu necesita o incredere plina de rabdare.

Voi putea eu sa cred ca Dumnezeu are motive intemeiate pentru a-mi porunci sa astept? Imi voi aminti ca lucrurile arata diferit pentru Dumnezeu, pentru ca El vede din perspectiva vesniciei?

[...] Se spune ca un ecomomist a citi pasajul : "pentru Domnul, o zi este ca o mie de ani, si o mie de ani sunt ca o zi. " si a fost foarte entuziasmat.


"Doamne, este adevarat ca pentru Tine o mie de ani sunt ca un minut? "

"Da."

"Atunci un milion de dolari este pentru Tine cat un cent. "

"Da."

"Doamne, imi dai si mie unul din centii Tai?"

"Da, sigur. Asteapta aici UN MINUT. " ( :)) )



* Mult prea adesea vrem resursele lui Dumnezeu, dar atunci cand vrem noi, nu cand vrea El.

* Vrem centul, dar nu vrem minutul.


* Uitam ca lucrarea pe care o face El in noi in timp ce asteptam este la fel de importanta ca ceea ce credem noi ca asteptam.

* Asteptarea inseamna ca suntem convinsi ca Dumnezeu stie ce face.




Aceasta ar putea insemna incredere rabdatoare- o incredere care este dispusa sa astepte din nou si din nou, zi dupa zi.

~ Probabil esti necasatorit. Noi, americanii, traim intr-o societate in care sa fi casatorit este normal si sa fi necasatorit nu este normal. Asa ca simti presiunea unei paradigme.

~ Probabil simti o dorinta dupa intimitate.


~ Probabil simti o singuratate pe care doar Dumnezeu o poate vindeca, din care nu te poate scoate nici o alta fiinta umana.

ASTEPTAREA ESTE GREA DE TOT.


~ Probabil esti tentat sa gandesti: "Am asteptat destul. M-am saturat sa tot astept. Voi cauta orice satisfactie in viata si imi voi face griji despre consecinte mai tarziu. "


ESTI DISPUS SA ASTEPTI DUPA DUMNEZEU?


Vei spune curajos: "Bine , Doamne. Nu ma voi lasa prins intr-o relatie care stiu ca Te-ar dezonora si ar prejudicia sufletele celor implicati. Voi cauta sa-mi construiesc viat cat de bine pot, fara sa stiu ce aduce ziua de maine. Chiar daca uneori simt ca nimeni nu intelege cat de dureroasa este asteptarea, aleg sa ma incred in Tine. Voi astepta!"





* Asteptarea dupa Dumnezeu necesita umilinta increzatoare.

* Rugaciunea ne permite sa asteptam fara a ne ingrijora.


Recent, intr-una din nopti, nu puteam sa adorm. Eram framantat de tot felul de ganduri care incep cu "Daca...?" Daca acest lucru nu se schimba? Daca nu voi primi ceea ce doresc cu disperare?

Exista o samanta de adevar in toate acestea - se pot intampla lucruri rele - dar acestea nu conduc la viata.

Nu la mult timp dupa aceea, citeam relatarea depre Isus cu ucenicii in barca, in mijlocul furtunii. Ucenicii erau disperati deoarece - va aduceti aminte? - Isus dormea.


Atunci mi-am dat seama : Exista o experienta pe care Isus n-a avut-o niciodata. A experimentat aproape orice emotie umana - necaz, bucurie, durere , oboseala, manie, speranta. Dar este un lucru pe care nu l-a experimentat niciodata: nu a intrat niciodata in panica. In acel moment mi-am dat seama ca Dumnezeu nu este niciodata disperat.


* Cand ai ganduri disperate, poti fi sigur ca nu Dumnezeu iti vorbeste.

Atunci trebuie sa astepti cu umilinta increzatoare.



* Asteptarea dupa Dumnezeu necesita speranta de nestins

* Pavel scrie: " Caci in nadejdea aceasta am fost mantuiti. Dar o nadejde care se vede nu mai este nadejde: pentru ca ce se vede, se mai poate nadajdui? Pe cand, daca nadajduim ce nu vedem, asteptam cu rabdare."

* Nadejdea sau speranta in sine este de fapt o forma de asteptare. Ernst Hoffman scrie : " Speranta nou-testamentara este o asteptare rabdatoare, disciplinata si increzatoare dupa Domnul si Mantuitorul nostru...ea isi demonstreaza caracterul prin staruinta cu care asteapta. "



Daca astepti dupa Dumnezeu zilele acetea - daca Il asculti, dar nu vezi inca rezultatele la care speri - trebuie sa sti ca in Biblie, acestei asteptari ii este atasata o fagaduinta minunata:

"Flacaii obosesc si ostenesc,

chiar tinerii se clatina;

dar cei ce se incred in Domnul isi innoiesc puterea,

ei zboara ca vuturii;

alearga si nu obosesc,

umbla si nu ostenesc. "

* Probabil Dumnezeu pretuieste umblarea noastra mai mult decat alergarea sau zborul.

Uneori nu putem face altceva decat sa umblam. Dar in acele momente, umblarea este suficienta. Probabil acest lucru se intampla atunci cand ivata este grea, cand vrem sa abandonam, dar Ii spunem Domnului:

"Nu ma las! Voi face pas dupa pas. Imi voi lua crucea. Il voi urma pe Isus chiar si pe acest drum."


Pasaje din cartea lui John Ortberg: "Daca vrei sa umbli pe apa, trebuie sa cobori din barca." - penultimul capitol.



steven curtis chapman--be still and know





Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still, O restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of peace
Let the noise and clamor cease
Be still


Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that he has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still


Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know he is our Father
Come rest your head upon his breast
Listen to the rhythm of his unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still