
Hello Friends,
Hope that everyone have been having a good start to their year.
We always enter into a new year with a lot of hope and anticipation, but what if you find yourself walking through a season you hoped would have changed for the better by now. The reality is that a new year does not automatically mean a change in every area of our lives. Maybe, there is something you have been so desperately praying for, hoping for a breakthrough, but are yet to see it. And there is a weariness and a trepidation as you walk through the start of this year feeling the burden of having to continue to walk through your valley.
In seasons that are challenging, we often desire to be out of it as soon as possible, our plans are to move onto the next/ better season of life. But often God’s plans and timeline differs from ours, and we wonder why God does not seem to be in a rush to get us out of our trial. The Lord’s thoughts and ways are above and beyond ours. Often in our walk with God, seasons of waiting come along with it. We desire immediate deliverance, but God in his perfect wisdom, uses those times to work in us and grow us spiritually.
In Jeremiah 29:4-5 we read of the command God gives his people who were in exile “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Isreal says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.”
The people probably did not expect to have to settle down while in exile but hoped for immediate restoration to their land. God’s word to them were to embrace their current circumstances and bloom where He had placed them. I don’t know about you, but I find myself challenged to feel settled in a season that I would rather move on from. God’s command to embrace where he placed them is also a reminder that He is with them through it all and it is the same for us too. May we not miss out on seeing God’s hand at work in numerous small ways, when our focus is so fixated on the whole circumstance.
To look to God, embracing where he has you in the moment and to grow, would involve not just enduring through it but waiting on God well.
Let’s look at Psalm 62:1-2 that give us insight into what it feels like to wait well. We will look at three different translations to get a deeper insight into what these verses mean.
Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV) “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”
Psalm 62:1-2 (NASB) “My soul waits in silence for God alone; From Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken.“
Psalm 62:1-2 (NLT) “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.”
It is interesting to note that the very same verse in one version speaks of our soul waiting on God alone and in another it speaks of our soul finding rest in God alone. We often wait for God to resolve our situation – Yes, He is a God who can provide, heal, restore and do so much more and often our focus is drawn to all that He can do. But scripture here is teaching us to wait on God alone, not merely on what He can do for you. We are to seek Him and His presence first, before what He can do for us. And in that sort of waiting there is restfulness, peace and stability. God is our rock, our salvation and our fortress, the very foundation of our lives upon which we walk. He is our fortress that guards our hearts and minds from the infiltrating thoughts of the enemy. And therefore, we will not be shaken through our trail.
Friend, if you find yourself carrying any burden and are waiting on God and have been praying desperately, may your soul wait on God alone. Not focusing on what He can do but focus on Him. And may you find shelter under His wings during this time, and I pray that you experience His presence and strength, a deepening of your faith and a revelation of Him like never before as you Wait on Him Alone.
God Bless.
A thoughtful & insightful piece.
May we gain this understanding of calmly waiting for The Lord 🌿
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Thank you 🙏🏽. It is definitely something we learn over time and have to be aware of as it is a natural tendency to want resolution in a situation but God wants us to seek Him.
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A thoughtful & insightful piece.🌿
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I will need to hang onto this post. My family is still battling many obstacles, and I have been desperately praying for breakthroughs, as you said. It can be so difficult to wait and rest in Him. The fact that loved ones are involved adds layers to the worry. But thank you for the reminder to keep my focus on Him. He is in this story and I need to trust that. God bless you, my friend.
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It is well with you and your family.
It is well with your soul as well.
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Bridget, so true that it is so difficult to wait and to rest in Him during that waiting period. And I so feel you when you say that when it involves loved ones, it adds layers to our worry. He is indeed in our story and we have to repeatedly preach that truth to ourselves.
May you find solace and rest as you seek Him. Blessings to you my friend 💙🙏🏽
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Oh, Bridget. I am so sorry you are battling many obstacles! I pray God infuse you with strength, endow you with wisdom, and supply his peace that surpasses understanding.
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Thank you, Nancy. Prayers for my family are very much appreciated.
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Powerful Word.Thank you
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Thank you so much 🙏🏽
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Excellent post, Manu! I need to hear and heed these words!!!
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Thank you Mandy and me too. I have to keep reminding myself this so I do not succumb into the ball of worry and stress.
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Manu, I felt comforted reading this, thank you. As you mentioned, God is our Rock. I am thankful for the “restfulness, peace and stability” that we have in Him. Enjoy your weekend. 💕🙏🏿
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Dawn, so glad this comforted you. I too am so thankful that we can turn to the Lord anytime and always.
Have a blessed weekend 🙏🏽
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This is a great reminder to wait on God before asking Him to do for us. So many practice this in reverse, or just pray to God for petitions and intercessions without opening their hearts to Him first. Thank you, Manu, for such an important post. 🙂
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Thank you Nancy 😊🙏🏽
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Waiting is not easy but worth it
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So true
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Wait on Him Alone sounds like a good name for a hymn. 🙂 It is true we need to trust in God, rest in Him, bloom where we are planted, and grow spiritually. It is easy to become impatient, wanting things our way, but waiting and trusting in God can open beautiful unexpected doors. Peace and Blessings, Manu! 💖🙏🌺
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Thank you, Jeanne 💙🙏🏽
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Amen, Manu! Waiting and resting don’t always coincide, as the former induces stress and rattles our nerves, making the latter impossible. Praise God, as we focus on him–our rock, salvation, and strength–we can find ourselves waiting and resting in FAITH. HE will see us through. HE will provide the way. Hallelujah!
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Absolutely, Nancy- He will provide the way 🙏🏽. Thank you 💙
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Manu, when I read this, what came to mind was the last few years, especially the lockdowns. People were so impatient for it to be over, so we could all go out and do the things we’d become accustomed to doing. But that was a golden opportunity to draw near to God, when we didn’t have anywhere else to rush off to. Some of us did spend extra time with Him, others posted things on social media like, “Dear Mom, Does your offer to knock me into next year still stand?” (Whether or not you found that funny depends on whether you have that expression in Australia, I suppose. 😉 )
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I felt that too, Ann. I did take advantage of the fact that I had to be home during that time. But I guess I am the sort of person who loves to be at home and does not necessarily have to be with people all the time and I did not have any young kids that I had to keep occupied all the time either.
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We were definitely among the most fortunate, too Manu. Marty and I were both already “retired.” I love to write, and he loves to do home improvement projects, both of which we were able to do. The weather was nice, and almost every afternoon we either walked or rode our bikes to our daughter’s house, sat in the yard, and visited with her and the grandkids. But I was aware that others were having a very rough time. 😦
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What an encouraging post! There is a sense of peace and release waiting on God and finding rest in Him! Happy New Year, Manu! I hope you are well!
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Thank you Colleen. Happy new year to you too 💙. I am doing well. It has been hot here, we have been having a stretch of hot days. I know it is the opposite of what you have there right now. Hope you are doing well too.
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Amen 🙏🏾. Waiting on Him, waiting in His presence and abiding in and with Him brings such peace and rest. As we wait, He calms our anxious hearts and reveals His mind and will to us. Blessings ❤️🙏🏾
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Amen!! Bless you Sister, Manu.
It’s Always God’s timing, and not our own…
When God told Jeremiah to go ahead and redeem his cousin’s field in The Land of Judah, God was signing, sealing, and certifying His prophetic promise to restore His people per/His timing!!
He may have uprooted and evicted His people from the land for those 70 years…but he did not forget them…and He was not even a day late in keeping His promise to bring them back.
NOW IN the first year of 1Cyrus king of Persia [almost seventy years after the first Jewish captives were taken to Babylon], that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might begin to be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing: (Ezra 1:1). He may not come when we want him, but He’s always right on time!! 😘
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He indeed is 🙏🏽
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Him alone 😔
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💙🙏🏽
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