Micah 7:7–>But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my savior; my God will hear me.
The first thing I want to do in the face of opposition, hardship, distress, conflict, etc is act. I want to take matters into my own hands; I want to fix the problem; I want to be the creator. The last thing I want to do is “sit and wait for the Lord.” I mean, after all, if God was in control then why would these hardships be happening to me? Surely, my lack of response to His grace wouldn’t have anything to do with the current distressed position. The fact of the matter is, evil tries to convince me that I am God it is this same lust for knowledge of good and evil that started the whole sin mess; it still rages within me and within the world. Perhaps the best indication of sin is the fact that I (we) think we are the creator. That the ministry is our job; that successful churches are up to us; that we are responsible for saving the world. Total crap!!! Today, I am reminded that when it comes to creating, redeeming, and sustaining, it is all God’s job. My job is to wait, respond, and obey that I may experience the creating power of God’s grace and be used as one of His tools to continue His creative work within the world.
Lord, thank you for reminding me that this new church is not up to me to create, but that I am only one piece of the puzzle, one tool that you are going to use to bring this new creation into reality. In the midst of distress, struggle, and hardships will you give me the grace to wait on you; help me not to take matters into my own hands, but to simply take a deep breath and make some room in my life to wait upon you. God give me the strength to trust you and to know that you will be right on time, just as the sun rises every morning. May I look around and see how you daily enter into this world with your creative power and know that the same creative power enters my life and this new church with the same intention and mission. I thank you God for this time today and for teaching me to wait in the midst of trouble and reminding me that you are the creator, not me! Amen.
