waiting patiently

I just feel the need to write about what I have read today in God's word about waiting for things. My children say they cant wait for our holidays in 7 wks time. They wait for birthdays and christmases and plan ahead in exitement. Even weekends to see what they can do. Throughout our lives we have to wait for things, society makes things easier though, well for a lot of things we dont have to wait, such as purchases, we can just get a store or credit card and away we go. But for other things, we cant do anything but wait, for a job or a promotion in a job, for a house, for a patner to share our lives with , to marry, a baby, a healing of an illness. Waiting can be hard!

It's frustrating to wait, we want answers and what we are waiting for to happen now, we see others around us with what we desire and think what about me. And we ask God, "where's mine, what about me?" Just as children do if they see one having something good without the other. We are God's children and he loves us, the hard lesson for us all to learn is God' timing is not ours.

Look at Abram, him and his wife, they followed God and obeyed whatever he told them to do, unfailingly. He is a perfect example of waiting. When God told him to leave where he was at, he did. In chapter 12 his promise from God was that he would be made into a great nation, that he would be made great and a blessing, that God would look after him. Again in chapter 15 God shares again his covenant with Abram, and Abram asks him how can this be as he has no heir, God tells him he will have a son of his own, and that his offspring will be as the stars. and Abram believed him.

Yet we see in chapter 16, that he starts to doubt, well he must do, or he wouldn't of tried to sort the problem out for himself. Sarai his wife, told him to go and sleep with their maidservant Hagar, so he did and they had a child called Ishmael. But by doing this didn't solve any problems just created more. Sarai became jealous and mistreated Hagar, who fled. An angel appeared to Hagar and basically told her to go back to Sarai and submit and that God would look after her. But also that Ishmael, would be against everyone and everyone against him.

So Abram went from waiting on God and trusting to trying to sort things out for himself and making more of a mess. What are we waiting for in our lives? What makes us complete, whats missing, or do we feel thats missing? Will we become desperate just like Abram and try and seek the things we desire ourselves? Its easy to fall into the trap of being self sufficient and especially in the world we live in. But it is so much harder to wait on God and be patient. It's not all doom and gloom though so come on and cheer up :) God has a plan for us all, just like Abram, who later became Abraham and had his promise his child his nation. (Other scriptures with Abrahams promise, Romans 4 v 13-18 and Galations 4 v 21-23) God has a plan for us, he loves us dearly he is our father in heaven. We just have to seek his face, and live our lives for him, and trust in him completely. God is faithful and will keep his promises to us, we just may have to wait a little longer than we'd like to. But my point is it's better to wait and have what God has in store for us, than possibly ruin ours or someone elses lives as we try and take matters into our own hands.

My testimony is a perfect example of me trying to take matters into my own hands, I turned my back on God, and all things good, and tried to do things in my own strength. All I wanted was someone to love me, as I am, a partner a family of my own. The man I ended up with against the advice of all around me, turned out to be a real bad person, who treated me pretty bad. I had real ruff time and a lot of bad things happened to me. I saw my sister, with her husband that adored her, with her little blonde haired handsome baby and I wanted the same. Why couldn't I? And even though I was away from God at the time, when this hapened I cried out to God at the unfairness of my situation. Why me? But God had a plan for my life, I can see that now and yes it's in God's timing not our own. God sent my sister to me, that was his timing, I needed her at that precise moment, she came. Looking back I see that God has turned me from something ugly and hurt and in sin, to something beautiful in him and through him. I now have my husband who I love dearly, sure we argue sometimes and take eachother for granted but he's mine and I love him loads, he's my best friend, I have my own children 2, and they are just amazing, a real gift us both, I thank God for them, and I love them so much sometimes it hurts. A song I've found, well has been given to me from a friend, Superchick, beauty from pain. That's what God my father has done for me, turned my situation around. In Isaiah 61 v 3 "To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes."God had a plan and still has a plan for me, and he has one for you also. Just dont give up seeking his face, keep looking up to the hills to the Lord for he is your help and strength. (Psalms somewhere:)) Seek the Lord, Matthew 7 v 7, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. v8, For everyone that asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened to you."

John 15 v 5 , " Apart from me you can do nothing, v7 "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you."

Another example of God answering prayer regarding a child is in 1 Sammuel chapter 1, where Hannah is also desperate for a child and cries out to God, and God answers her prayers. There are many throughout the bible.

Jeremiah 29v11-13, "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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart". See it says in the bible that God has a plan for us, he wants to prosper us and not harm us, we have a hope and a future from God, he listens to us when we call out to him. Seek his face today not the worlds, not your own devices but God's face, seek him with all your heart, let him be the soure of your significance. :D Love ya Lord xxxx

We are made in Gods image:)

I have a new bible, a gift from my dear husband, a womens devotional, thankyou dearest awww:) Anyways I have decided to read it from front to back, so have started at the very beginning, a very good place to start lol. In Genesis the first book in the bible, see I know that much. Genesis chapter 1, wow what an amazing chapter, how God created the heaven and the earth and everything in it. He also made man and woman and the devotional for this chapter is based on Genesis 1 v 27, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female God created them". We know this scripture, but really do we think of it's significance and meaning like really. The devotional begins with setting the scene at Eden, and the woman at the water gazing at her reflection, in wonder at how she looks. Then it goes on to say how image is such an issue in the world today, and how the media looks upon image. Image is so important in the world that we live, we all as the celebrities do, (but not as extreme I hope), seek perfection. We hate the way we look, our height, weight, hair, eyes, face, other body parts. Well get the scripture, how can we complain, when God the original designer, has made us in his image. He is our designer, he made us, as well as the moon, sun, stars, birds, animals, trees, flowers, etc.etc. He made us! How amazing is our God, how awesome are his works, we thank him for his creation, but do we thank him for how he made us?

Other scriptures related to image, Psalm 139v14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful I know that full well." A scripture I learnt at sunday school, we should praise God for our creation, for how we are made. We know and can see in the world around us, his works of wonder, the hand that made all things. We sing the hymn, Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand hath made. How great thou art! Thankyou Lord for making me. me. As I am.

2 Corinthians 3v18, "And we, with unveiled faces, all reflect the lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness, with every increasing glory which comes from the Lord who is the spirit". I read this scripture a few years ago and it blessed me then, I shared with my house group how it blessed me, later I threw away the notes, later again I was sorry to have thrown them away, as I could not remember where in the bible this passage was. So today I thank God once again for using this verse to bless me. To reflect God's glory, a reflection, is a mirror image, an exact resemblance of what is being reflected. This is what got me all exited the first time around reading this passage. If I can reflect God's image, wow! If people can see God in me, a mere glimpse is awesome, but a reflection is just truly mind boggling! We are new creations, we are being transformed into his likeness. We are works in progress, he is the potter as we sing and read, we are the clay, he makes and molds us into his likeness. Thankyou Lord for being the potter in my life. You hold me in the palm of your hand, and mold me amen.

Collossians 1v15, "He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation." He as in Jesus is the image of his father God. We are made in Gods image, how amazing are these facts, how awesome that God would make us and his one and only son, in his image.

I am blessed, and thank the Lord for all his works, his creation, including how he made me. My aim into how to put this word into action, is to not complain about my appearance, my weight, height etc.. God made me me, he is God that knows all things, the beginning and the end, the Godhead 3 in 1, the father of all creation, and he made me. Thankyou Lord! You are truly amazing!:D