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Day Two: Verse One
Scriptures: Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah 40:27, Psalm 139:5-7, Psalm 27:13-14
What do you do when you're tired of waiting on God? What do you do when it seems like you and God can't possibly be on the same page? Recognize the lies of the enemy and recognize, but don't rely on feelings.
In a haze of grief and isolation, I thought I couldn't wait any longer for God to move. Every ounce of hope was draining from me. I was painfully aware of the brevity of life. I thought, "Maybe God is waiting for me to do something more than trust and wait."
So, I did things like sign up for a Christian matchmaking service and speed dating event. I bought a book my songwriting friends had suggested to help me craft better songs. The matchmaker found no suitable matches. None of the men showed up for the speed dating. But, a songwriting exercise prompted me to pick a verse that was speaking to me. I chose the very familiar Isaiah 40:31.
The book encouraged me to dive deep into the verse. My pastor always says that to understand the Bible, you read up and down. It's the last verse, so I read up, and I found verse 27:
O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? (Isaiah 40:27)
Replace Jacob with Toni and that verse hit like a ton of bricks. It led to the first words of Strength To Soar.
Why do I
Complain as if You don’t care
And act like You’re not always here
How could I continuously complain about my situation when I know the Faithfulness of God? I fell for one of the enemy's oldest lies; the lie that God, as the young people might say, "won't let me be great." That is an absolute lie, and to prove it's untrue, I can look in the mirror.
So, once I was convicted about complaining. I started to reflect on how God shows up for me. I went to Psalm 139 and focused on verses 5-7, which led me to these lyrics:
You don’t run and hide
You've seen every obstacle I’ll face
You’re the compass that helps me navigate
God knows everything about us. He still loves us. God sees every twist and turn life throws at us. He still guides us. His knowledge is too great to understand, but, because I understand the greatness of His knowledge, I know I can, I know I must trust and wait on Him. And, that became the pre-chorus…
So, I’ll wait, and I'll place my trust in You, in You
Waiting is not easy, which is why the psalmist says to "be of good courage." We can "be confident we will see the goodness of the Lord" (Psalm 27:13-14). If we want the strength to soar, we cannot give in to feelings of doubt about God’s desires for us. We have to trust in His promises, His processes and His timing for our lives.
Lord, help us to remember Your Faithfulness and Goodness. Help us be confident and courageous! We pray this in the Name of Jesus!
What do you do when you're tired of waiting on God? What do you do when it seems like you and God can't possibly be on the same page? Recognize the lies of the enemy and recognize, but don't rely on feelings.
In a haze of grief and isolation, I thought I couldn't wait any longer for God to move. Every ounce of hope was draining from me. I was painfully aware of the brevity of life. I thought, "Maybe God is waiting for me to do something more than trust and wait."
So, I did things like sign up for a Christian matchmaking service and speed dating event. I bought a book my songwriting friends had suggested to help me craft better songs. The matchmaker found no suitable matches. None of the men showed up for the speed dating. But, a songwriting exercise prompted me to pick a verse that was speaking to me. I chose the very familiar Isaiah 40:31.
The book encouraged me to dive deep into the verse. My pastor always says that to understand the Bible, you read up and down. It's the last verse, so I read up, and I found verse 27:
O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? (Isaiah 40:27)
Replace Jacob with Toni and that verse hit like a ton of bricks. It led to the first words of Strength To Soar.
Why do I
Complain as if You don’t care
And act like You’re not always here
How could I continuously complain about my situation when I know the Faithfulness of God? I fell for one of the enemy's oldest lies; the lie that God, as the young people might say, "won't let me be great." That is an absolute lie, and to prove it's untrue, I can look in the mirror.
So, once I was convicted about complaining. I started to reflect on how God shows up for me. I went to Psalm 139 and focused on verses 5-7, which led me to these lyrics:
You don’t run and hide
You've seen every obstacle I’ll face
You’re the compass that helps me navigate
God knows everything about us. He still loves us. God sees every twist and turn life throws at us. He still guides us. His knowledge is too great to understand, but, because I understand the greatness of His knowledge, I know I can, I know I must trust and wait on Him. And, that became the pre-chorus…
So, I’ll wait, and I'll place my trust in You, in You
Waiting is not easy, which is why the psalmist says to "be of good courage." We can "be confident we will see the goodness of the Lord" (Psalm 27:13-14). If we want the strength to soar, we cannot give in to feelings of doubt about God’s desires for us. We have to trust in His promises, His processes and His timing for our lives.
Lord, help us to remember Your Faithfulness and Goodness. Help us be confident and courageous! We pray this in the Name of Jesus!