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I thought this was a wonderful follow-on from our discussion the last few days about influence. I learned it from Stormie Omartian's Bible study on The Power of a Praying Woman. Here is her prayer about fulfilling God's purpose...may we pray it alongside her as well...
"Help me to live my life with a sense of purpose and understanding of my calling. Take away any discouragement that I may feel about this and replace it with joyful anticipation for what you are going to do through me. Help me to rest in the knowledge that your timing is perfect...Help me to be content where I am, knowing that you won't leave me there forever..."
You see, when God wants to do something GREAT, He will often make us WAIT! Think of the natural world--do any of God's great creations happen overnight? Look at a juicy watermelon, a mighty oak tree, a tiny little newborn baby...or the Grand Canyon. All of these things take months, years, perhaps even centuries to grow to full maturity! Pray and pray and draw close to Him during these seasons of waiting and worship Him above all else. It might take awhile to give "birth" to God's great work. I can't help but think of Hannah, who desperately wanted a son and fervently prayed...and the Lord finally fulfilled her desire with a baby boy she named Samuel and dedicated to the Temple (1 Samuel 1). God will do it in His time--do not try to make things happen on your own! Let us not forget Sarai who, while waiting for God to fulfill His promise for a son, concocted the idea that Abram should sleep with her handmaiden Hagar, who later gave birth to Ishmael (Gen 16). This was not God's plan! Sarah would later give birth to Isaac herself, years later, seeing for herself that YES God IS faithful to His promises, in His time (Gen 21)!
Let us surrender all our dreams to the Lord. God wants us to cling to Him and not our dreams (despite what Disney movies will tell you!). And let us never forget that when the time is right, God can do a quick work. Think of childbirth. All those many months the baby develops, hidden inside the womb, and then BAM, your body kicks into labor and within hours that precious little one is screaming his or her head off in the delivery room! I've had the blessing of experiencing that miracle three times over with my little ones! When God's timing is right, He will quickly bring about AMAZING things in accordance of His will!
I hope these reminders are an encouragement to you during those "quiet" and "mundane" seasons of life, dear one! Hang in there! This might just be an amazing season of "pregnancy" where God is working to make and to mold you and your circumstances, to then perform a quick and mighty work for you to enjoy in all it's glory!
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