Oh yeah, More Waiting

Last time we were here together I talked about letting go. And, in theory, it's a good thing.
In reality, I am finding it difficult.
Can we just be honest here?
Letting go of some things is easy.
Oh, I'll never win the lottery. I'm ok with that. I've let that go. Could be something about me never buying tickets but whatever.  :)

It's the big things in life that are hard to really let go of fully.

- Bringing a mate
- Bringing healing
- Bringing children
- Healing Relationships

Meanwhile I've clearly trusted Him with the biggest thing ever - my eternity.
The drastic contrast... well it's hitting me hard today.
I am coming to the reality that I'm guilty of not trusting more than trusting.

We sang a song in worship today that we have sang a few times recently and it slammed into me.
It actually took my breath away for a moment.  I'll link it below, but here is the lyric that messed me up.

As I wait, heart of God
Satisfy and sustain
As I hear, voice of God
Lead me on, be my guide
Be my guide


As I wait... satisfy and sustain.
I seem to wait a lot for things.  It always seemed like other people got their stuff earlier, faster. Husband, jobs, house, kids = everything... quickly.
Meanwhile, God had me on the 10-20 year plan.
In hindsight, I'm ok with pretty much every minute I ended up waiting for all the things because I realize that God had a purpose. I realize that He had a plan.

But in the middle of the wait it can be nearly impossible to find that resting place of satisfaction.
As we wait we must listen and we must hear.
To be sustained, we must listen, we must hear, and we must be led.

I cannot wait happily on my own.
There are somethings that I cannot MAKE happen.
Trust me on this people. I have tried. If there is a shortcut I would have found it. If there was a magical waiting end-er I would have that bad boy. It doesn't exist.

So if you are in the wait with me, sit down for a few minutes and let this one sink in.

Christ, be all around me.

-Waiting. Finally Still
Gina

I Have A Lot to Give... Up

Well it's me again.
I'm trying to develop this blogging habit again. It's a lot tougher than I thought it would be to get back into it.
For some reason, when life got a little more even keeled, I stopped coming here and putting things down.
Here I am again.  Trying to sift through life. Trying to get back where I  have been.
And I realized something pretty key a few days ago.

I stopped listening.
It's not that God didn't have anything to say. But I really, really didn't want to hear it.

As long as I felt that God was doing what I wanted, what I expected, I was all on board.
That even went for those years when I desperately cried out to God for pretty major things - healing - husband - life. I knew, for the most part, where we were going.

Somehow I've let my mind slip away from the moments where He just came down. I wanted to listen. Ok, I sort-of wanted to listen. I mostly wanted to have my own way.

It does not work that way.

The more I insist on God fitting my plans, the farther away I get from the path that He is marking out for me.

Tonight I am admitting something publicly.  Well blogl-y? Is that a word? No? It is now!

I have a lot of things that I have picked back up over the last two years that I need to give up.

I need to give up:
My desire to know the path ahead.
My "control" or my desire to control.
My fear that He doesn't hear me.
My fear that He doesn't really understand what I need.
My small understanding of the plans that He has for me.
Me.

True freedom in this season, where the storm of not knowing is raging out of control, will only come when I let go of the things I am trusting to anchor me.

Freedom will come only when I open my hands, let the sails fly, and let Him take me... take us on the wild an unruly path that He knew from day one.

I know I can trust Him.

Honesty?
I'm scared.
But I'm ready.

Giving up,
Gina

Does it Take a Whirlwind?

1 Kings 19
I have written about this chapter a lot. I'm not sure why I keep coming back to it, other than the fact that I want God to scream things out at me instead of me being quiet enough to listen.
Ok. Ouch.

I usually focus on the verses that talk about Elijah listening for God in the fire and whirlwind.
The context of it has somehow escaped me a little before tonight.

God was the one who told Elijah to head to the hills, and listen.

^11-12 Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”

God was already speaking to him. But Elijah was having a bit of a pity party. Now I can't fault him for this, if you read the things that he has gone though you will see it's not been an easy road.
But my point here is - he already HAD God's attention.  God was speaking TO him.

God pulls him aside, to this mountain, and then shows off some power. 

The passage continues: "A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper."

Hurricane force winds, rocks shattering, an earthquake, and a fire storm one after the other ravage the mountain where Elijah stands.

My friend Elijah, who I can completely relate to, waits for it all to pass and seems to think the point is that God didn't hear him. If you read carefully you'll see he repeats the exact same things to God on the mountain that he has just said to him in the cave.

Oh Elijah, I can SO relate. I think one of the reasons I keep circling this passage is because God is speaking but I'm still not listening.  And I really don't want to have to hike a mountain and have rocks shattered to finally "get it."

God, Help us to hear you right where we are. We are listening.

-Gina