Wednesday 29 January 2014

A prayer for those who are in waiting

One of the hardest things we have to do in life is to wait for things.

As an instant gratification society, waiting seems anachronistic and decidedly unwelcome. 

Shouldn't everything happen straightaway at the push of a button? Not necessarily. The best things in life are worth waiting for.

Waiting on God is challenging. We know He is always busy behind the scenes with bringing His plans for our lives to fruition.

Only, it can all take so long. We wonder if we've been forgotten about.

Our hearts grow weary. Our hope withers and dies. Our faith feels misplaced.

Answers to prayer can be especially hard to hold on for. I've waited for healing (amongst other things) for many years.

My friend, you are far from alone. I know how it feels. And, more importantly, so does God.

He sees, hears, understands and is ready and able to come alongside us in our questioning.

His wisdom and discernment help us to judge when time is ripe to move ahead. So, let's consider our position:

If...you have been sitting in the same place so long you've grown roots

If...you feel left out, neglected, overlooked, alone

If...seasons come and go and yours has never come

If...others are receiving all the breaks, the kudos, the applause

Then this prayer may be for you...


'A Prayer for those in waiting'


Father,
We sit as dormant seeds, 
bulbs brown-ugly 
bursting with promise
of life, beauty, energy, growth, 
sweet fragrance stirring to be released,
buried ~ deep darkness surrounding within, without
in soil that hangs heavy, clinging and clogging,
choking us when we try to rise above it.



Surely we were planted 
with a hope of seeing Spring,
with life and potential welling up within,
with goodness seeking to be expressed
with Your hands guiding us in place
and selecting only best?

If that is so, how can we still be waiting
for our moment to arrive,
for life to erupt from what is sealed,
for transformation and change
for Your glory to be revealed?

We watch, curious, with envy half-concealed 
as neighbouring plants grow green, 
shooting strong and true, 
their foliage shades our light
their colours vivid we can see
and we wonder what on earth 
You have created us to be.



Tangled up in troubles for today 
and shackled by worries for tomorrow, 
muddied by a morass of mishaps
sullied by sickness and sorrow, 
discouraged by dis-ease of every kind
our lives feel barren and fruitless,
our hearts weary and resigned.

Until You call and we bend an ear
to a Voice we long to hear,
the balm for every doubt
the solace for every fear.
This is no accident, my child,
your roots dig deep to draw from wells
of Grace and Love, of Faith and Trust.

If all were easy would it mean so much?
If all were simple would you wait on Me?
If all were quick would you tarry here?
If all was show and substance
would you hang around?
I plant you where in due time I choose
you'll have no thorny ground.

I plant you so that come The Day
you will reflect My Light
your colours will glow bright
working through the soil of pain
pushing up to make a mark 
and bring glory to My Name.


For My best work is done in darkness
slow, but sure and strong.
So don't give up 
and don't despair 
if it all takes so long, 
for I don't give up on you
~ rising strong and true.

©JoyLenton2014




"I am still confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord' be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" ~ Psalm 27:13-14 
**Confession** ~ This poetic prayer sat dormant in draft form waiting for such a time as this. I had so many areas of life I could have written about for:"You are not alone" {living with M.E and chronic illness, being housebound, overcoming abuse and depression etc.} but God reminded me of this entry and the fact that so many of His beloved children grow weary in waiting to see change.

My hope and prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged in the reading of it.
And know that you are definitely not alone in whatever you may be going through. 





Joining here with Holley, Michelle, and Jennifer 






20 comments:

  1. Dear Joy ... those waiting room seasons can be excruciating and overwhelming. But the invitations from His gentle hand that upholds us can see us through and grow us deep. Thank you for sharing this soul strengthening post this morning, my friend ...

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    1. Dear Linda, how right you are to say, "the invitations from His gentle hand that upholds us can see us through and grow us deep". Rooted deep in Him and embedded in the rich soil of His word. Amen! I really appreciate your thoughtful comment. Thank you for stopping by, my friend. :) x

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  2. Joy I love it! This has positively impacted my day, thank you :)

    Waiting on Him is hard. But it's always the right thing to do.

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    1. Katie, your sweet encouragement has positively impacted my day too! Thank you. It is wonderful to know you have been blessed by these words because blessings and encouraging another soul is always my hope and prayer in all I write. Yes, we do find waiting hard. But, "it is always the right thing to do" in the long run as much fruit develops in the process. Bless you, my friend, as you continue to wait on and listen to God. :) x

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  3. Beautiful Joy. It holds hope for those of us who wait. It's always amazing to me to read of those who died without ever seeing a fulfillment to their promise. And yet, they were blessed in God's eyes. Truly he does His best work in darkness, as you so aptly stated. And he said "Blessed are those who believe who have not seen."

    Just love how he builds our trust. One moment at a time. And then in His timing a garden blooms.

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    1. Anne, you touch on an amazing truth. We tend to think only those who fully receive their answers to prayer are the blessed ones. Yet so many biblical characters failed to do so but were considered blessed in God's eyes. Even when it feels cold, lonely and painful, we discover how God does His best work in darkness. Our faith and trust grow out of such times. "And then in His timing a garden blooms", as you so poetically put it. Thank you for visiting, my friend.

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  4. Waiting on Him in His word ~ promises, sometimes this area of moulding can be filled with trials, but it is these trials that enrich our souls hallelujahs! So blessed by your words today Joy! Many avenues of His seasons brings us right back to Calvary. God richly bless you my friend. :) xx

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    1. Yes, indeed, Kathy, "Many avenues of His seaons bring us right back to Calvary". We find meaning and purpose in our delays and trials when we look to the cross and reflect upon its needful work in our lives. God bless you richly too, my encouraging friend. :) xx

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  5. I have succumbed to the beautiful message in the painful place of waiting and been undone by it all. It is so worth the wait, I'm a living testament to that. Lovely words Joy, so encouraging. Thank you for your constant encouragement, know you are loved and greatly appreciated.

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    1. I agree with you, Shelly. However painful it may feel, "it is so worth the wait". Though we usually have to come out the other side to fully appreciate it. Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comments! Bless you :) x

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  6. Thanks for what you've shared here, too - definitely hard to wait, but God is faithful! And just like the flower bulbs, we are preparing for the beauty that God will reveal in and through us, while we wait!
    Blessings!
    Rebekah

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    1. Rebekah, I love this thought, "just like the flower bulbs, we are preparing for the beauty that God will reveal in and through us, while we wait!" It can be hard to believe we reflect His beauty during the waiting season, but we have the reassurance of Holy Spirit's anointing and constant presence as He works deep within to bring forth glory and beauty and reveal it to others. Blessed by your visit. Thank you, friend. :) x

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  7. This is beautiful, Joy. I am following you from Michele deRusha. So glad I linked in and found you. I also write at Under the Cover of Prayer. Anytime you have a prayer inspiration I would love you to think of our blog. Please read our statement of faith and contact me at the address on the website.
    http://underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com
    We have many different writers - some are regular contributors - some guest posters. But all our expanding our knowledge of prayer.
    Blessings to you as you wait on Him,
    Janis www.janiscox.com

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    1. Janis, it is an honour and pleasure to meet you. Thanks very much for the offer and information about Under the Cover of Prayer! I will check it out as soon as I can. There are some poetic prayers I have written that you may be interested in. Looking forward to connecting with you in the near future. Blessings on your ministry and walk of faith. :) x

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  8. Such comfort and hope here, Joy. Blessings to you, lovely friend (and many thanks for linking up with #HearItUseIt this week).

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    1. Hi Michelle, it is lovely to see you here! And a great honour to have the opportunity to link up with you for the first time. Thank you so much for your encouragement, friendship and support. Blessings :)

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  9. Joy, your poem is truly beautiful. Like Michelle said, such comfort and hope. I'm so glad I visited today for Outside the City Gate.
    Many blessings to you,
    Beth

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    1. Hi Beth, it's lovely to meet you! Thanks very much for stopping by to leave a sweet, encouraging comment. I really appreciate it. Blessings :) x

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  10. The waiting is always a tough one. I'm reminded of so many Old Testament stories draped in long periods of waiting. But God was faithful every time.

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    1. Yes, Tammy, we can take heart from those in the Old Testament whose "stories draped in long periods of waiting" and how faithful God was toward them. Many who made it into the Hebrews:11 heroes of the faith Hall of Fame who were commended for their faith, never actually saw the realisation of their faithful waiiting. Yet they were considered great people of faith to wait with the hope of seeing promises come to pass, just as we do.
      It gives us hope of hearing the encouraging words "Well done, good and faithful servant" from God's lips in time to come.
      Thank you, Tammy, for adding richness to the discussion here. God bless you! :) x

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