Tag: press on

Waiting

God Has Not Forgotten You

meghanewhite

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Waiting on God can be quite difficult. At first, our faith is strong and unwavering. Then, as time goes by, our faith gets a little tired. Our patience gets exhausted, and we start to think that God may have forgotten us in our suffering. That could not be farther from the truth.

When we don’t get an immediate answer to our prayers, the wait begins. The longer the wait, the more fear and doubt come in to our minds. It’s a faith test that no one wants to take, definitely not me. Delay does not mean denial. It can sure feel like it though.

I can wait a few hours, a few days, maybe even a few weeks. When weeks turn to months, and months turn to years, I start to wonder what is God doing. “God, do you see me?” “Do you care that I’m in pain?” “How long will this go on?” The truth is that God sees us, and is with us in our pain, and He has a plan for our good, in all of it.

Recently, I watched a talk given by an elderly woman who was part of the Dutch Resistance in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation of WWII. I can’t recall her name, but she was a friend of Corrie ten Boom. Her story was filled with danger, and suffering, and a lot of faith. She mentioned the length of the war, and how they did not know the Nazi occupation would last for five years. They were always hoping and praying for the terrible war to end, but it took five long years for the Germans to surrender in 1945. Her nightmare ended, but they had no way of knowing how long it was going to last.

We don’t know how long we have to wait for that promise from God, but He does. He is with you as you wait. He is with you when you can’t take it another minute. He is with you when you hurt. He is the God of all comfort. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 2 Corinthians 1:3, NIV

God is having you wait for a reason and a season. Keep trusting Him when you don’t know, and don’t understand. God is sovereign and loves you. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16, NIV

“Is there something you are waiting for, something you are trusting God to do, to perform, to fulfill, and He hasn’t done it yet? You are probably waiting longer than you thought you would have to wait. But that doesn’t mean God’s provision is canceled, it just means His promise is delayed. Our timetable is different from His, and on occasion He will say, “Wait.” I repeat, the delay doesn’t mean He has canceled it, it simply means He’s building our character through the process of waiting.”

Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessings

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1, NIV

Love you all,

Meghan

Photo credit of forget-me-not flower: Meghan E. White

Perseverance

The Struggle Bus Is Real

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Bolton bus
Bolton bus by Alan Murray-Rust is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

I was waiting for a bus, a party bus. It was going to be lovely. The destinations were fun, happy, relaxing places. No stress or troubles were in sight. My bag was packed ready to go as I sat at the bus stop. Several buses came whizzing by, but they didn’t slow down. Surely my party bus would arrive soon.

Finally, my moment had come. A bus pulled up right in front of me, yet it didn’t look at all like the party bus I was waiting for. This bus was kind of odd looking and definitely not fun at all. The door opened and the driver motioned for me to get in. I hesitantly stepped up and found a place to sit. The seats were worn out and torn. The bus smelled funny, and there was no one else on board. Oh no! It was the struggle bus.

I’ve been riding the struggle bus for some time now, even though it was supposed to be just a short ride. The trials keep piling on with each roll of the bus wheels. There is nothing special about me or my troubles. I am not unique in going through hard times. It happens to all of us. I wouldn’t choose the struggle bus, but this is where I need to be right now.

I am learning to accept where I am as I wait for God to answer my prayers and teach me what I need to know. There is plenty for me to do as I’m riding along. My faith is being stretched and tested. Each day I say, “I trust You, Lord”, when I can’t see anything in front of me. He knows every detail and wants me to trust Him, and I do.

The struggle bus is not so bad. Though there are days, and times that are gut wrenching. The party bus is my kind of ride, but that’s not for me today. In the struggle is where God is etching away my pride, fear, and doubt and replacing it with humility, faith, and perseverance. I have to rely on Him to get through, because He will bring me to the other side better, with a little less of me, and more of Him.

If I only rode the party bus my faith would never grow. I wouldn’t need Jesus. I would be a terrible, soulless person. It is in the struggle that faith muscles get a much needed work out. It’s not pretty, but the results are amazing. So today I’m enjoying my ride. It can get bumpy, and I may get car sick, but I will make it by the grace of God.

Enjoy the ride.

Love you all,

Meghan

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4, NIV 

Perseverance

Be Strong and Do Not Give Up

meghanewhite

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The other morning I grabbed my Bible not knowing what to read. I opened it up and found myself in 2 Chronicles. A verse popped right off the page that I had highlighted a long time ago. 

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7, NIV

I don’t normally go to 2 Chronicles. I’ve read it before, but it’s not a book that comes to mind when I am looking to study something in the Bible. I know that was not a coincidence. God spoke to me through this verse. It’s His holy word, and He speaks through it. 

These incredible words were spoken to Asa. He was king of Judah and he loved God. It was a tumultuous, dangerous time. There were wars and battles between nations. The people were disobedient and worshipped idols. The prophet Azariah said, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2, NIV). 

Asa loved the Lord, and for most of his life he did right. “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 14:2, NIV). He removed all the foreign altars, told Judah to seek the Lord and obey His laws and commandments. “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.” (2 Chronicles 15:17b, NIV)

In verse 8 we are told that Asa took courage after hearing what the prophet said. Praise God for that. Asa did listen to the prophet and he was encouraged. We can be encouraged too. Those words were spoken to Asa but they are for us as well. They apply today. God does not change. 

Be Strong 

Whatever you are going through, be strong. It’s not your strength you are relying on, it’s God’s. He has infinite strength, and infinite power. As His children we get full access to Him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. He will be your strength.

Do Not Give Up 

Your circumstances may look hopeless. There is always hope with Jesus. Sometimes we have to wait for God’s perfect timing. In the meantime keep doing what He asked of you. Be obedient and He will take care of every single thing you need. It may not be easy, but He will make a way. Never give up!

God Will Reward You

After Asa removed all the detestable idols, and repaired the altar of the Lord, he gathered all the people. They sacrificed to God and they sought after Him with all their heart and soul. “So the Lord gave them rest on every side” (2 Chronicles 15:15b, NIV). God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, and those who obey Him. We obey out of love, reverence, and awe of God. He knows the motives of our hearts, and He is a rewarder of the pure in heart. That’s how good God is. 

Be strong and do not give up!

Love you all,

Meghan 

 

Joey Flynn's Extraordinary Tale

It All Started 3 Years Ago

meghanewhite

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Three years ago today I published my very first blog post. I had no idea what I was doing. I dipped my little toe in the blogging world on April 24, 2018. I did not know where to start. I did not know what to write. But I knew I had to do it. After praying about it for several days an idea came to mind. I wrote about how unqualified I am to write.

Unqualified

The reason I started this blog was because of my children’s book, Joey Flynn’s Extraordinary Tale. I never wanted to be a writer. I had zero writing dreams or desires. Writing was nowhere on my radar, but God had a different plan. 

Why Did I Write A Children’s Book?

I am terrible about promoting my book. There is a link on my home page and that’s about it for self promotion. I’ve just never been comfortable with pushing my book. If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber you can get my book for free. Several times a year I give away the Kindle version.

Three years goes by fast. A lot has happened in these brief years. I have learned a lot about my faith, and about myself. The first year of my little blog, I hardly wrote. Maybe once or twice a month. I bumped it up the second year. Now, I try to write a weekly post. It doesn’t always happen and sometimes I just don’t want to write.

To stay motivated to keep writing, I try and think of just one person. That maybe, just maybe, one person will read my post and be encouraged. My goal is the same today as it was in the beginning. Encouragement for the Believer, and plant seeds of faith for the Non-Believer.

I want to be as honest as possible about my own struggles, weaknesses, and triumphs. When I share parts of my life I pray that someone sees they are not alone. Christians are real people, with real issues, with real hope because of Jesus.

I just want to say “Thank you!” to each of you. Thank you for reading, following, and supporting my little blog. It’s my tiny corner of the world, so thanks for hanging out with me. Each of you are a blessing to me.

I’m always happy to pray for you. Please don’t hesitate to share your prayer requests with me. It’s a privilege to pray. meghanewhiteauthor@gmail.com

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I love you guys.

Love,

Meghan

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:20, NASB