I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14
One interruption after another – that is often a hallmark of a caregiver’s life, not to mention many writers’ lives! I had a nasty week of interruptions last month. I misplaced a check I really needed to deposit. I cleaned and prayed, recleaned and prayed with my grandkids, and resorted and cleaned my desk and its myriads of piles three times over the next few days. It was especially frustrating as I had made sure to carefully set it on my desk so it would NOT get lost.
It was tempting to get mad, give in to the frustration, and to ask God “why do you want me to be wasting time with this interruption to find the check instead of writing something that You can use!” Surprisingly (I suspect because of all the praying I was doing with the grandkids) I did none of those. God had given me a tremendous sense of peace about it all. I just kept praying, looking when I had time, and waiting on Him.
In the meantime, the whole situation provided “food” for a couple of articles along with a series of wonderful object lessons for my grandchildren – about praying, waiting on God, and praising Him no matter what.
Today, I came home earlier than I expected and grabbed at the chance to sort and look again – more slowly than the previous times. I found four other missing items, got my desk much neater, and last, but definitely NOT least, found the check! It had fallen down into a box that I had already checked, but not close enough apparently. Talk about praising God a LOT! Then I called my grandsons to report on this awesome answer to our prayers. What a great way to encourage them in prayer and in waiting patiently.
Interruptions mean waiting, don’t they? And we hate to wait. But the Bible clearly teaches us that interruptions and waiting are an important part of our growth, as well as the growth of others we are leading – whether our grandchildren or our readers. And, when we rest in HIM and pray for wisdom to use these times of waiting, we are so often blessed with writing projects that can minister to others as well. Truly, the goodness of the LORD in so many ways.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that waiting comes so hard for us. Help us in each situation to seek You, pray continually, and wait on You patiently. Fill us with your strength and Your courage. And use these interruptions to teach others Your vital truths. Amen.
