God's Not Finished With Us Yet!

 

Perhaps like some of you, I have been praying and waiting for the day we see renewed work on our campus at 7815 Shallowford Road. It can feel that we’ve been forgotten and that we will never again drive onto our own parking lot. I came across some thoughts in my recent reading that helped me with this long waiting game. I’m hoping it will help you too.

I’ve been reading a book by Stan Toler titled The Buzzards are Circling, but God’s Not Finished With Me Yet. Mr. Toler approaches profound truths in an often humorous way. It’s not exactly my cup of tea, but someone I love gave me the book, so I determined to see it through, and I’m glad I did. In a chapter titled “I Know I’m Lost, but the Scenery’s Spectacular!” the author poses this question: How do you trust the Lord in the turmoil? He then offers six steps to moving forward even when the way seems uncertain. Here they are with my own thoughts about our particular situation added:

1.    1. Trust God’s Word. We are blessed at Grace to have faithful pastors and teachers who keep the truth before us week after week. We must not allow our doubts to rule but should keep turning to God’s word for daily instructions for living. This idea is basic.

2.    2. Keep walking in obedient faith. We cannot understand why our situation is as it is, why we can’t have the resources others have or walk an easy road. Our duty is not to understand but to obey the truth we know. So—we keep meeting together as Hebrews 10 tells us, we present the gospel as we are told in Matthew 28, we support missionaries all across the globe with our money and our prayers.

3.    3. Be committed for the duration. “For the duration”—there’s a phrase to give pause since we don’t know how long the duration might be. But the question is this: Are we committed to loving one another and serving God together even if we remain in limbo for—who knows how long?

4.   4.  Be willing to make adjustments. Well, we know about adjustments, don’t we? I am so encouraged by the upbeat attitude and good spirit I see in each of our leaders. Going from three large buildings at our disposal to one somewhat smaller one has required many adjustments. How long has it been since we celebrated July 4^th on our own campus, complete with food and fireworks? But didn’t we have fun this last July? I sure did. Everything is different, from choir practice to Children’s Church, but God has not changed.

5.    5. Be patient and trust God’s promises. And just what are God’s promises? Not buildings. Not physical comfort. How about “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22)? Or “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)? Patience is not easy, but we keep trusting God’s love and faithfulness and holding onto his promises.

6.  6.  Be obedient to God’s will. God’s will for our future is not always clear, but we can easily follow the day-by-day commands from his word—“Love one another,” “Pray without ceasing,” “In everything give thanks.” All these and more are within our power to obey, as we have the Holy Spirit to strengthen and direct us.

We don’t know how long we will remain in this holding pattern, but there are a few things we do know, and those are the things we need to focus on. One day we will look back and see this waiting time as a wonderful time of growth and experiencing  God’s goodness.

 --Sherry Poff