A text from God. #yesplease

A friend and I were talking about how sometimes it's just so hard to know which way to go or what to do.  Some choices are obvious, so many more are gray.   We laughed saying how awesome it would be if God would just send us a text message and tell us what to do. 

A text from God.  The proverbial easy button.

Ah, the world of instant gratification.  Back when I was a kid, (#iwalkeduphillbothways #thatsnottrue), we had these things called phone books that we would have to flip through to find the number to Pizza Hut.  When it came time to type that 10 page paper on the Industrial Revolution?  We actually had to go to a library, check out an encyclopedia or other reference books and read them.  If I wanted a new pair of shoes that I saw on TV, I had to wait until my mom could drive me to a store that may or may not actually have the shoes I wanted.  We waited.

Now we have Google. 

Don't get me wrong, I love technology.  I'm the queen of facebook, emoji, blogs and hashtags. (#dontjudgeme).  I love it.  But I can't pretend it hasn't made me more impatient. 

"Does anyone know what time the movie starts?"
"Here, I'll google it...5,4,3,2 UGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH seriously!  Why is my internet being so slow?!?!?  Stupid smart phone."

Really Jess?  Really.

I've become more impatient with God too.  I would like to just pull up godgoogle.com and type in, "Should I buy a house?", or  "Should I move to Africa?"  or "What should I make for dinner tonight?"  And have God just answer the question immediately.

"You should definitely make enchiladas for dinner. #yum." -God

But God doesn't send text messages. 

You see, while our culture has conditioned us to seek the answer,

God has created us to seek Him.

While our culture has exalted instant gratification,

God places value on perseverance.

While our culture glorifies the destination,

 God delights in the journey.

"His purpose is that I depend on Him and His power  now.  It is that I see Him walking on the waves.  No shore in sight, no success, no goal.  Just  the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea.  It is the process, not the end , that is glorifying to God."  Oswald Chambers.

There is something beautiful that happens in the process.  Even when the journey is long, and the waiting seems endless, change is happening.  Growth is happening.  Waiting is refining.  It's character building.  It's necessary.  And it's so stinkin' hard.

And yet in the middle of all the new apps, text messages and search engines, God hasn't changed.

And so we wait.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."  Psalm 130:5-8

 

Do I trust Him?  Do I believe in His sovereignty and goodness?  Do I believe that even in the waiting He is right there with me?

 

"The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him." Lamentations 3:25

#amen  #beloved