What now?

Good Morning Ladies (and few gents),

Today’s devotion included below “Turning “Why Me?” into “What Now?”” is a reminder from GiG Sharon that, “…when we go through a trial that wounds us deeply, God can use it to teach us valuable lessons…Our faith grows in the petri dish of struggles in the laboratory of life.”

As a former science teacher, this word picture means a lot. For those of you who may not recall, a petri dish is a shallow cylindrical glass or plastic lidded dish that biologists use to culture cells – such as bacteria – or small mosses. A petri dish is named after the German bacteriologist Julius Richard Petri.

Using the symbolism of life being a petri dish is brilliant. Bacteria (representing sin) can multiply causing all manner of destruction. And sin unchecked can grow quite rapidly causing everything in its path to be affected, and rarely in a good way; from lapses in communication with the Lord and others to something much, much more serious.

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.Isaiah 30:18 NLT

GiG, in the same way that we eagerly await the happenings in our lives, God waits expectantly for us. He desires to be gracious to us; He longs to show us mercy. He uses time as His tool. He waits for opportunities to show us kindness. And as God waits for us, we slowly wait on him. To wait upon the Lord is to expect him to act, so be watchful.

As the Message rendition of Isaiah 30:18 states, “But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right—everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.

GiG, I pray you’re feeling lucky today! There's no better place to be than in God's waiting room. The old is gone and the new hasn't happened yet. We're waiting in the in-between. I won't lie to you; waiting in the in-between can be stressful, but remain still, steady and silent because God is at work.

May we be encouraged today, regardless of what is going on within us, around us and in spite of us—anticipate God’s voice and his leadings. There is a blessing that awaits; remember to keep our focus on things above as we wait for Him to work in our lives.

God’s Got It…so we can receive His LOVE—The ultimate measure of a man (or woman) is not where he (or she) stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he (or she) stands at time of challenge and controversy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Have a “What Now” Wednesday, April 10, 2019—fill up: willingness and obedience are two ingredients for a fulfilling life.

Called to serve and encouraging others to thrive,

DEA: Embracing a Work-Hard, Rest-Well Life and Loving My Priorities, Loving My Life