Not too long
ago my Son-in-law lent me a
book titled, "The Bible
Jesus Read", by Phillip
Yancey, to read a chapter it
contains on the Book of Job,
which I found very insightful
and very encouraging. It is
based on chapters 1 & 2
of Job, which focus on his
faith, unlike chapters 3-42,
which focus on his loss and
suffering. I'm sure
that all of us at some point
in our lives have identified
with the latter. After
being very healthy for most
of my life, I too for the
past couple of years have
been plagued with back to
back infirmities.
However, in spite of all I
have endured, and still
endure, the all sufficient
grace of God (and the prayers
of the brethren) has enabled
me to hold on to my faith and
integrity. To be
honest, it was quite a
struggle at times as my body
was wracked with pain and
discomfort, but that still
small voice within has been
my constant stay.
Faith, after all, is the
substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things
not seen. (Hebrews 1:1)
So I could never let go of my
"Now" faith
because I know that sooner or
later my change will come, so
I simply wait. In
addition to that reading, a
good friend and sister in
Christ shared the poem below
with me titled,
"Wait", which
served as a reminder to "Be
still and know that I am
God..." Psalm 46:10.
Desperately, helplessly,
longingly, I cried: Quietly,
patiently, lovingly God
replied. I pled and I wept
for a clue to my fate, And
the Master so gently said,
"Child, you must
wait." "Wait? You
say, wait!" my indignant
reply. "Lord, I need
answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or
have you not heard? By faith,
I have asked, and am claiming
your Word. My future and all
to which I can relate hangs
in the balance, and YOU tell
me to WAIT? I'm needing a
'yes', go-ahead and sign, or
even a 'no' to which I can
resign. And Lord, You
promised that if we believe
we need but to ask, and we
shall receive. And Lord, I've
been asking, and this is my
cry: I'm weary of asking! I
need a reply! Then quietly,
softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once
again, "You must wait.
"So I slumped in my
chair, defeated and taught
and grumbling to God,
"So, I'm waiting... for
what? "He seemed, then,
to kneel, and His eyes wept
with mine, And he tenderly
said, "I could give you
a sign. I could shake the
heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and
cause mountains to run. All
you seek, I could give, and
pleased you would be. You
would have what you
want--But, you wouldn't know
Me. You'd not know the depth
of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that
I give to the faint; You'd
not learn to see through the
clouds of despair; You'd not
learn to trust just by
knowing I'm there;You'd not
know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence
were all you could see.
You'd
never experience that
fullness of love As the peace
of My Spirit descends like a
dove; You'd know that I give
and I save... (for a
start),But you'd not know the
depth of the beat of My
heart. The glow of My comfort
late into the night, The
faith that I give when you
walk without sight, The depth
that's beyond getting just
what you asked Of the
infinite God, who makes what
you have LAST. You'd never
know, should your pain
quickly flee, What it means
that "My grace is
sufficient for Thee.
"Yes, your dreams for
your loved one overnight
would come true, But, Oh, the
Loss! If I lost what I'm
doing in you! So, be silent,
My Child, and in time you
will see That the greatest of
gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' My answers
seem terribly late, My most
precious answer is still,
"WAIT." [ Author
Unknown ]
One of the hardest things I
find when you're in the midst
of a test or trial, or when
there is so much agitation
and distraction on the
outside, is to be still and
wait. But, I've also
found that focusing on the
Spirit living in me,
constrains me on the inside (Job
32:18) and I am able
to rest in the Lord.
This may sound strange, but
the word wait, which is a
verb, requires action.
Although the word insinuates
doing nothing, this couldn't
be further from the truth.
When you are in waiting mode,
one would be inclined to
think that there is nothing
to do. But trust me,
while you're "doing
nothing", the thing
"to do" is pray and
wage war on the enemy, and
trust & believe that God
is working in the midst of
your pain, stress, anxiety,
discouragement, depression,
despondency, disappointment,
loss, loneliness, and
grief. Not only is He
working things out on your
behalf, He's also working in
you, and on getting your
attention because He has a
Word that will carry you
through to His expected end.
Getting a word from the Lord
will drown out all of the
devil's lies. Getting
a Word from the Lord is
essential to getting the
victory. Getting a Word
from the Lord will turn your
test into a testimony!
So when you find yourself
waiting for an answer from
the Lord for your situation,
get busy waiting!
Your comments are welcome,
please email me at genvilla@yahoo,com
Bishop Bani B. Brown, Pastor
September 2011 News
Letter Article |
