God waits for us…

We are not guaranteed in this life to have happiness. We live on earth, not always a happy place; things don’t always go as we planned. But, there is joy to find in those little moments of life…like when maybe your grandchild tells you he loves you, or your grown son tells you he wants the picture of you dancing when you were younger, because he really sees you and who you still are inside.

In reading the Bible we can find guidance for our lives on how to get through the pain, overcome the troubles, hold onto wisdom to live, and hold onto God to find meaning in the darkness of our lives. It’s about finding hope in the love of God. God is with us. In the quiet torment of loneliness, God is there. In the devastation of our lives when we can’t see our way and wonder: where God, why God, how God, and when? God is there, saying, “I am love, come lean on Me. Talk to Me about it all; cast it on Me and trust Me to carry you through…I am here.”

While we are floundering and angry—oh, so angry—we can’t see any hope; our God, He knows. He’s standing waiting for us to share it; bring it, and throw it on His shoulders. Even if in anger, then we’re at least talking to Him. He can help us through.

People make wrong choices. People do bad things that affect other people’s lives. There are going to be difficult times, and bad things are going to happen. So, we have two choices…hold onto the Comforter, Peace Giver, Lover of our souls, Father God, Lord Jesus, who died for us; or we can run in circles, screaming and ranting and hating with bitterness.

There may not be an immediate answer as to why, but in the brokenness, in the crushing, again and again of life, He walks with us. He will talk with us if we’ll be quiet and sit and look to Him long enough. He will guide us, give us wisdom, hope in Him – not in this fallen world, but in Himself. We have a God who loves us more than we can imagine. I John 1:5 says “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” He is always the same; there is no deception in Him.

He is who He says He is. He loves us. He won’t turn away. We turn away, and think He has left us. Yes, He is silent at times, but if we’d sit in the silence – we will find that in the quiet, we would find that He changes us, brings comfort, peace, growth and understanding to our spirit. God is a Spirit, and He works in our spirit, in our stillness and quiet. Sitting at His feet, in quiet awe, He is there.

There is a peace that comes when we give up our control, our insistence on changing things, and look to Him to trust Him with our life and circumstances. It’s not just a quiet due to ‘not talking;’ rather, it’s a quieting of our spirit. Children are a great illustration of this. Children get angry and kick and scream and throw fits when things don’t go like they want them to. When they finally stop and listen to what the parent is saying, there can be calmness in the understanding.

What are we trying to understand? Besides the answers to all our “whys”, we need to hear God. Can we? Will we hear Him in our brokenness—quieting our souls and giving up our rationale with all of our anger and bitterness? He sits and waits for us to come to Him, to pour it out on Him, and receive from Him. Do you do that? Or do you clam up and turn away in your pain, from the One who can help you?

When a child gets hurt, whether in body or soul, we want to comfort them and bandage their wound, if they will let us. Sometimes, in their anger over the pain they reject our comfort and get angry, pushing us away. Maybe they get mad; wondering why we didn’t stop what happened from taking place. Maybe they want to be left alone. So, we let it be and wait, until they are ready to come to us.

God is always here and God waits, always and forever… He waits for us.

Joanie Miller
Joanie Miller authors children’s books. She lives in California.
I love writing and have enjoyed journaling all my life. I’ve been writing articles for Jewels Magazine over the last year, and love sharing about the Lord and encouraging others in our faith. I’m a published author of a children’s book:”Help,Lord! I Need A Bandage On My Heart.” I’m almost ready to publish my second book in the “Help Lord” series in a few months. In 2009 I received a diploma from LongRidge Writers Group, and I received an Honorable Mention Certificate in the Writer’s Digest 76th Annual Writing Competition. I feel very priviledged to have this opportunity to write for Jewels Magazine.