Journal Entry ~ 10/23/19
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31
We want to be filled with His strength, so we are learning how to wait for the Lord this week. We know we need to dig down under our impatience for the issue that's driving our difficulty in waiting. When we uncover those heart issues, we need to confess and repent. My personal struggle beneath my impatience is fear and control.
When I turn to scripture about fear, there is an intentional connection to gratitude. Years ago, when I first realized the depth of fear I had, my life verse was "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6. There is so much strength in that verse for me, I just need to see it and He reminds me of all He has taught me through it.
We are told to worry about nothing, but to hand everything up to God in prayer - with thanksgiving. It's amazing how developing an attitude of gratitude has changed my level of fear, and in turn, my ability to wait. Whenever I notice my heart or my thoughts fill with fear, I immediately grab a hold of them and shift them to thoughts of gratitude. When I'm in a tailspin fearing the worst for my sons, I shift my thoughts to all that I am thankful for and that He has done in my life, especially with my boys.
Sometimes it's hard to think of those things when I'm in my emotional mind and fear has a grip. Keeping a gratitude journal has changed that - keep a running list of all the little and big things that God has done in my life that I am thankful for. I keep it right on my phone so it's always with me. I started it years ago by writing down 5 things everyday that I'm thankful for - it's amazing how the little things come back to your memory when you're writing them down, or returning to read them. Those little moments are some of the most precious to me. But the big moments are in there as well - I realized just how much I had to be thankful for once I started writing them all down.
That's where I found the strength of the Lord - that's where I found His peace in the waiting. We are told in scripture to call to mind His faithfulness - But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: - Lamentations 3:21. Calling to mind all that we have to be thankful for is what brings us that peace and hope on the waiting. That's where we find His strength.
Press on ~ you are loved 💗
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