Jer 17:7-8 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
For some time, I’ve found myself being in a real state of dissatisfaction – restlessness. Even more so after returning from Nepal. My heart longs to be elsewhere (in Nepal, with N.P., ministering to the Nepalese People) & yet, I remain here. As some of you may have seen on Facebook, I’ve started the filing to Petition for the Fiance Visa. Some of you may ask why that is if N.P. had planned to just apply last month for the Travel Visa to come here over the summer for marriage. Unfortunately, as I faced reality, I’ve learned that my debt is too great to be paid off by July or August of this year. More than likely, I will not be debt-free until a year from now. With this realization, N.P. & I had to take into consideration that should he be granted the visa to come for a wedding over the summer, he would be returning to Nepal without me. After much prayer & discussion between the two of us, believing firmly that it is not God’s intention for husband & wife to be part; we are waiting. I am not a patient person. I do not like to wait at all; especially when I must wait for that which my heart most longs for.
I have friends (husband/wife) who have been separated for over a year now as the husband took on new job in Texas. Meanwhile, the wife stays here in St. Louis as they pray continually or their house here to sell. Some weeks, she travels to TX to see her husband while at other times, he makes the journey up here. They are anxious for their home here to sell so that she can finally move to TX, join her husband in finding a permanent place to live, a church to join & simply be back together as a couple. Yet, they wait.
I’ve another friend who is desperately wishing to return to Asia for ministry. Yet, circumstances here prevent him from doing so. So, he waits.
As I was reading my Bible this morning, I came across the verse at the opening of this entry & they spoke to me greatly. I have determined that even though I may not “want” to be where I am, God has chosen to keep me here. The All Sovereign God that I have great faith in is fully capable of wiping away my financial debt & providing me with the ability to board the first plane out to Nepal if He so chooses. At this time, it would appear that He has a plan for my being here. My prayer has been for contentment, that I, like the Apostle Paul, would learn to be content no matter what my state & that I would obey 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “1Thess 5:16-18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." This verse does not tell us that that we are to rejoice sometimes, pray at set times or give thanks when things are going the way we want to. No, even when I would much rather be in Nepal, I'm to rejoice. I am to pray continually & be grateful always. As I reflect back to the passage in Jeremiah, I'm encouraged by these words in a commentary I read & I pray this will be true of me.How can I not be excited for Our Lord's Name to be glorified?!
Oh what a gracious and loving God we serve! When we are experiencing difficult times and He is where we confidently place our trust, He becomes our trust, our security, and He places us in a refreshing place where we firmly stay, not afraid or worried in our struggle. Rather, we are nourished, all the while producing fruit for His kingdom. Fellow Christians are edified, while the unsaved are witnessed to, by the peace He imparts to us in the midst of our struggle. All the more, God's holy name is glorified.h.
