Oceans in the Desert

By Kathi Pelton

This morning I woke up early with my soul beginning to strive for some personal things I’ve been carrying in prayer. I could immediately sense a striving in my heart posture, in my prayers and in my thoughts. This is an easy place to go when something is hanging in the balance between a request and an answer— or a promise and a fulfillment.

Then the Lord quieted my soul and said, “Just sit silently before Me in a posture of trust and take a deep breath.”

I reminded my soul that He is never late, He has not forgotten and He is able to do what I am not able to do. I do not need to strive or force His hand— for He is willing and wise in all of His dealing with me.

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62:5

Then I remembered the verse above and a stillness and quiet trust came upon my heart and mind. He is my hope and I can trust Him so completely that rest replaces worry and stillness replaces striving.

Just like in this Christmas season we remember how mankind waited for a Savior— the Messiah. Then, after a long time of waiting, the angel of the Lord appears in a field where sheep and shepherds rested to announce that the waiting was over.

“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”” Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭

God had appointed the time and place where the promise would be birthed and it was announced to nearby shepherds who were guarding their flocks. They were not crying out for the promise or striving to force God’s hand. They were merely tending the sheep entrusted to them. Long before that night, God had made a promise that a Messiah would come— a child would be given to us that would bring hope and salvation.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭

He came! On a silent night when most men slept unaware…He came. After all the generations of waiting, most had lost hope in the promise of a savior coming to pass. Yet, God had not forgotten and He had an appointed time.

You may have promised that you have been given but the wait has been so long that you wonder if He’s forgotten. He has not forgotten and what feels slow to us is but a moment with Him.

‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ 2 Peter 3:8-9

We are keenly aware and conscious of time. We keep time, we watch time, we wait while counting time. We often interpret time gone by as delay— yet, with God there is an appointed time and that time is but a moment after the promise was made from His perfect perspective. He is not being slow and He is patient with our process and perspective that feels so very slow— yet we must continue to hope and rest in the One who promised. He will fulfill it.

If this is you— sit back and take a long deep breath. Quiet and still your soul and take comfort in the moment of hope that you are in. Wait in trust and stillness.

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;” Psalm 30:5

He has not forgotten you. He has not abandoned you nor is it His desire to bring you harm. Our lives often feel as though they have more seasons of waiting then of obtaining and yet I have (and still am) learning to not miss the day and moment that I have been given by begging God to do what He has already promised to do in a moment yet to come.

I have meditated often this year on the statement that Bill Johnson made when his precious wife, Beni died. He said,

“Worshiping in pain is only possible on this side of heaven so this is a privilege.”

He did not want to miss anything that God had for him in the season of pain. He wanted to learn everything about God that he could amid pain because then it would not be wasted. Yet— most of us shy away from pain and try to fill it with other things or avoid it all together so that it is not experienced. Yet, then we miss the encounter offered to us with the God of Comfort. We miss experiencing the overflow of His compassion and grace that is poured out in pain and waiting.

Waiting for a promise can be painful. I have waited many times in my life but I have experienced some of the most tender and loving moments with God in those times. He truly is near to the broken-hearted. I have prayers and promises that I am waiting for even now and some of them hurt— but I do not want to miss experiencing His comfort, His compassion, His patience, His mercy or His love in this time of waiting. Joy will come but I want the waiting to be as rich as the fulfillment.

So— worship in your pain and in your waiting. Get still in the posture of trust and encounter Him in the moment at hand. You’ll never get this moment back again so live it well and hold nothing back from Him.

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Isaiah 30:18

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