The Waiting - Zoe Elmore

“Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt." Genesis 41:46

Devotion:
Our oldest son graduated from college and now lives and works in another state. As parents we are grateful and proud for our son; not to mention relieved by the financial ease of having one less child on our “payroll.” While the benefits of his job are above and beyond what any new college grad could hope for, our son believes God is calling him to a place of service and ministry. When he asked for our opinion we tried hard to balance the love we have for him with the common sense of a parent that says you must be crazy to think about leaving this job. Of course we’d love to see our son serve the Lord in a ministry, but without clear direction and opportunity we have cautioned our son about the dangers of running ahead of God’s perfect timing.

God has gifted our son with the ability to connect with and influence people with his passion for life. While passion is a good thing, left unchecked it will burn out quickly. I’m reminded of David and Joseph from the Old Testament. Just like our son, they too had a passion to love and serve God. We learn from Scripture that God called these men into a place of service for His eternal kingdom; but only after a time of waiting while they experienced God’s refining fire of trial and temptation were they ready to assume the duties and responsibilities these positions would require.

Joseph was 17 years old when his brothers sold him into slavery, and it wasn’t until he was 30 years old that he was promoted into Pharaoh’s service. At 16, David was told of his future as king, yet it took another sixteen years before that became a reality. Both men endured rejection, loneness, and deprivation along the pathway that led to their position of service. It’s interesting to note that there is no record of either man whining or complaining during his years of waiting. I can find no evidence that either man shook his fist in God’s face and demanded his reward. Instead I find men of integrity who learned patience and obedience while totally relying on God to work every circumstance for their good and His glory on their way to assuming the next position God had for them.

If you’re seeking God’s direction in your life, take a page from the life of Joseph and David. Commit your heart and your life to patiently waiting on God. Be obedient to what He has called you to do right now, and do it with excellence. Learn to be content while waiting on God to change your present circumstances. Ask God to show you the lessons He wants to teach you in order to be ready to assume the next position He is preparing you for. Do not run ahead of the Lord. Hurry is the death of trust.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I long to know Your will for my life. Help me to be content right where You have placed me and teach me the lessons I must learn before receiving the next position You are preparing for me, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:
Ask the Lord to reveal your spiritual gifts and talents and record them in your journal.

Develop those gifts and ask God to reveal how He wants you to practice your gifts for His service.

Reflections:
Are you doing your job with excellence everyday as you wait on the Lord to show you His plans for your life?

Check your attitude. Are you waiting on God with patience and obedience?

Power Verses:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD. How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You if I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.” Psalm 40:1-5

You’re the One - MaryBeth Whalen

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a

Devotion:
Do you ever long to hear God say, “I choose you”? Maybe you have read that He has a plan for everyone’s life or you have heard a pastor say that He loves you. But in your heart of hearts, you wonder: Am I special? Does God see me?
There are stories from the Bible that illustrate how God calls ordinary people out of their ordinary lives. It is clear from the Scriptures that in each case He was watching them long before He invaded their lives with His holy presence.

God chose Noah simply because He lived a righteous life. Genesis 6:8 tells us, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

God chose David simply because He saw His heart. Psalm 78:70-73 tells us, “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people, Jacob, of Israel, his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

God chose Mary simply because He knew she would do what He asked. Luke 1:30 tells us, “But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.’”

None of these people held lofty positions or had received worldly acclaim. They were “nobodies”???nothing special???and yet God saw each of them as they went about their daily lives, doing the most mundane of tasks. He saw their character, their right choices, and their hearts. And He said in response, “You’re the one.”

In Mark 5:21-34, Jesus is walking with a crowd of people, all pressing in on Him, hungry for His attention, His healing, His words. The Bible tells us that the crowd “pressed around him” (Verse 24). I imagine people were clutching and grabbing at Him, desperate for even a small piece of Him. Only one woman, however, pressed in such a way that it caused Him to stop and turn to her. Her touch was different from all the rest. This woman didn’t just touch Him with her hands, but with her heart of faith. He felt the difference as His power went out of Him (verse 30), and He in effect said in response to her: You’re the one. This woman was a “nobody,” with nothing to offer the God of the Universe. Yet, He found her worthy of His time and attention. He chose her.

God wants to find those people whose hearts are desperate for Him. He wants to heal, strengthen, and equip these people. He isn’t looking for the worthy, the intelligent, or the beautiful people. He is looking for the ordinary ones who are simply open to His invading presence in their lives. If He is calling you right now, don’t convince yourself that He isn’t. God sees you, just as you are, and He knows the ones He calls.

Dear Lord, please remind me today that You do notice me and that I am worthy in Your sight. Strengthen me to do whatever it is You have prepared in advance for me to do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:
What verses speak to you specifically today? Write them down somewhere where you will see them often. Cling to the promise that God does see you, and that He can use you.

Reflections:
Do you doubt your worth in God’s eyes?

What has this devotion reminded you of regarding your worth?

Do you doubt that He could ever use you? How can you take captive that thought and turn your thinking around today?

Power Verses:
“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” I Chronicles 28:9

“And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:27

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10