Then he told them:
We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.
And in the same way—by our faith — the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows, of course, what the Spirit is saying as he pleads for us in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans. Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Our Nathan is in his “superhero phase.” He wears a Batman or Spiderman costume almost every day – sometimes with a mask, sometimes without. I am talking the full costume, complete with cape where appropriate! Lately, he has discovered a French animated series about four new “superhero” characters, the Disney Channel’s PJ Masks. His favorite is Connor/Catboy, who Wikipedia describes as…
”a blue-eyed boy with brown hair. When he transforms he wears a blue costume with cat ears and a thin feline tail. He is the leader of the group. He has super-hearing using Cat Ears, can leap high and far using Super Cat Jump, and sprints fast using Super Cat Speed, or just Super Speed. His vehicle is the Cat Car, located in the middle segment of the Masks' tower. His bedroom is on the second floor of a blue-roofed blue-doored house…”And Nathan wants his costume!
I looked online and found a blue nylon bodysuit that covers everything head to toe except the child’s face. It’s a little pricey, but I know it would be worn often…perhaps too often! I printed out masks of all the PJ Masks characters for Nathan and Timothy, and Nathan said, “When you buy me the suit for my birthday (in August), I will have the whole costume!” I am waiting to buy it until I know for sure that Nathan will still be interested in these characters when the time comes, but he is quite certain that he will get this suit for his birthday. In his mind, it is a “done deal,” and he is waiting “patiently and confidently.”
Most of us could use a hefty dose of this almost-four-year-old confidence and patience when it comes to our relationship with God and how we wait on Him for answers. If only we could trust that God will always answer and deliver perfectly when the time is right. Just as it is entirely possible that by August 3rd, Nathan may be completely over the Catboy character - and wanting some other toy or costume that he cannot live without - it may be that the deepest desire of our heart is not what we really want…or need. And in God’s perfect timing, He will set us straight.
You and I spend far too much time trying to “drive the car” and tell God what to do. We don’t know nearly as much as we think we do…and we let our imaginations and desires run amok. If we could only learn to stop, rest, and wait on God…to trust Him to decide what is best for us and to serve Him faithfully in the meantime…things would be so much better for us. We would be so much better if we would rest and allow God to hear the “groaning of unspoken prayers” once in awhile instead of constantly berating Him with a verbal litany of our wants and needs. We need to stop trying to make our point and make His difference…and let God do the orchestrating in all of this.
I don’t know whether Catboy will reign supreme this fall at our house or not. I also don’t know what God has in store for us in the coming weeks, months, and years. But I am trusting that it will all be good…and I am committing myself to live every day with patience and confidence as I wait on His plans and their implementation. What about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
