For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Quick Sip

Today I was reading a post Kari Patterson’s blog over at Sacred Mundane called “When He’s taking FOREVER to show up.” This post really struck a cord with me. In it she talks about how we react when God seems to be taking His time to show up in our lives. She asks, Do we panic? Do we assume the worst? Or do we trust his heart for us?

A year ago, I was moving between panic and trust. When we were desperately searching for a house in Oklahoma City while living in a cave of an apartment, I had some hard days. “Where was our house?!” I wondered, “why is God taking so long?”

I could have never imagined then the best that God had planned for me. Instead of a buying a house right then, we got to travel with Jeremy to his next job in Dallas. This ended up being such a blessing, since the alternative would have been to spend almost a year with Jeremy traveling constantly.

Then, at just the right time, God provided us with this new-to-us house back in Oklahoma. It is just what we needed right now, and I cannot tell you how much I’m loving getting to spend time with God each morning on my back porch. It’s the kind of peaceful that inspires even late night people like me to get up and enjoy it.

The rest of this journey? I haven’t a clue. We’re still settling in and getting to know our surroundings. We’re still making friends and getting to know our new church family. But, because of how God has come through in the past, I know I can trust His heart for our future.

If you’re having trouble trusting God’s heart in your present circumstances, take a few minutes to sit down and think about and write down all the ways he’s provided for you in the past. Our family actually keeps a small journal for just this purpose, so we can read back through it and remember. Or you may try reading the God Stories here of others who have waited on God and have seen him show up in their lives. Just like the Psalmist and prophets in the Bible, it is through remembering His works in the past, we find strength to trust Him with our futures.

Full Cup
Psalm 106
Psalm 33
Psalm 34
Psalm 37

These are just a few of the Psalms where the writer encourages himself and his listeners to trust God and remember what he has done in the past. I encourage you to flip through the Psalms to find more to encourage you.