Preparation, planning, praying ... an important part of waiting

When I started writing this morning and getting into God's word, I wasn't quite sure where I was headed. Sometimes I have a hint of where God is leading me and sometimes I end up pondering for days what he is trying to teach me. Today it seemed to be more about pursuing dreams and getting out of comfort zones, not being okay with the status quo and not going off on tangents that may lead to places we are not supposed to go.

In "Pursue Your God-Given Dream," Daniel Ekhaifo says God seems to be preparing us and positioning us gradually for something better.

I agree with that thought. All along our journey with God we travel through peaks and valleys, good times and bad times, learning ... God is preparing us for something better. Our whole trip or journey in life is one big preparation for something better. And when God has in place what needs to be in place, then He sets us down, often abruptly, in the midst to proceed and pursue.

As we abide with God -- praying, meditating, studying, obeying, following -- He abides with us. Abiding with Him does not mean we won't have trials and tests. It does mean He will be with us as we go though them, enabling us to remain at peace and confident that God knows what He is doing even though we ourselves do not.

God will change our situation suddenly. You might think when you are laid off your job or fired it was a God thing, and it could be, but that's not always the case. God knows about every situation and He may allow things to happen, but just because He allows it, does not mean that was His plan all along.

Depending upon your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you may know if this is (or is not) the Lord's plan and where to go from that point onward. But you have to wait, be patient, seek out what God is saying to you and proceed.

Sometimes we wait a very long time. We are not to just sit back and wait for God to make things happen. We are to prepare and plan and pray as we await God's instructions, then proceed, trusting God to provide.

God will change our situation suddenly. We must be alert to the Lord's presence everywhere and at all times ... where we least expect to see Him.

We must not become attached to the status quo -- our comfort zone. When we settle for less it is to our disadvantage wherever we are.

For every opportunity that comes our way we should attribute it to God. Give Him all the glory and honor for everything. Through Him we can be a blessing to another, we can be anothers' opportunity. When we abide with Christ, His demeanor will shine upon us as we seek to fulfill His purpose for us.

Where does God want me to go ... with everything? I think about my dream, my purpose, my plan of action. I must remember to always keep God at the helm to accomplish any desire God has given me, big and small.

Like I've said before, alternative ideas can thwart your God-given dream, causing you to lose sight of where it is God wants you. Even if the alternative is a good idea ... that doesn't mean you should go there. If you feel pulled in different directions, talk about it with God. He will never steer you wrong. He will never fail you.

El-Shaddai ... God Almighty ... God All Sufficient. Be Thou My Vision.

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." (2 Corinthians 3: 5)

So true. No reason to fret whatever the situation, the circumstance. God is All Sufficient. He is everything we need. When we are one with Him, what have we to fear? He will make us strong for the journey, the pilgrimage of our life.

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In today's Gazette, Steve Buttry, former editor and now Information Content conductor, wrote a commentary, "No room for smugness as Gazette experiments." (You can read it on his blog: stevebuttry.wordpress.com) He reminds us the newspaper is "just a delivery system, not the actual product. Our true product is news, information, meaning, context, connection to the community and connection to the marketplace.

The newspaper is a vehicle, one of many ways to spread news and other information to the public. It is not the actual product.

The Bible is also a vehicle, one of many ways to spread the word of God to millions of people. The Bible is not the actual product. The Gospel is.

The written word is a vehicle, as is the spoken word, sign language, radio, television, the internet, palm-held computers, and undoubtedly many more. All a vehicle -- a way to effectively and efficiently deliver, transport, spread, communicate the end product ... whether it be news and information or the gospel of Jesus Christ. If one method is faltering, then we try another. If we stop trying, death is just around the corner. ... at the next light perhaps.