On the Way!

An online merchant sends me a notification that my order has been shipped. In most cases, I also receive a link I can use to track the package. On the day the order is to arrive, I receive another notification that the item is out for delivery.

I like having access to that information. Once I know the item is on its way, my anticipation builds. And when I receive an “out for delivery” notification, I listen for the noise of the delivery truck. I go to the door and thank the delivery person. If I’ve been away from home on delivery day, upon my return, I check the front and side entrances to the house (or the mailbox) to see if the package was delivered.

This morning, I received an “out for delivery” notification. [See photo.] I clicked the link to the tracking information. As I looked at it, I realized afresh that while I’d worked at my tasks and while I’d slept, people had been working day and night to get the item to me. Other people had been involved in the manufacturing and marketing processes before it could be shipped and sent to me. A virtual army of people had been used to provide the item I wanted.

Realizing that so much goes on behind the scenes reminds me to wait patiently for God to act. He knows, even though I don’t, what’s going on and when and how and through whom His answers to prayers will come. And, oh, the joy when His gift arrives.

Waiting On God

David's words in Psalm 25 provide guidance for you and for me when we're in a difficult situation.

David acknowledges he is needy and sinful. He knows full well that if God doesn't come through for him, he is "undone." 

As David waits for God to intervene, he does more than moan and groan. He talks to God about the crisis--without going into great detail (since God already knows all about it!). Rather than just beg God to get him out of the current mess, he says to God: "Lead me in Your truth, teach me Your paths, show me Your ways, guard my soul," etc. 

He also praises God by saying things like, "Good and upright is the LORD...He teaches the humble His way....All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies..."

Reminding himself of who God is and how mercifully and lovingly He deals with His children increases David's faith, enabling him to trust God even more as he waits expectantly for God to do what He knows is best for all concerned.

Like David, we do need to talk with God about our troubles and/or those of others. As we wait to see what God does, we can experience greater calm, comfort, and confidence if we'll repeatedly remind ourselves of God's goodness and power. 

Waiting

From time to time, I try my hand at writing haiku, a kind of poetry that originated in Japan centuries ago. Although my poems may not be as good as those written by young children, I do enjoy the challenge of telling a story in only three lines of a poem, each of which has a set number of syllables: five in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third.

Recently, as I was choosing "keeper" photos from the hundreds I'd taken on a trip to the beach several months prior, I came across one I'd taken while standing on a 14th floor balcony just after sunrise. I decided to use that photo as inspiration for the poem.

hungry herons stare 

fishermen keep watch on lines 

waiting for breakfast 

While thinking about how the herons and the fisherman waited at water's edge for food, I remembered these words David used at the beginning of Psalm 63:

O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You... 

(verse 1, NKJV)

I will make that same statement of faith, that same promise. I will rise early and wait patiently...expectantly...for the blessings my God provides. As I wait, I will praise Him and thank Him.