He is waiting....waiting...with Hope.

~Tracy Frederick

She needed hope. I saw her eyes were filled with pain as she turned her head away trying to gather herself. But she just couldn't bear the burden that was on her heart any longer. She turned to me with tears flowing down her cheeks and let me see the pain and guilt she was carrying. She told me about her struggles and how difficult it was to not let the world pull her family away from God. She talked about how she let the world take up her family's time and then, without her even realizing it, they had neglected their Lord completely. She said she just let them get too busy. She was riddled with guilt. She needed hope. Everyone who knows her knows her to be a sweet, kind and caring person, someone who is always generous and willing to do whatever is asked of her. But, she had fallen prey to one of the best tactics Satan has right now- the busyness of the world. She had let her Lord down, she had put other things first, second, third...and her Lord last. She needed hope. She needed to know that He would welcome her back. She needed reminding that as a child of God, her Lord died for her so that she could have that hope, that she can fall at His feet, express the pain she is feeling, ask for forgiveness. She needed reminding that we all fall short, but if we will repent, He is quick to forgive (I John 1:9). She needed to know that if she repented, gets to start again. She gets to lay her guilt aside and begin again with her Lord whose lovingkindness is beyond our comprehension.

She, unfortunately, is not alone. I  find myself getting up early and rushing out the door before I realize I haven’t planned my day around my Lord, but the obligations of the world that are weighing on me. I am reminded of when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon and our God was longsuffering with them as they merged with the nations around them. He sent prophet after prophet to warn them to stay strong, but the busyness of the world and the daily activities the nations around them enticed them. They did not seek out those who were faithful, they did not fill their hearts and minds with the word of God, they slowly, step by step surrounded themselves with those who were practicing things that were ungodly. Soon, they were drowning in their sin and probably, like this dear woman I described earlier, didn’t see how quickly it happened. But, our Father was kind and allowed them to fall into slavery to wake them up. Yes, it was a merciful act for the Israelites. It woke them up to the reality that was their lives. However, not everyone survived it. Some never repented and received their reward.  One thing is for certain; as the sun came up this morning our God is merciful and is waiting for us, patiently to unbusy our lives. He is a God who is near, who fills the heavens and the earth (Jer 23:23-24).  He is longsuffering. “ But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Ex  86:15). It is this hope that she needs. It is the hope that I need.  He is waiting…...