GOD'S WAITING LISTنموونە

FAITHFUL IN WAITING: TRUSTING GOD'S TIMING

Psalm 28:7 (NKJV): 'The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.'

Trusting God can be both tough and easy. In life, so many things will attack our faith and create distractions. Our ability to focus solely on Jesus will be our saving grace. The enemy fiercely attacks our faith. He knows it's our safest anchor. When our faith is in place, we don't fall for his whims and schemes. With our trust rooted in Christ, we see clearly and enjoy rest.

Imagine getting to a point that we can say, like one of my elder brothers- "Devil, even if I don't have a child in this life, you still won't be God and I still won't serve you". Yes, he waited almost 20 years. Seeing him and his wife stand through the trials was both painful and inspiring. Therefore, our focus during these challenging times must be on building faith in God. It won't make sense at first, but this is how I see it-

1. I had to decide where and to whom I belong. I received Christ as my Lord when I was thirteen, so I decided that no matter what happens, I belong to God and His kingdom.

2. I decided that I needed to remind myself often of all that God had done in the past. To achieve this, I kept a gratitude journal.

3. Generating joy became my pastime. At some point, I asked God for just two things daily- a steady flow of joy and a stable mental state. He honoured my request. I learnt to generate joy through thanksgiving. It helped me keep out depression, even though it was a daily battle.

4. I scolded myself about envy and jealousy. It's difficult not to feel jealous of people who have children when one is in this state. It seems like you are being left behind. I struggled, but God's Word helped me. Passages like Proverbs 14:30, which states, 'envy rots the bones,' and James 3:16, which notes that 'where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.'

5. Decide to know God intimately, this is our surest anchor. God chasers never go wrong.

The truth remains that these are tough days, but with God by our side, we will persevere and come out victorious. The pain will end in glory in Jesus' name. Please do not set aside your faith. By God's grace and mercy, it will end in praise.

Here is my sincere and heartfelt prayer for you: 'Father God, I ask that you strengthen the faith of the couple reading this. They love you and desire their own children. Please, Lord, help them to keep their eyes on you as they walk through this trying season and grant them their heart's desires speedily in Jesus' name. Amen'