"Oh how the Lord provides!"
That used to be a phrase my friends and I would jokingly say when we passed a test, when we got out of doing something we didn't want to, or on the rare occasion when we recognized the Lord actually provided something me genuinely needed. Today that phrase looks a little different.
I recently moved to a new state, a new city, and started a new job. In the short time I've been where I'm at, I have witnessed the Lord's provision in my life unfold in more times than I can count. From members of the community, the church, and workplace, the Lord has placed me in a very special place and I find myself constantly in awe of how fortunate I am to have been brought here.
It is in the moments when I step back and watch God show off that I utter to myself, "Oh how the Lord provides!" And then the light bulb turns on and it hits me.
You see the Lord always provides--maybe not in the way you and I want or expect, but he always provides and always delivers.
Several months ago, I was in a season of frustration. If we're being totally honest, to say it was a season is a bit of an understatement. It felt a lot longer. A domino effect of events were occurring in my life that led to some painfully hard conversations with God that always sounded a bit like, "What are you doing God?" or "I could use a break God-a five minute breather is all I need!" and my favorite "Cut it out God! I haven't done anything to deserve this!"
I think each time I poured out my frustrations, I was secretly hoping to wake up the next day and feel the weight of all of those frustrations completely eradicated, only to wake up feeling the brunt of each and every one of them. The more I cried out to God, I began getting the same feedback, "I've got this. Just keep your head up and wait on me." Let's be real...not the kind of answer I was looking for, but it was all I was getting, so what else could I do? So I waited and that was hard-real hard.
I think that Louis Giglio said it beautifully when he shared, "Waiting is not wasting, when we are waiting on the Lord."
Often times waiting for God to make his move feels like a he is moving in slow motion and a complete waste of time, but just when our patience is about to run out, he shows up and starts showing off.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, "He who has called you is faithful..."
In the pit of my frustration, I had to make the choice daily to wait on the Lord and his plan for my life. In the midst of that waiting process, God was faithful-he provided and delivered in style.
I have to believe that had I not waited for God to show up, I would not be where I am today. The people I have come to love and appreciate over the last few months, would have never crossed my path, and that would be a shame.
Oh how the Lord provides when you allow him to work in His time and on His schedule.
Life is frustrationg {can I get an AMEN}. It is down-right hard at times and throws you curve balls you least expected, but God is good. All the time He provides. Always He delivers.
He is faithful.
