Are we there yet???

So my amazing friend Nicole got me a "One year bible" for Christmas this year (well...last year technically). After being a strong Christian for well over 10 years...it was funny to think it was the first one I had ever owned! But I was kind of looking forward to it, seeing as I have to admit - I am one of those Christians who tends to skip over most of the Old Testament (I mean, come on...do I have to know the names of EVERYONE in everybody's family over 400 years?!). So I knew that this would be a good challenge to read a little of the Old and New Testaments every day, plus Psalms and Proverbs. A bit of a tasting plate, as one of my lovely senior pastors would say.

So...on day 5...I am sticking nicely to it! OK OK, I know its only day 5...but still...I have already managed to read everyone in Adam and Eve's initial family tree! But I guess the thing that has really stuck out to me is the concept of patience.
(However on a quick side note, I loved reading in Matthew 1:17 where it says "There were 14 generations in all from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile of Babylon, and 14 from the exile to the Christ". It became so clear to me how that was not a coincidence. That God had planned ALL of those generations right from the beginning. And how...unless someone took the time to record all those many names...we would never have seen the perfection of God's plan in that. Anyways...back to my point...)

I know I have talked about the concept of patience a few times in previous entries in this blog, and I came across it again today with Noah. You read verses that say "...and 150 years later, it happened".  Or in the case of Noah...it went a little like this: In about February (or equivalent)...the rains started. It then rained for 40 days (a month and a half). The floods then lasted for 150 days (or 5 months). Then the ark rests on the mountain. However, its then another 3 months before the tops of the mountains become visible. THEN 40 days later Noah sends out the first bird, which comes back empty handed (or beaked...sorry. Lame joke, I know). After several more attempts over 2-3 weeks, the dove finally doesn't return. By then...the bible says its the equivalent of January the following year. However...that's not all. It says that the ground isn't then dry until the 27th of February...almost another 2 months of waiting. And FINALLY...God says "come on out of the Ark". Whoa! I mean...I love my family, but spending 12 MONTHS locked up in a boat with them and way too many smelly animals...it would be enough to send me CRAZY! But before now...I had simply thought -- yep, Noah goes into the boat, it rains, it stops, and he gets out. Oh no. It was so not that simple or quick. It was OVER A YEAR!

In our day in age, its so easy to get impatient. We want things now. Or yesterday. We don't want to have to wait. Quick and fast is the key to everything. Yet you read Noah's story. Or about Elizabeth and Sarah having to wait years and years for God to bring them their promise of a child, and you realise that waiting is such an important part of our Christian journey. I feel like its such a theme over my life at the moment (Oh yay. I know. Awesome.). All I want to do is rush ahead...rush into my future and all that God has planned. I am sick of waiting. Sick of being single. Sick of having no kids of my own. Sick of debt. Sick of not knowing what this year will bring. But...patience is all part of the journey. Actually, I think it IS the journey.

Many people get frustrated and give up. They don't want to wait any longer. However I want to be one of those people...that sticks with it. Maybe even when I cant see any results. Maybe even when the ache of what I am believing for is so strong that I cant breathe. Maybe even when I know that there is no guarantees, expect that God loves me and wants whats best for me. I want to be one of the few that stick it out. Of course...I pray more than ANYTHING that I don't have to wait 150 years!! But I also pray for the strength and perseverance to wait it out. To stay patient. To keep believing and not lose hope. To not get discouraged. To remember that He works behind the scenes, often when we cant see Him. And to have faith...that God sees me. He sees my dreams and desires. He sees my desire to please Him and wait for His plan. Just like in a world of evil people, God saw Noah. I believe that God sees the 'ones'.

After Noah came out of the Ark, God sent a rainbow as a reminder of His promise. I am just an ordinary girl. But I have an extraordinary God. And I have faith in Him. In His timing. His promises. And plans.  And I know that He will tell me when its time to get out of the ark into all that He has promised and saved for me...