Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I feel especially happy today as I made a porkchop and rice dinner and cleaned and scrubbed the apt. It felt good to have energy again and the apt certainly did need a good cleaning! I also got dressed today in something other than pj’s! When we were sick, I never lost my appetite or my sense of smell and enjoyed each meal. Especially loved the soups that were left outside our door!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Waiting is not easy for any of us and waiting patiently is especially trying. Just ask a mom who is 9 months pregnant and waiting for her baby to be born. Or for the young man who is waiting to hear if he got the job after 3 interviews, and keeps hoping the phone will ring soon. Al and I have been waiting to resume our normal activities after being sick and it seems forever since we were downstairs mixing with other residents or walking outside on the Paul Bunyan trail.
 It is hard to be patient and it says in Isaiah 30:15 (God’s Word), “You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me.”
Waiting for the Lord is very beneficial for we are choosing to trust Him as we wait. We are not jumping ahead but recognizing that God is in control and we are waiting for His timing.
In verse 18 it says, The Lord is waiting to be kind to you, He rises to have compassion on you. The Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him,” Because we cannot see the future as we wait, we have to trust. It doesn’t really matter what we think about the situation we are in, for we are not in charge, He is!  He will know when the time is ripe, He will direct us at the right time and in the meantime, we are just to enjoy His company.
In many ways being sick was also a gift for Al and me, as we had extra time to just be with the Lord without distractions, Now I can’t say I would choose that way, but God uses everything in our lives to draw us closer. The Message translation says in verse 15, “Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me.”
During the waiting times in our lives, it is a time of preparation as God gets us ready for what new things He has for us. He takes His time but He does things right and we are blessed if we wait. Let us allow God to do His work in us so He can pour out His goodness on us at just the right time.
Challenge for today: Let us learn to wait well!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy