"Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." - Isaiah 40:31
I recently went to a freedom event at my church. For anyone, not familiar with this- this is not a political rally or protest. This is a time where you bring any and all hurts, and lies that you have believed about God or yourself to Him and you begin/continue in your journey of spiritual freedom. This is something we should be journeying in every day and these church events help us walk through it. It's almost like free counseling! Honestly, it's life changing. No matter what you have done or faced, you are not alone. You will see that what you are walking through, no matter how difficult or unjust, God has a response, a plan, and a future for you exceedingly and abundantly above anything you could ever ask, think or imagine. (Ref. Eph. 3:20) I find that when we walk through seasons of waiting, it can feel like we're in a holding pattern. The cloud has led us here.....AND...now what? God is preparing the way and nothing is too hard for Him, but what are we supposed to be doing in the mean time? Well the answer is...much. We are to be praying without ceasing, we are to be having faith and doing good, we are to be the light of the world, we are to be fervently praying for others during their difficult seasons...but above all, we're to be seeking and growing.
Three years ago, my husband took me ball room dancing for anniversary. Since I love to dance and I love to sing and I love music, I thought I would be super awesome and my husband would have a hard time. Ha, ha, ha, HA. I kept getting in trouble for trying to "lead" and getting ahead of the music. Chris did great, she kept telling him what a great job he was doing. 'See, my husband is very practical and follows instructions very basically. I guess, I was just a little too zealous. But something the Lord showed me, was that I wasn't trusting that Chris would lead me and catch me. And that it's just so much easier and relaxing to dance when I just follow his gentle leading. "I hear You, God. I know where this is going." How often do we just want to skip ahead when God says, there is an important stepping stone right here. But, it's not easy to wait. I mean, it's just not. It's a daily choice. It's a daily faith walk. But...hold on...isn't that how we're supposed to live anyway? I love that God has a lot to say specifically about "waiting":
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD."- Psalm 27:14
"Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act..." -Psalm 37:7
"Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." -Psalm 33:20-22
Our Father is so sweet. There are countless more scriptures about waiting and hoping. He never tells us to wait without also having hope. He reminds us Who are hope is in and that we will be waiting for things. Many we won't see until we meet Him face to face, but He drops answered prayers and fulfills promises today for us as a reminder of what we have waiting for us in Heaven and a reminder of His faithfulness.
The name of this blog: "Ready to Dance" came from my time at the aforementioned event during a time of prophetic music. The band just played what they felt the Spirit of Lord telling them to play- no words just music. I was in the middle of open heart surgery with the Lord when I got a clear picture. You see, I've been asking the Lord for more faith for things. And during this time, quite interestingly, He's actually been showing me what type of evil we're dealing with. He's been reminding me that Satan's goal is to "kill, steal and destroy" (Ref. John 10:10). I had a dream that our entire military force had been taken over by a world-wide enemy and the worst had happened to our country. It was a very scary time. I actually woke up and had a hard time going back to sleep. But when I did, this next dream showed God intervening and delivering that very powerful enemy into our hands. I immediately thought of the countless times in Scripture, God did this. I think it's easy for us now to read these verses, knowing the outcome, but at the time, they didn't. He is showing me how BIG He is, by reminding me how evil, evil is and that it's NO match. So during this time of prophetic music, I could see the enemy being cast out, not by us, but by an unseen Force. These evil spirits came up from the seats of the church and fled. Then I saw a procession of Angels coming into the sanctuary amid the sound of drums and in came the King of Kings. He was angry with injustice and He was dancing on it. God showed me lies that I had believed and then it was as if I shrunk down to a mini-sized version of myself inside of my body and began taking authority over everything, casting out all lies.
This week marks 2 years since we lost our one and only baby. And while it is hard, it's becoming easier. I can't help but see all around me, every single thing that God has done through waiting and trials. I can't help but rejoice in His goodness and His faithfulness! I can't tell our story of what we've walked through without also sharing what God has done and is doing. What an opportunity to share how real and loving and faithful our God is. I won't pretend to not be sad about it, but by God's grace, because of hope and the joy of the Lord...because of the Hand I hold, because of the everlasting provision, promises and because my Father is the King of all Kings for Whom nothing and no one is a match, Who makes a way where there is no way, I will dance!
How about you?
