This time, our waiting on God moment comes from our director, Christi Baker.
This past week has been a challenge. The interns went home and we are all trying to figure out how to keep moving when there seems to be no movement. Yet, we know that God has not said “its over, give up on Daraja”… and we have to keep pressing on.
Every morning for the past week, I’ve had Jeremiah 29:11 stuck in my head when I woke up “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a HOPE and a FUTURE.” I would claim those verses each day just to keep moving.
Insert July 4th weekend.
My mom is an Independence day baby, so I went to visit her over the weekend, celebrate her birthday, and go to church with her.
What do you think the message was on? Jeremiah 29. Coincidence? I think not.
Never before had I realized that Jeremiah 29:11 was a promise delivered to the Israelites who where in exile in Babylon. (please don’t judge me if you’re one of my Bible College buddies. I just forgot, ok?)…
He delivered this promise to a people who were having a really hard time in a place of waiting. They were waiting on God’s deliverance, on His favor, on His justice to bring them out of a place they didn’t want to be.
What did he spend the first TEN verses of Jeremiah 29 telling them?
1) Bloom where you’re planted (LITERALLY!!: vs 5 says: Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce!). What did He mean? “Make the most of where you are. Don’t just stand around waiting on Me. I have a plan for this waiting place too.. do life. glorify Me in your every day life. plant gardens.
2) Pray for the Place where you’re planted: vs.7 says: “Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper”… What I got out of this was… don’t resent the waiting place.. instead invest your heart and prayers into it.. the people around you, the tasks (however menial) you are filling your time with, the job you are doing.. all of it… pray for them/it and give GOD GLORY from it!
3)Increase, do not Decrease: vs.6 says: “Increase in number there, do not decrease”. While God was talking about the Israelites having babies and making families, I think this applies to us too. We should increase in Faith and Joy and Productivity… not decrease, as we are waiting on Him. We should INCREASE in Love and Hope and time with Him, not Decrease. Always, our goal should be to INCREASE OUR FRUIT (of the spirit), not decrease.
Well, needless to say, this message struck home with me. May we carry the message through each day… God is a God of truth and love. This season is His VERY VERY BEST for Daraja. No one will ever love Daraja more or better than Jesus. He has a special plan for Daraja in the midst of this waiting place. May He, and all who come after us, find us Faithful.