Trust Archives - Carmen Horne

I’ve been sitting around in a lot of waiting rooms lately. My Mom has had health issues that stopped us all for a little minute. She’s doing so well now but in the waiting it was tough.

We have never been alone in those rooms. In each chair, was a story. Some of their stories from a natural perspective seemed hopeless. Yet, each one there seemed to be seeking, doing their part, trusting that the next step will lead to better health.

God has a waiting room too. If you are not in it, I know you have visited it before.

We all seem to be anticipating something. Whether we need a Counselor, Attorney, Physician, Financial Advisor, or Career Placement we need God to open up that door!

What are some things can we do while we wait? I was thinking recently that Facebook on mobile must have been created for waiting rooms. We need something to do. So let’s…

Breathe. Have you noticed that when we are anxious that we hold our breath and when we do breathe, we tend to breathe faster? Try to remember to breathe. Deep breathing can reduce stress and anxiety. It reduces our blood pressure and helps bring on calm. Deep in through our nose and exhale out through our mouth. I try to do that about 10 times when I feel that jittery, anxious feeling hit me.

Settle in. God moves in perfect timing. And, that’s usually not our timing. Ugh. It makes me want to start deep breathing just thinking about it.

Think back. What has God done for us in the past? Gosh, what has He done for us right in the middle of this craziness we find ourselves. My Mom had an episode of extremely high blood pressure over a weekend. We visited the ER three times, in one weekend! We prayed. Lord, lower her blood pressure. Please. He did not. What was discovered through that process was an incidental finding of an adrenal tumor. If He had answered our first prayers, that tumor would not have been found and she would still be carrying around that awful thing.

Look for God’s hand in your situation. Treasures in the midst of rubble. God has not abandoned us. He is busy working on our behalf. Sometimes we must train our minds to look close for His fingerprints, but they are there. Helping, comforting, sending peace, and in Mom’s case allowing some high blood pressure!

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12, ESV

Seek joy. Not happiness. That’s so tied to our surroundings and our emotional state. I’m talking about inner strength. Inner peace. I mean run after it. Become determined to hang on to it. Stop speculating and dreaming up scenarios. We do not know the future. We are just not qualified to be junior gods. I literally shake my head and say, Nope. You are not going there. Stop it!

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB

Since we do not know, then why think the worst? Let’s practice thinking the best.

Coaching action step:

Commit to looking for God’s fingerprints this week. Each night write down one way you saw God working in your life that day. Pray and ask Him to help you recognize Him and not give coincidence credit.

Help us Lord to see Your fingerprints in our lives. We don’t want to miss the peace that knowing You are there brings. Will You sit beside us as we wait? Will You hold our hand? We trust You, Lord. We love you most. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

I went to a Beth Moore – Living Proof Live once and she was teaching on Job. Can I tell you my heart sank. You know how it is. Bubbling with excitement you find your seat and just know God has a word for you. Then…you find out your word is going to come from the book of Job. Immediately I began to dread my life. I became convinced that some terrible calamity was about to befall me or a loved one. God was preparing me. Surely you do that too, right? Don’t you?

Job isn’t all doom and gloom though. Today I read this:

“‘Who kept the sea inside its boundaries…For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores.’ I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!'” {Job 38: 8, 10-11}

These verses fall under the heading of “The Lord Challenges Job” and y’all challenge He did. It starts off, “Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind.” Whirlwind – is that like God using His outside voice?

Let’s face it, Job’s life was a whirlwind. My hip and back have been aching lately and every time I want to complain I think, I could have boils that I was scraping with pottery pieces.

Our lives get caught up in whirlwinds sometimes. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Sink holes. Stuff just starts happening. I mean we are just living the life, our kids are celebrating, our flocks are a’grazin and bam.

That’s why these verses ministered to me so much this morning. Our God does have final say. He can take every situation in our lives and say this far and no more.

The problem is that we don’t know where the line falls. Where the gate to our despair stands.

And my friends, I wish I could answer that for you. Gosh, I can’t answer it for me. That’s the thing about faith. We don’t see the gate but we know the Gatekeeper. I’m thinkin’ that at Jesus’ feet is where we need to find our way.

Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters – a pathway no one knew was there! You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherd. {Psalm 77:19-20 NLT}

Can we try not to despair? I say we and try because I’m right there with ya from time to time. There is a pathway through. One we don’t even know is there. The Great Shepherd is leading.

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God’s Waiting Room

When Our Lives Feel Like a Whirlwind