Hope deferred, when God has you in the waiting room...

I imagine we've all got some unrealized dreams, 

dare I even say, some unfulfilled promises from God.

Since I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, 

and that every word is included for a divine purpose,

I find it interesting that He included these words,

"hope deferred makes the heart sick",

and yet He's the one with the power and ability to make the waiting stop.

The Hubs and I have three daughters.

They are all grown women now.

And every single one of them has been chosen by God,

{yes, I picked those words on purpose},

to go through long seasons of hope deferred,

long seasons of waiting.

Oldest daughter waited ten years and suffered through 3 miscarriages before she had her miracle.

Two beautiful little girls later, she looks back on those years with wisdom, compassion and gratitude.

The waiting made her better, not bitter.

Middle daughter waited and wondered and wandered looking for the open door 

for her to live and minister in her beloved Ghana, West Africa.

This has been her dream since she was a young child.

God has opened doors for her and her husband to minister in Ghana, 

even to stay for quite a few months at one time,

but at this time, it seems God has said, "not yet" to living there.

Youngest daughter is walking through her own wilderness of hope deferred.

As a mama, nothing has been harder for me to endure than this,

to see my girls hurting, waiting, wondering,

so see the enemy swooping in and lying,

breathing foul whispers that God doesn't see,

that He's turned a deaf ear to their cries,

that maybe their dream will never come to pass,

that maybe God's promise to them will never be fulfilled.

I know those are lies.

I know God is good and He does good.

He has good plans for each of my girls, my sons-in-law, my grand babies.

He even has good plans for my husband and I for these later years of our life.

He has good reasons for the waiting seasons.

Reasons that, at this time, are known only in the depths of His great heart.

But, I know that the beautiful words sung by Matt Redman ring true.

"His name is great and His heart is kind."

If God's got us in the waiting room,

it's in our best interests that we're there.

It's for our own good.

I believe that with as much certainty as I know my own name.

As much as I hate to be in God's waiting room myself,

I hate even more to see my loved ones there.

I hate to see them suffering from hope deferred.

I hate to see them heart sick.

Yet, I believe the rest of the verse.

Yes, I believe it's there for a reason, 

just like the first half of the verse,

"but when desire comes, it is a tree of life."

Notice it says when, not if.

And since I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God,

and that every word is included for a divine purpose,

I find that very hope-full.

Still following,