"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more."
Psalm 71:14
Last night at Bible Study the lady leading our discussion shared Psalms 71:14. I looked the verse up in my Bible and discovered that I had already highlighted it at some point. Next to the verse I wrote the date and this reminder "remember this as I struggle with my job, feeling sad and the long wait for our Ethiopian babe."
I think I will make Psalms 71:14 one of my memory verses this year. What great TRUTH to meditate on. When I trust God and His plan for my life, I can ALWAYS have hope.
I learned another really cool thing at Bible Study last night....this semester we are studying the 5 women who were in the lineage of Jesus. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. We are starting with Tamar and are studying her story in Genesis. To prepare for our study we read the story of Joseph in Genesis 37. Our teacher pointed out verse 36 which says "Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard."
After that verse we completely shift gears and head into Chapter 38 which is the story of Judah and Tamar. You would think that Joseph has been completely forgotten and left to fend for himself. Our teacher asked us if we had ever stopped to consider what the "meanwhile" meant in verse 36....
She told us the story about a sermon she once heard her preacher share. It was about all the great "meanwhiles of God" in the Bible. The times where people in the Bible felt hopeless, abandoned by God, unsure of their future.
Our teacher encouraged us to think about all the "meanwhile" moments in our life - the times when we felt like we had no purpose, when we just couldn't understand what God was up to.
I'm having a "meanwhile" moment right now - I don't know what my purpose is sitting at this desk everyday. I know God is up to something in my life, but He hasn't revealed the whole plan yet. I had a lot of "meanwhile" moments last year when I faced infertility. I just wanted to be a mother but God showed me that He had a better way for me - adoption. It was in those "meanwhile" moments of sadness and despair that God was working in my heart to prepare me for the amazing journey He wanted John and I to
take - "Jennifer, go to Ethiopia and adopt the baby that I have chosen for you and John long before you were even created."
After Bible Study last night I was encouraged to rest in God and His perfect ways during this "meanwhile" moment I am in. I don't really like where I am but I know that God is working in ways that I can't see to fulfill His awesome plan.
I'm really excited for this "semester" of biblestudy. I really felt God's pressence during her meanwhile story and couldn't help but feel a connection with that bible verse. Thanks for inviting me to your biblestudy it has been such a heart filling thing for me. :)
ReplyDeleteI am SO glad you are coming to Bible Study. The "meanwhile" thing really hit close to home for me too. I think it's going to be a great study since we will really be digging into the old testament. I tend to spend most of my time in the new testament. Have a great week! Let me know how you like the book once you start reading it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I certainly feel like I'm in a "meanwhile" moment right now, and I needed the reminder that God is still working in ways I can't see.
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