God's Waiting Room

"I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait."

I continue to be amazed at God's grace toward me as He works to strengthen my character, faith and trust through a difficult period of waiting and uncertainty. He is constantly bringing me into His presence in the most amazing ways and confirming His direction for me, even as I struggle with fear and doubt. 

Recently I had gone out to the ball fields behind my old church in Dunwoody to soak in the end of a beautiful summer day and to have some solitude with the Lord. It had been a rough weekend, and I desperately needed it. While I was sitting on the bleachers, I saw what looked like a trail on the other side of the fence on the far end of the field. It led down to a little ravine and into the woods below. I'd never noticed this before, even though I had been on these fields many times.

Not being one to pass up a good trail, I checked it out. A couple turns through the kudzu and I saw a tiny bridge that spanned a creek. On the other side was a makeshift chapel in the woods, with a cross, bench pews, and something that looked like either a pulpit or an altar. If you didn't know it was there, you would never expect to find it. Until the mosquitoes evicted me, I spent a season there in silent praise, just so humbled and grateful at how God answers my prayers to draw me near to Him.

If you've read any of my previous posts, you know how the Lord has met with me in unique and miraculous ways when I just explore, and this was no exception. He's always calling me to go deeper as He leads me into unfamiliar places that look like a waste of time at best (dangerous at worst), only to find at the end that He has something for me that I would never have expected.

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
[Isaiah 40:29-31]