Cheryl Ries

Some days our cares rain down on us like a torrent . . they pool at first, we hardly notice.  Suddenly, we realize we've been getting our feet wet, we're not comfortable anymore.  The puddles amass as our cares compound, we can no longer find a way to shelter ourselves from the storms.  They come too frequently, they're too intense, we are soaking in troubles, uncomfortable and wishing for a day when we are carefree again, but it seems so far off now!

Wouldn't it be nice if instead of drowning in our worries, troubles and concerns, we could instead be flooded with faith?  Wouldn't it be wonderful to stop the tears than rain down, the troubles that fall like torrents, the worries that seep through our souls like sloppy puddles drenching through our shoes??  Having faith strong enough to weather the storms is the key to all of our happiness!  Without faith, we are like ships which are cast about on the seas of turmoil, far from safety, pummeled by wave after wave of ceaseless anguish as trouble takes it toll!  Without faith, we haven't an anchor to keep us tied to anything strong, anything capable of keeping us afloat when the biggest waves of trouble strike.  Without faith, we are lost. 

Faith is the belief that God is in charge, simple!  But in the human world, where we face situations every day requiring answers, solutions, our immediate action, we forget how to truly place our lives, in total, in His hands.  We are experts at living in the world of humanity, where we are sure our participation negates waiting upon His timing, His answers, His gentle prodding, and His guidance.  We feel apart from God, because we have all come to a stressful, high-paced, immediate-response place in life . . we're all deluged with multi-tasking, problematic lives, which make it quite hard to wait upon God with a sense of patience and with faith.  It requires more and more discipline to live a life committed to faith in God.  It is almost implausible sometimes that we would stop, pray, wait upon God to give us guidance!  Afterall, we need to act, to do, to be, to complete . . it's what we're taught in our very busy world!  Those who wait are surely going to miss their deadlines,
lose their edge, delay their gratification, and/or fail!  But what does it mean to wait upon God?  It means to seek His guidance, through prayer, for everything!  With faith, believe, expect, and wait when uncertain.  Learn to listen to the subtle instinctual voice of God which once was so easy to pick up, but now that life is busier, is muted by the sounds of chaos all around us.  Still not sure you can or will hear God, much less take the time to wait upon His guidance?  You will, when you quiet yourself in situations which require His help and guidance, prayerfully request His help, and wait patiently upon His answers, expectantly!  Always expectantly!