JOURNEY

Journey. It's a word that has come up in my blog, in my conversations lately, and in emails. It is a word that means so much, that feels so much. To the dictionary, it means traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time. a distance, a course or period of travel; passage or progress from one stage to another. While all these are so, to me it means more. It means not always knowing where I'm going to end up, not always understanding the direction my Map is telling me to go, It means feeling lost but trusting my GPS, it means feeling lonely, but knowing I'm not alone. It means trudging through valleys because they are what divides the mountaintops. It means perseverance It means hope It means faith It means trusting that God's Grace is sufficient It means being still & waiting for direction. I don't know about you, but waiting is one of the hardest things for me to do. I used to work at a bookstore, & while there a book lighted upon the shelves. It caught me by the heart. It was titled Wait. Just a little book with a poem & some photos. What a way to catch my attention than to put two of my hearts loves (poetry & photography) together. And with such a powerful message at that. I was only 17 or so, but it struck such a chord in my life. And many times I find the words running through my mind. Here it is....

Wait by Russell Lee Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . . And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply. "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why! Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait? I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign, Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, We need but to ask, and we shall receive. And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry: I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, As my Master replied again, "Wait." So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . . and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be. You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me. You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint. You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there. You'd not know the joy of resting in Me When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove. You would know that I give, and I save, for a start, But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night, The faith that I give when you walk without sight. The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee. Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true, But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me. And though oft My answers seem terribly late, My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

So as I sit & wait (although sometimes I admit I get impatient) I remember that Yes, God's grace is sufficient for me. & even thought the journey at times is hard, painful even. I know without a doubt that God is doing a work in my life, that I would not want to miss. God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end." (Exodus 33:14) And that my friends will make this journey worthwhile.