Vol. 16 No. 34 | August 26, 2013

From our perspective waiting is misery. From traffic jams to school drop-off and pick-up lanes, from doctors’ offices to hospital waiting rooms, from wedding days to birth dates, and from coffee shops to our favorite restaurants, we have a hard time waiting. We get frustrated. We feel forgotten. We wonder if we are being ignored. We assume nobody cares…including God. Waiting is misery. Yet, as I wrote last week, while we are waiting we sometimes discover it can be very meaningful and serve an important purpose. Sometimes. Most of the time it is misery. That is from our perspective.

What about from the other side…God’s side? How does He feel when we ignore Him? Is He hurt, insulted, or feel betrayed when we fail to communicate with Him? Does God assume the worst about us when He does not hear from us as often as and in ways that He expects or prefers? What does He think when hours turn into days that turn into weeks that turn into months that turn into years without hearing from us? What does God do when we seem far away and distant and uninterested?

Isaiah seems to indicate that when God is waiting on us He is making plans to bless us:

A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.
(Isaiah 30:17-19)

Don’t miss this: “He longs to be gracious to you; he will rise up to show you compassion.” And, “As soon as he hears, he will answer you.”

Luke seems to indicate that when God is waiting on us He is longing to see us and celebrate with us.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
(Luke 15:20-24)

When the son “came to his senses” the father responded with open, gracious and loving arms. He was not angry. He did not lecture. He did not remind him of his mistakes. He did not demand repayment for all that he had wasted.

That is not how we normally think about waiting, is it? Is it possible that as we go through a period of waiting, God is longing for us as much, possibly more, than we are longing for Him? Is it possible that instead of being angry and impatient and offended and justified for feeling those things, that I could be relieved of those feelings if I could imagine God putting up decorations for our welcome home party? Is it possible that during those days and nights when I am wondering if God has forgotten me, or ignoring me, or neglecting me, I try to see Him as thinking that I have forgotten Him, or ignoring Him, or neglecting my relationship with Him and waiting for me to remember Him?

I suspect it is not only possible, but likely.

Father, let’s get together and have a party.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 33 | August 19, 2013

If you have followed my “Notes” for any length of time you know that I have written about “waiting” on numerous occasions. The longer I live the more I realize that we spend a significant amount of our time waiting. Not just waiting in line at the coffee shop, or the grocery store, or the movie theater. Life itself involves waiting.

This morning I preached a sermon, “Saturday: Waiting.” This sermon is based on (and including much of) John Ortberg’s Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus. As I talked about the “In-Between” times of our lives…those times after something significant and before something significant…the audience was eerily quiet. Typically there are numerous “Amens!” Not today. (I refuse to believe it was an off day for my preaching.) I believe the silence was because most of us understand these “in-between”.

We know what it feels like the day after a death. We know how it feels to wake up on the day after we have lost our job. We know the agony of seeing a dream disappear, and waking up the next day wondering if God is still near us, if He is aware of our pain, and if He cares about what we are experiencing.

As the sermon ended and we moved into our class time I continued to sense that the message had connected deeply and significantly with some people. So, we sat aside our scheduled class discussion on Galatians chapter two, and I asked, “Does anyone have a ‘Saturday story’ that you would share with us?” The stories came. One after another. Each uniquely different and personal; each amazingly similar. “I had no idea what was ahead. So, I prayed” “I fell on my knees and prayed.” “I wondered what was going to happen.” “I did not know where to turn.” “I was amazed at how as I waited I felt at peace, I felt God’s presence, and just when I needed it most…God showed up.”

So, I share these additional thoughts on waiting because I suspect some of you reading have your own Saturday story. Either you have lived through your Saturday to experience the hope that comes on Sunday, or you are living a Saturday story right now and trying your best to hold on to your hope and stay strong in your faith.

You may be struggling to not give up. You may be longing to hear something from God. His silence may be pushing you to the edge.

Hold on. As surely as we have Saturdays, we have Sundays. As dark and hopeless as this Saturday may be, the brightness of God’s glory will appear on Sunday. Keep looking. Keep hoping. Keep listening. Keep believing. Keep knowing that He has not forgotten you. He has not left you. He has not abandoned you. He is working on your behalf even when you cannot see or hear Him. He is always doing something good.

Remember the words of Hosea.

Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.

After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.

Let us acknowledge the Lord;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth. (Hosea 6:1-3)

On the third day, whenever that may be, He will heal us, He will bind up our wounds, He will revive us, He will restore us that we may live in His presence. He will appear.

The waiting is difficult, but His appearing is worth the wait.

[NOTE: If you have a Saturday story that you want to share, I would love to read it. Email me here.]

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 32 | August 12, 2013

You have talked about it. You have prayed about it. You have asked God to show you your gift and to reveal His will for you to use you gift. You have surrendered your life to the One who created you. Everything is in place. It’s time to start living the life.

Romans 12:9-21 tells us what to do and how to do it.

Love must be sincere. Be genuine. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it. Be real.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Even if you are surrendered and working hard to please the Lord, maybe especially then, evil lurks very near. Hate it. Battle it by hanging on to what is good. Stay focused on good and avoid what is evil.

Be devoted to one another in love. Demonstrate your commitment to the Body. Think about them and respond to them through your sincere love.

Honor one another above yourselves. Get out of the way and put others in front of you. You do not need the attention. You are not what or who is important.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Keep your passion alive and strong. Do not allow the fire to go out.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Joy, patience, faithfulness. Always essential. The tendency is to lose the joy, become impatient, and stop praying. Don’t!

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Be generous with your brothers and sisters.

Practice hospitality. Be warm to people. Treat them with kindness. Be receptive to strangers and friends.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. When you are getting a bad rap, be nice. Don’t fall into the habit of talking badly about people, even if they don’t like you.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Be appropriate in your response and reactions to people.

Live in harmony with one another. Stop arguing and complaining. Get along with your brothers and sisters…the world is watching.

Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. As Paul said earlier, “Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought.” You are not all that special. Get over yourself.

Do not be conceited. Get over yourself.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. There’s that word again…evil. When it gets the best of you, you start wanting revenge. Don’t.

Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If you know what is right in the eyes of God, do it. Most will appreciate it. Even if they don’t, do what you can and live securely.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. You can’t please everyone, but do the best you can to keep the barriers down.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. Don’t waste your time and energy trying to get revenge. God will handle it.

On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do what you can to be nice to all people, even the ones you do not like.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. There is that word again: Evil. Evil is all around. Do not let it get the best of you. You can control it by overcoming it with the Love of Christ in you.

It’s time to start living the life. You know how. You know where. All that is left is to start.

Tom

© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.

Vol. 16 No. 31 | August 5, 2013
Who am I? What was I created to be and to do? Why am I here? Do I have a purpose? Does God have a plan for my life? Questions some of us struggle with from time to time. Questions some struggle with all the time.

How about you? Ever wonder why you were placed on this earth? Does another year passing make you sad because it means you still do not know why you were born?

Maybe Romans 12 will offer some help.

Romans 12:3, For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Insight Number One: Maybe we think too much about ourselves. In verse 3 Paul instructs us “Do not think more highly than you ought,…” Maybe one way to read that would be, “Don’t spend so much time thinking about yourself.” Use sober or clear-headed judgment about yourself. Maybe we spend too much time trying to figure ourselves out when we should spend more time focusing on God and what He is doing, and how we can fit into His plan

Insight Number Two: God’s plan for us is not necessarily a puzzle to be solved. It is mysterious. But the puzzle has been solved. Colossians 1:25-26 says, “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is a major part of the reason you are here, to allow Christ to be revealed in you. That happens when you have surrendered to Him. That happens when you have made your life a living sacrifice.

Insight Number Three: You were born to be you. God makes it clear that we are all different but we are all joined to be one. We all have different gives but we make up the one body. We cannot be someone else. We do not have their gift. Although we may have similar qualities as our parents, our siblings, our closest friends, but we are not them. We were not created to be them, or like them. We were formed in our mother’s womb to be us. We are to be part of the Body of Christ as designed by God, and as He designed us.

You were born to be you.  That is where you be be your best. That is where you will flourish. So, be who you were born to be you.

Tom

A Norvell Note © Copyright 2013. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.