“Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing.” Psalm 37:8

I have been asking our dedicated brother Michael (my pastor) some questions through email here lately. These questions to me are of utmost importance and I felt that since he is such a busy man and has so many responsibilities all ready that email would be the best line of communication.

Our brother has helped me in more ways than he has known. You see, I write these questions down and send them to him and right after I click send/receive I start looking for a response. Crazy huh? Ok, I go read some then come back and look for a response. Well by now I figure out that he doesn’t sit by the computer like I do. I am a web designer so I sit by the computer all day at work and when I come home I usually have work to complete.

Well after waiting sometimes a day or so. I let my thoughts run away with me and I wonder if my questions will be answered? About the time I start to doubt, I hear the computer go din-don and I know I have mail.

Sure enough it is from our brother. When I read it I am absolutely amazed to the point of tears at the knowledge I have just gained from a godly perspective. While I am sure he knows that he has given me sound advice I don’t think he knows that he has helped with my walk with Christ in a profound way… Patience

Oswald Chambers said “Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.”

It took the delay of my responses from Michael to help me realize that our father God does not respond when we expect him to either. I usually send a prayer out and then sit back and wait on the answer. I am praying in faith that it will be answered but I sit by the prayer expect an immediate send/receive.

The psalmist tells us: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
Isn’t that so hard at times? Wait… Waiting is a very difficult task but a much needed process to learn if we want to grow in our walk.

I know father God is waiting to bless us in our walk and thanks to some help from Michael Beale and Oswald Chambers I understand that we must wait for God to answer us. Anything else is just “worry caused by calculating without God”

I pray that your walk will be richly blessed and that we all learn to be more patient in our walk with Christ and our walk in the daily grind.

I love you all, Scott Smith

We live in a world on the go. We want fast food, fast computers, cell phones, IM and blueteeth =). Does anyone remember the old days when the phones had cords attached to them? If your car broke down, no biggie, walk to a service station, pay phone or the closest house for help. Do you have a prayer that God seems to be ignoring? What do you do when you want your prayers answered now?

I was deep into reading this book. You know, when it has you leaning forward in the chair, tapping your toes wanting to skip a page to see what’s next; when my daughter asks me: Daddy, what do I have to do next before I can go next door and play? Well for the 3rd time I told her again the chores to be done before she can go play.

Ok, back to the book… Daddy, what do I have to do before I can go play? Once again, I tell her the chores to complete. Now after telling her umm I don’t know, maybe 757 times what she has to do I became a little frustrated. This time after I almost got to the part where I know what happens in the book… Daddy, what do I have to do before I can go play? My first reaction was to get angry. I raised my voice some and with a firm voice said: When your duties are done, then you can go play!

In that very same moment before the last word came out of my mouth, my father God let me know that he feels similar with us. He gave me a list of chores to do and I expected the blessings before I was ever done. I wonder how many times I asked him; Father, can I be blessed now before he decided to give me a little wake up nudge?

To be honest with you, after having my eyes opened with some help from some books and my brothers and sisters. I am a little tired of myself. I am getting to the point where I don’t want the blessings and I do want the blesser. I know when my daughter stops asking me for toys all the time and just wants to hug me… Whew that lights me up with Joy!

There is a point to this story…

My daughter has still not completed her chores and therefore tonight she will not go next door and play. I did hug her and tell her how much I love her though and when she does finish with all that I have asked her to do (or gives me that look, you know that look and says Daddy, I Love You!)… I will take her to see a movie and get ice cream.

I know that our Father in heaven is also waiting to bless us immensely. Hebrews 11:6 (and many more verses) we just need to have faith, practice patience and seek him first. The blessings will come but truly he is the blessing.