Good evening and Happy Sabbath!

Have you ever had one of those days... (or weeks, or months, or years)

...when nothing seems to go according to plan?  Case in point: At the time of the writing of this note, we are awaiting word on whether or not we will be able to have Sabbath services in our regular meeting facility for the Charlotte congregation. It seems the power there is still out!  If services there are canceled, we will combine Charlotte and Hickory at 2:30 PM in the normal Hickory location. Since we will be unable to record services in the morning, Columbia will tune into the webcast. At times like this, I remember the beatitude: "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!"

Hurry up and wait

While that's not an actual command recorded in scripture, it does speak to a principle I heard from a long time pastor in the Church of God years ago.  He would often say, "The hardest thing I have ever had to learn to do is wait on God."

It seems that everyone I talk to has been facing serious trials on multiple fronts.  From health, to job, to finance, to the weather, the brethren in our area have really been going through it all!  Learning to wait on God for answers is by far the most difficult thing most of us will ever endure.  But it's good to know, that we are not alone and we are not the first!

In a section of scripture that describes the restoration of God's people after it is prophesied they would be punishment for their wickedness, we read how they were prophesied to receive comfort as well, if only they could endure.  Isaiah 40:28-31 (NKJV) reads, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  Note that it says 'those who wait on the Lord' will be given strength (emphasis added).

Like most prophecies, this has dual meaning.  There was a time when Judah was able to return to Jerusalem and the surround areas after exile, yet they have not been fully restored, even to this day.  The words of Isaiah 40 remind us: wait.

A bright future

Just like the skies eventually cleared after Hurricane Michael passed through, the trials of our life will pass some day.  We look forward to bright blue skies and sunny days, and God indeed does promise them. In the mean time, our character is developed and refined as we learn to wait on God, until we become refined to match in every way our elder brother, Jesus Christ!