Waiting for Your Chariot

I welcome words of life will go back to the Salvation Army's words of life. Cheryl it is good to be back in the studio with you and it's so good to see your face, brother, and I hope that our listeners are enjoying the series with Susie Erickson specifically talking about her book barefoot Cinderella's absolutely in today's episode in our series, Susie is joined by Salvation Army officer Anna Westmoreland as we follow along in the book were now in chapter 6, and I wanted to read a short section he says, waiting is difficult, almost impossible, particularly for a barefoot Cinderella who was used to being in control it's gut wrenching when something we want with all of our hearts is perpetually delayed. We pray for a spouse for new job for a home for a baby for whatever is on our list of must haves, but God works in the weight he works behind the scenes to bring his plan for our lives to fruition in his time for his purpose wait on the Lord and be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart, that's a Scripture that we can claim I have been in the weight particular this year in the transition between jobs for me and God has proven himself time and time again to be faithful. My wife and I were in a weight trying to recover from a week a storm in our life God right there in the midst of it all. We didn't necessarily see him. And sometimes when we wanted him like he wasn't there, but he never left the sun. Now, as we look back on the quote unquote weight we see how he prepared us to come alongside other people in similar situations that could be our journey could be used to strengthen someone else with some that's powerful, very powerful yet you know we've all been waiting during these last few months Emily we been put on pause and it's like she writes in her book. Waiting is difficult it's almost seems impossible why you're going through it.

20/20 can have itself back as far as I'm concerned, you know, however, COBIT entered the world.

I don't understand, but there have been great things that have come of it. Of course, are talking to you and your husband just having more time with your family less time commuting. Talk to a number of people or so. They've done more reading to sitting around the dinner table with family was important because in this day and age were always going to hundred miles an hour. We seldom take time to actually to know were usually just swallowing our food and moving on. Kind of kind of thing can you speak to that.

Yeah, I mean, I found myself being outside more and in the waiting now enjoying what God has already given us now and and trusting for the future.

In others, that when you're waiting, you have that place you give yourself a space to trust God for what's coming up instead of your mind always really know your you know you're like you said you're in this perpetual go go go go go. Sometimes we don't slow down enough to realize God is in the waiting machine some great photography from people that are doing some outdoor things where the environment in this waiting period has grown more is really just kind of been in a refreshing time flourishing a renewal time. Yeah, that's deftly part of it with God when were in the weight is renewing that happens to be a renewing of the mind renewing of our spirit and the don't know about you but whenever Susie has been in the studio. She has brought in like baked goods as well. And so she's been renewing my weight gain, which my wife is not happy about. I hear you. Anyway, all this to say, I know that you're going to enjoy this conversation with and we pray that it will be a blessing to you. My name is Susie Erickson and I'm here today with an Westmoreland and and and I met several years ago, really through her husband, Bobby. We knew Bobby and served with and another time and another place, but it's so good to be with her today here in the studio where in a different place in our world right now aren't we. We are, it is a very different time in our world right now but so many beautiful things to coming out of of things being different, causing us to think and reflect that.

Maybe in a different way.

Absolutely I think that you know we have definitely been in the season waiting. Yes, waiting for you know jobs to open way for stores to open up all the things that were all just sitting waiting to happen.

But in the midst of all of this waiting. I know in my own life God has done so many incredible things he's brought me to a place of being still where I could really see life in a bigger picture. What weightings difficult were in the midst of it now and it is almost impossible for a barefoot Cinderella to wait because she's used to being in control and she's used to kind of on going with that gut instinct of when to move forward and how to act and on. So in the midst of all of that, it's gut wrenching when something you want with all of your hearts is delayed. We pray for a spouse for a job for a home for baby, for what ever is on that list of must haves, but God works in the weight and you've experienced that in your life you had some seasons of waiting and I would love for you share some of that with us.

I have you know it is interesting to think about the our desires because our desires. That's a prayer as well as knew that God would give us his desires in the hearts because sometimes we might have a desire for something or have an aspiration for something, but we do that is not what God has for us and I think that's where the trust comes in and also the faith that God knows things I don't know. He knows the full picture. I just see a small part and one time in our ministry as is Bobby and I were ministering together as co-officers we were approached about going overseas and we having their hearts for mission that we have, how could we say no to that even though we had recently arrived at a call that we loved and he was and not an easy time to say yes we will do this will be felt in our hearts, we cannot say no yes, we are willing to go and envy entered into a season of waiting. Bobby was still in ministry where we were. We were thinking okay what comes next and very rarely do I do that because I'm a person, but when I am somewhere that's where I am. I don't think about that. I have aspirations for anything or decide I just I am where I am until God pulls me up and puts me somewhere else. But this is a unique situation in a week and a unique period of waiting because God put a heart and love in our hearts for the people where we were going to this country we were studying we will learning many many things about this country and God. We put a loving our hearts and there were things that will be filled will be can't really start a whole lot of things here because we know that soon we are going to be going but then it didn't happen.

It's gut for a reason that we did not know at the time it got pulled off the table. It it didn't happen and we weren't told many details sweep which is told is off the table and that was a a little bit of a hard time, but a time when we really just trusted God. We were so thrilled to get to stay where we were, because we left it and be gotten many more years there yet. We were wondering what was said about God. Five. I did that happen. What was that, and then it didn't take long, actually. And then we realized, because something actually tragic happened in the place where we were where we would have been, and we saw God's hand.

We saw okay. We see it we see why God pull that off the table and that is just a reminder to me that sometimes when things do not happen the way that we desire or the way that we hope for the way that we would like them to happen that accrued be a reason that we don't even know sometimes we may see it. Sometimes who receive years later we may see that was why, but you know Susie, sometimes I don't think I don't even think we get to maybe understand to see that right and I think we need to be okay with that. I've come to that point.

There are things in my life that have not exactly gone the way that I had foreseen no wish to hope for what I I'm okay with that because what God has shown me and what he has all the blessings he has poured over me. I could not even have imagined. So's you see, he knew better. He knows better. He knows better and he's always working ahead of us. You know he's always preparing the way for us, he goes before us and he prepares us for the journey that he has for us. God always is working for our good he is and you know one of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Habakkuk. I love it's a short little book 3 chapters, and it is Habakkuk the prophet, and he is he has a complaint to God why are you allowing this injustice why you allowing these things to happen, why you not doing something and and God gives innovation and then he says wait, it will come to pass, but weight and it is all a reminder of God's timing and holding on to what it is he is given us. But God knows best and then at the very end of that book Habakkuk rejoices in the Lord and he says though the fig tree should not blossom, no fruit beyond the vines, the prudent produce of the olive failed ended and the fields yield no food the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the dears he makes me tread on my high places, and that is an amazing promise that I came to this such an amazing promise of hope for us and what would you say today, and these closing moments to someone who is an a place of waiting right now I would. I would say to cling to that promise that that God though the joy of the Lord. First of all, is our strength in the joy of the Lord is not dependent on any of our circumstances, the joy of the Lord is something that is deep within us because he lives within us and that is what has sustained me through times of waiting in my life.

It is the joy of the Lord and it is to trust in him letting go, knowing that he has a perfect plan for my life. Even when their twists and turns.

It does not throw God off. Doesn't he is in it and he is going ahead and he has that perfect plan and I cling to that and that would be my my advice to anyone in this season of waiting the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs to become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you.

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