In this COVID-19 pandemic world, It is an on-line ballgame. Research, paperwork, phone calls, ZOOM meetings, waiting – It’s easy to become discouraged. BUT…
Embrace Waiting!
Isaiah 64:4
“Be encouraged, knowing that God has planned good things for those who wait.”
Yesterday the Lord reinforced the idea of spontaneity And so I wrote about it. Today, He said, “Flip the page!”
The other side of spontaneity is patience. The other side of the coin says, “Wait!” The next page tells us to set aside Frustration and replace it with trust.
Today’s message in the Daily Readings for Devoted Living, In Touch Magazine says,
“Sometimes… it may seem He’s unconcerned about us, because our prayers aren’t answered as quickly as we expect. When that happens, we need to remember it doesn’t mean God has stopped working. He is actively involved in our lives, but often in ways that are not visible.”
Hidden Lake, Montana
Behind the trees, out of our sight, there may be the answer we are looking for. Wait for the right answer! Don’t settle for less.
In Touch Magazine‘s message today went on to remind me, “God orchestrates circumstances, changes people’s hearts, and protects his children from making foolish decisions that could have disastrous consequences.”
“Waiting times are opportunities for growth in character, obedience, faith, and service.”
Today in the Word from Moody Bible Institute carried that same theme in my devotional today,
“What about you? Are you feeling stuck in God’s waiting room today? While it is no doubt frustrating, these times of delay are not necessarily a deviation from God’s plan. Trust God’s hand to set the next stage for your life. Let Him work in and through you, even during your waiting time.”
John Mayer sang a song “Waiting on the World to Change” – but I don’t think that’s what God has in mind for you. I think God is asking you to pray about your uncertainly. God is asking us to study His Word and learn from Him how to move forward. How is this song a different message?
In our period of waiting, God does not want us to feel powerless. We struggle with fear, insecurity, doubt, and a feeling of lack of power, but Christ is working in our hearts. As I sit in God’s waiting room, I pray for discernment, courage of conviction, confidence and wisdom.
If you are also feeling like you’re in God’s waiting room, Pray with me, “Lord, use this time when nothing seems to be happening. Use it for Your purposes. All our days are Yours. Amen!”
Embrace Waiting
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
I’ll be waiting for your answer to my question, “How did that song by John Mayer send a different message about waiting?” Are you waiting for the world to change?
Embrace Questioning! Do we embrace all questions? Like, “Are you stupid?”
No, it’s not questions, But the act of questioning That deserves embrace.
Not all questions are Developed with pure motives. Embrace those that are!
Embrace a pure heart Full of inquisitiveness. Ask because you care.
When you meet someone Ask their name and remember – Use it lovingly.
Ask about their life. Listen with sincere interest. Listening’s a gift.
Questioning’s one thing; Listening is another. They go hand in hand.
When I think of questioning with a pure motive and listening with an open heart, I think of Job. Even if you are not a Christian, seeped in the Bible stories, you have heard the expression, “The patience of Job.” (That’s pronounced Jobe… not job, like Steve Jobs, the American business magnate). What made the prophet, Job, come to mind?
Job is presented in the Bible as a good and prosperous family man who is beset by Satan with God‘s permission with horrendous disasters that take away all that he holds dear, including his children, his health, and his property. He struggles to understand his situation and begins a search for the answers to his difficulties. Searching for answers involves questioning. He does so without condemning God. He maintains his trust in God to ultimately work for his good – even when he is in the worst of his turmoil.
What a desolate looking man! What must he be saying to God? What questions would you be asking?
What does Job ask God? “He demands answers from God Himself. Job wants to know why bad things happen to good people. He knows it’s not right, and will not accept the saccharine answers of his friends.”
God, “Why Have You Made Me Your Target”? (Job 7:20)
God explains to Job that to us mere mortals sometimes there are no words—no rationalizations—that can make sense of the unhappiness we endure.
Trauma happens and we have to accept it. Explanations may make us feel better, but they mislead. Ultimately, Job, like all of us, must endure suffering not knowing why … or if the question even counts.
Once Job accepts this, he somehow manages to live with his trauma without becoming its victim.
The Book of Job asks “why good people suffer,” but never actually answers the question. What it does do, is correct misconceptions about why we suffer. The truth of this wonderful tale is that man can’t know everything.
Again, let me repeat, “Once Job accepts this, he somehow manages to live with his trauma without becoming its victim.”
How does this story relate to your life and mine? Have you ever questioned why life was throwing stones at you that you didn’t deserve?
Or have you questioned why you didn’t get a job that you knew you deserved?
This happened recently to my son. He applied for a job that he knew he was qualified for. Another person was chosen instead. He got a form letter of rejection. Instead of falling into a fit of depression or raging in disbelief, he called the person who did get the job and congratulated her. He asked if there was anything he could do to support her in her assignment – and he asked her to keep an eye out in case she saw a position in the future for which she thought he might be a good fit.
Within a day, he received a call back and an extension of his responsibilities was offered along with a significant pay raise.
Now, I’m not suggesting that every time you ask the right questions with the right motive, you’ll get a pay raise!
No, it’s not that simple. But, what embracing questioning does is it changes your focus. The right questions – in the right spirit – make the difference between misery and openness. The difference between depression and expression. The difference between pessimism and positivity.
Embrace a pure heart Full of inquisitiveness. Ask because you care.
Don’t question, “Why you?” Instead ask, “What can I do?” “Can I be of any help?”
Your attitude counts. Humility is the key. Embrace questioning!
My son posted this meme the day before his interview.
God is good. All the time! Even to the Jobs of this world! Be patient in love. Your pay raise is coming!!
Hah!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek Got any questions?? See ya tomorrow.
Do you ever wonder what’s real and what’s not? Do you wonder what’s truth and what’s fiction? Do you wonder why certain things happen? Do you wonder what tomorrow will bring?
What if you grew up with a dad Who was a Special Effects Artist? What would the world seem like To you if this was your daily reality?
Special Effects Video
Ever wonder what life would be like If you had not met the person who Is front and center in your life now? Who would be with you instead?
Smooshed kisses – Watch out noses!!
Ever wonder how God created The beauty of a rainbow or sunset? The colors of the variety of birds? Or every zebra’s stripes unique?
Photo by Jessica Lewis on Pexels.com Double rainbows – no less!!
Ever wonder how He could make Each snowflake different? Each eye unique – unlike any other? Each voice to sound like no other?
Photo by Egor Kamelev on Pexels.com No two are alike… amazing!!
Each eye is unique. No two are the same. Amazing!!
Did you ever wonder if our eyes grow over our lifetime? When we’re born, our eyes are about two-thirds smaller than they’ll be when we reach adulthood. People’s eyes stop growing in length by the age of 20-21, when they reach about 24 millimeters. But the weight of the eyes’ lenses continue to increase over time. Isn’t that a wonder?
Ever wonder how I knew that? Used to be we had a huge set of encyclopedia that we bought from a door-to-door salesman. Encyclopedia Britannica. Outdated by the time it was published. Ask Siri today. Ask Alexa. Carry your encyclopedia in your pocket. Ever wonder how our kids could survive without their cell phones?… And about those voices:
People recognize us by our voices.
Ever wonder what life would be like If the only thing we bothered to talk about Was the good that we see in others? This is a poem my mom had memorized:
Wouldn’t this old world be better If the folks we meet would say “I know something good about you,” And then treat us just that way?
Wouldn’t it be fine and dandy If each handclasp warm and true Carried with it this assurance, “I know something good about you”?
Wouldn’t life be lots more happy If the good that’s in us all Were the only thing about us That folks bothered to recall?
Wouldn’t life be lots more happy If we praised the good we see? For there’s such a lot of goodness In the worst of you and me.
Wouldn’t it be nice to practice That fine way of thinking, too? You know something good about me! I know something good about you.
(Louis C. Shimon)
Mom posted that poem along with many others on a cardboard that she had hanging inside her kitchen cabinet door. She gathered the poems as a new bride in 1937. They were cut from the weekly newspaper. I have that cardboard posted inside my kitchen cabinet door here in Montana. It’s fading fast and becoming harder and harder to read… but I have most of them memorized now, too!
Ever wonder what your life would be like If you were born to a different mother? You wouldn’t be you, would you? What if your mother had different attributes?
My mother loved poetry (obviously) – And so that love of words well spoken Rubbed off on me – and I wonder What would life be like without poetry?
I wonder what life will be like when there is no more COVID-19.
Ever wonder what this world would be like Without the wonder of music? The streams would have to stop and The wind would have to cease.
Ever wonder how one could live happily Without having a sense of wonder? What do you wonder about, my friend? What gives you a sense of awe and wonder?
(By the way, that “Nature Sounds” video will play for 10 hours. Do you think the image or sound will change after a while? Ever wonder how they did that?)
Sending my love and hugs. Thanks for visiting JanBeek. Wonder which of your friends would like a link to this post?
Bob & Jan at breakfast on our 59th anniversary yesterday.
Thank you for all your positive comments and good wishes. I wonder what blogging would be like if I didn’t have YOU in it? Not a pretty thought!
Reading a good book Takes you to gardens And castles and wonders Around the world.
Reading a good book Increases your vocabulary And helps you soar To heights beyond your reach.
I’m not telling you Anything you didn’t know. So, tell me about a book That carried you skyward.
I’m all ears! Recommend a good book to me.
Embrace Reading!
That’s me – reading “The Wing Ding Dilly” by Bill Peet to a 4th grade class in California. Their teacher, Mrs. Souza, invited friends on FB to ZOOM read to her class. I volunteered. You should try it! It was such fun!!
In my “Refuel*” devotional time a couple of days ago, I heard a theory about the Cycle of Success that made perfect sense to me. I hope it speaks to you the way it did to me.
As a teacher of elementary children for nearly a quarter of a century and the mom of two very curious children, I can tell you that one of the most annoying questions is “Why?”
I remember the day I finally asked my father, “Why not?” when he told me NO. I was about 20 years old! Can you imagine? Being raised in a family where when Dad said, “No,” that was final? No questions asked. Just obey?
My kids were not like that. It was a different era. They asked, “Why?” before they knew how to say, “Chocolate!”
I think a measure of a child’s intelligence may be how many times s/he asks “Why?” The explorations, poking, questioning, prodding, relentless inquisitive nature of some children and adults can be downright annoying, though.
The path may not be a straight one… And it may be hard to determine where it leads, but curiosity will keep you (and them) moving forward. There is a huge NEED to know what’s beyond the bend!
As parents and teachers we sometimes want to shield our children from the unknown. There may be danger out there. I had a tendency to be protective. I know that’s where my dad was coming from when he said, “No!”
But squelching curiosity because of fear of the unknown is a dangerous path. It can lead to many missed opportunities and lost happiness.
Instead of being annoyed by the “Why?” and the “Why not?” we need to teach ourselves and our children the importance of always questioning.
Accepting “No” for an answer without questioning can lead to stagnation.
Instead of squelching curiosity, let’s turn our questioning into research with a purpose.
Curious people don’t just look Curious people see Curious people don’t just see Curious people question Curious people don’t just question Curious people probe
With a thirst for answers, Curious people are relentless. They keep asking until They find answers that satisfy.
Curiosity changes our perceptions. It changes our way of seeing things. It helps us gain the wisdom That less curious people Spend a life-time chasing.
Francoise Sagan is credited with that quote. Who was he? Are you curious? I was.
“Françoise Sagan (born Françoise Delphine Quoirez; 21 June 1935 – 24 September 2004) was a French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. Sagan was known for works with strong romantic themes involving wealthy and disillusioned bourgeois characters. Her best-known novel was her first – Bonjour Tristesse (1954) – which was written when she was a teenager.
Want to know more? Put her name in your Google search engine. We are so blessed to have an encyclopedia at our fingertips. Folks with insatiable appetites for answers can ask the who, what, why, when, and how questions and Siri or Alexa or Wikipedia are right there. What a gift these are to the curious.
Imagine what Einstein might have done with today’s technology!!!
EMBRACE CURIOSITY! Let your “Why?” be followed by active listening, thoughtful reading, and the explorations, poking, questioning, prodding, trying again, inquisitive nature that those children and adults exhibited who were downright annoying. Go ahead! Be annoying!
This is the image I put on the front of this week’s church bulletin:
Sermon topic: “Listening for God.”
If you’ve followed my blog for a week or more, you know that Sunday afternoon’s blog usually is devoted to sermon notes from this morning’s worship service at the Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, Montana – sermon by Rev. Steve Hundley.
Today’s sermon, “Listening for God,” was based on the story of Hannah, Samuel, and Eli as told in 1 Samuel 3:1-20 and John 1:43-51.
Listening for God
Sermon by Rev. Steve Hundley Poetic notes by Jan Beekman
I was known to be able To sleep through anything. I inherited that trait from my grandma. You could sing At the top of your lungs And she would not awake. That’s a trait I retained Through most of my life’s daybreaks.
But later in life I found I would awaken at midnight And be unable to go back to sleep. I couldn’t nod off, try as I might. And in the wee hours I find The bad things seem worse. They magnify in the darkness. Sleeplessness is a curse!
So, how must it have been When Samuel heard God’s voice In the middle of the night – Must’a made him puzzle – not rejoice! His mother, Hannah, also Heard God’s voice when barren. He told her she’d give birth, So she promised her babe she’d be sharin’.
When her baby, Samuel, was born, She kept her promise to God And gave her child to Him By delivering him to Eli’s sod. Samuel grew up in the church. One night Sam heard the sound Of a voice calling out his name. He went to Eli in a running bound.
Eli told him it was God Calling him to listen and hear. It took courage to listen and accept That it was the Lord speaking clear. Samuel’s whole life changed that night As he suddenly became a man. He learned to listen without fright And obey God’s voice… just as we can.
There are lots of voices we hear In our nights that lack sweet slumber. Are we listening to the true voice of God Or is it somebody else – or thunder? While we wake to the world’s troubles, Sometimes it’s hard to discern and hear The Word of God – and live what He commands. Declare our willingness, and know God is near.
There is grace and hope knowing When Samuel listened, he changed From a boy to a Man of God – And his future was rearranged. Take courage and respond with “Speak, Lord, your servant is ready To hear and respond, and live out Your words to me. Keep me steady.”
Amen
Eli assured Samuel it was God speaking to him.
There were a couple dozen of us tuned in to this ZOOM church service today. Thank you for joining us via this blog I pray you are tuned in to hear God’s voice, too.
“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
A Bible verse from our son, Ty, today
To be sure your steps Are on the path the Lord sets Embrace Listening
… and practice obedience! Here’s one of the hymns we sang during our ZOOM service this morning:
Thanks for visiting JanBeek See ya tomorrow. Have a great Sunday afternoon/evening.
With his permission, I am sharing with you the first part of a Christmas letter I received this week from my former pastor, Rev. Brent Mitchell. He is a master wordsmith! He said what’s in my heart so much better than I could have said it.
“Mark it how you will, 2020 was a year not lost, but forever to be remembered for both its absences and its unexpected gifts.
By the middle of March, it became apparent that what we thought as normalcy had left its predictable confines for parts unknown, leaving no forwarding address.
Masked and gloved, we were left to fend for ourselves absent even the comfort of shaking hands or intimate conversations, the communion around tables, camaraderie of birthdays celebrated, the sacred closeness of hospital visits.
Absent of the humanizing connectivity, of those familiar and holy intersections, we were left to laugh alone, to cry alone, and hope in seclusion. It cost us treasures we never knew were so valuable and time that cannot be recalled.
“But admit it: There were unexpected gifts. There were letters we finally wrote, the books we never touched until now, the prolonged stillness that allowed us to think again, and listen to what our hearts were saying.
We talked to God because the hours got quiet enough to hear His still small voice. It happened because we watched enough TV to realize we had watched TV enough, and golden silence gave us gifts that weren’t insipid.
“I think, in short, that if we were paying attention, not only did we get older, but almost certainly wiser because even a painful awareness of what lurks in our hearts and minds is worth more than gold.
The gift was rediscovering at a visceral level that we really are never alone; nor in the absence of everyone, are we left unloved.
“My prayer is that when this is over, and it will one day be over, we won’t forget the things we learned the hard way this year: that God willing, we’ll never go back to the tired normalcy of endless distractions, of busyness as usual, and the noise that never ends.”
The Mitchell Musings December 2020
Peace to you. Good Night, my friends. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve Day.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. I leave with you my hopes and wishes for a most Blessed Christmas.
Today’s sermon was titled, “Responding to God’s Call.” Luke 1:26-38 was the scripture passage. Mary responded with such grace and faith. Listen to Rev. Steve Hundley’s message at today’s Madison Valley Presbyterian Church -recorded through Jan’s poetic filters.
Responding to God’s Call
Luke described the coming Of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. Many artists have been inspired To depict the scene; they’re varied.
Some created majestic scenes With mountains and waterfalls, But that wasn’t the vision recorded. It’s a simple scene when God calls.
Gabriel doesn’t ask permission. He simply tells her what will be, The Bible says she was perplexed. More in shock, it seems to me.
Whatever plans Mary may have had, God comes and intervenes. Like Mary, God has plans for us. Listen to this story; hear what it means.
We can plan our lives carefully, But often we’re face with interruptions. Unexpected events order our future; Often they keep us from corruption.
God’s plans always exceed ours. But still, we have questions galore. Unlike Mary, we ask for clarification. We want to understand more.
It’s not every day an angel appears And announces what’ll come next. But often life chooses us And leaves us totally perplexed.
In real life, we have choices. We can say yes or shout NO! We can become stoic and look away; We can be stubborn and refuse to go.
When God throws us curve balls, We might become angry and defensive. We might throw our hands up And become bitter; but that’s expensive.
It costs us our peace of mind. It takes away unexpected joy. If Mary had been so inclined, It might have cost her that Baby Boy!
Let it be to me according To your Word, O Lord, my Christ. When You send Your instructions, May I say “Yes!” without thinking twice.
Nothing is impossible with God. Tune in! And play along!! Amen
There may be an angel standing by your fire, sending out signals and you’re unaware. There may be a message blowing in the wind, and you can’t hear it. There may be an assignment God is giving you, and you don’t know it. Tune in! Listen up! Play along!!
Jan with Great-grandson, Xander
Notes during the Pastoral Prayer today:
“God came into a troubled world. Come again, Lord Jesus, For we, too, are troubled. We need You.
We are suffering. Pain is taking its toll. Come and bring power and healing To those who are hurting.
Bring comfort to those Who have lost loved ones. Come again, Lord Jesus. Bring deliverance.
We wait for You.”
Amen
Every heart is longing for our King Whether they know it or not. Let your light shine. Sing! Play along!!
Merry Christmas!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. Have a blessed Sunday. See you tomorrow. HUGS!
