Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

Whoa.  Wait a minute, you might be thinking.  How could this mess I am going through be a blessing ? Let us review, dear friends!   Here's a short list of how trials formed the saints of Scripture: - Daniel experienced firsthand God's supernatural power in protecting him from the voracious lions - Jesus was in  the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (and He is with us in our "fiery furnace!") - God protected David from Saul's murderous plans again and again, bringing him into his destiny as King - Job was doubly blessed - more than he had been - after he lost everyone and everything in life - Paul's letters to the churches are the most-quoted Scripture of all time; he wrote them from a prison cell - Jonah needed to learn that God's grace is for all - even for those he couldn't stand; he finally learned obedience - Joseph was left for dead by his jealous siblings; he ended up ruling over them eventually - Jesus endured severe hunger and

Waiting.  No one likes it.  I don't care how patient you are, waiting is a pain.   As Christians, we are to wait on God.  We also wait for God.  We wait for Him to answer prayer and not take matters into our own hands (hopefully!).  We wait for Him to reveal truth to us about a situation, to give us His wisdom because we simply don't know the truth as He does. I have been waiting on God for about ten years now to answer a very vital prayer in my life.  He has yet to budge.  Oh maybe a tad, but not completely in the way I expect Him to. "You get what you expect."  No, you don't.  You can "claim" Scripture, believe in "manifesting" answers for yourself, but the truth is, when God is not doing something that only He can do, it ain't happening. Now most would say I have a very strong faith.  And I do.  But when my unanswered prayers cause me pain, disappointment, and heartache, it's like a hammer and chisel taking a chink out of my faith. T