Episode 634

TODAY’S READING

1 In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.

2 I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame,

but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

Psalms 25:1-3

This time of year, I know that it’s a little bit hard for some people, some of us may be grieving the loss of a loved one that we may have lost this year or last year, or within the ten years or whenever, grief is not something easy for us. And I understand that because, you know, in the holidays, this is a time when our family comes together, and we’re reminded of some of the things that may hurt our hearts still. Now, if you’re single, the holidays might be a hard time for you because you’re longing for a relationship with someone you’re longing for the next chapter in your life where you can have your own home and your own holiday events with the love of your life next to you with your partner. And so maybe you’ve been waiting for a spouse, or maybe you’ve been waiting for that next season. Now what I love most about the holidays is that we get to spend time with our families is that we get to spend time with those that we love, but at the same time, we are enjoying a time that God has placed for us it is a season to remember, not just what his son did, but all of the goodness that he has done for us in this last year. And sometimes, that can be overshadowed by the pain that we feel on a day-to-day basis. So my goal for this show has always been to equip us with prayer on a day-to-day basis. And today, we’re going to be talking about the pain that we feel in waiting and how God continues to outshine us and outdo us in that time. So I want to encourage you that there is a plan. God has a plan. And what I loved about this verse, it says; indeed, no one who waits for you shall be put to shame. So whatever shame you carry into the holiday season, the shame of being single and waiting, the shame of not having enough finances to gift those that you love with what they want or deserve, the shame that comes with any part of the holidays because we all do one another all of that pressure that society has given us that is cast that away because there is no shame in waiting. God is going to equip you in this season. And he’s going to give you the strength and the joy and the love that you need to go into the holiday season with a full heart full of joy full of love and ready really for the next year that he has for us. 

God continues to outshine us. He continues to outdo us. And if you just look back at the last ten months, you would have seen everything he’s done for you everywhere he has brought you from, and even in the good and the bad, he’s been there. So may we remember that there is a plan in the waiting. So whatever you are waiting for, God is working. There is no shame for anyone waiting in Lord in the Lord. And so the enemies in our lives will not being assaulted over us. We will not be put to shame in this season. And in it all, God is good. He is so very good. So I want to encourage you today that there is a plan for you and your life. There’s a plan for you this season. And no matter what pain comes with this time of year, may it be overcast and overshadowed with the joy of the Lord because this is his season, so don’t let the stressors of the world and society get to you that has continued to enjoy the season for what it is. It is a season of gratitude. It is a season of joy. Next month we’re walking into a season of Advent as we wait on and excite with excitement and as we continue to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.

Prayer:

My God, we thank you, God, for everything. We know that the holidays can sometimes be a little bit difficult for us to process; some of us are sitting in grief others of us are sitting in a season of waiting. And God, some of us just carried some shame over the past couple of months. And so we ask that you wait for that from us. We give you our grief. We give you our seasons of waiting. We give you the shame that we may carry, and we know that in you as we wait with you as we understand that you are working on our behalf. And then you are working on our grief and in our singleness, and you are working in our seasons, Lord, you continue to shine through it all. To you be all the glory. We love you. We honor you. We pray this all in your son’s mighty name. Amen.