Friday's Footnote

Mark 9:23

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Good morning, my dear family and friends!

Finally, it's Friday!! When I worked outside of my home, Fridays were indeed fabulous because it meant I could be away from the workplace for two whole days. Now that I no longer work a public job, I still find Fridays to be a special day, probably because I think about all my hard working family and friends who are ready for their weekends to begin.

The verse from Mark 9 that I chose to head up today's blog post tells us that "all things are possible" if we believe. Something that I've noticed about society over the past fifteen years or so is that we always seem to be in a hurry; wanting anything and everything to happen "just like that." This manner of thinking can be compared to a microwave.... Put in a dish, enter 1-2 minutes, press START... then enjoy! Without realizing it, could it be that we view prayer the same way? "Jesus, please help me with this particular problem. Amen." Then, we expect to rise from our knees and find the answer met. 

Unfortunately, or maybe I should say fortunately, things don't always turn out so quickly. There is a time of the testing of our faith. Let's take a look at Joseph. When he was young, God gave him dreams of being a leader over his family and others. Were Joseph's dreams fulfilled within the first year? No, the fulfillment of those dreams were many years in the making. 

Psalm 105:19 tells us regarding Joseph: "Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him." He was sold by his brothers; lied on by Potiphar's wife; then imprisoned - and he was living right. The fetters surely hurt him while he was imprisoned, but the real hurt was in wondering, Where is God? When we pray and our prayers are not answered, we must keep believing. God is at work, even though we cannot see Him nor understand His plan.

During the years that Joseph waited for his dreams to be fulfilled, God was strengthening him, so that when the answer DID come, he was prepared to lead the people during famine, and deal with forgiving his brothers. The years of his faith being tried were not in vain. God was with Joseph and shaping him for bigger things.

So, when you find that the answers have not come to your prayers, don't dismay. Trust that God knows what is best and, just like with Joseph, one day our answer will come, and we will be ready to step into whatever role God has for us.

I'd like to share just the chorus of a beautiful song, Keep Believing, by Tim Pedigo:

Keep believing in what you know is true

Keep believing

You know the Lord will see you through

When troubles rise in your life

And you don't know what to do

You'll be fine

If you just keep believing

May your Friday be indeed fabulous, as you faithfully follow The Father wherever He leads!

God bless you all and, if He's willing, I'll see you again tomorrow.....

Friday's Footnote: "God may withhold an answer to prayer until we relinquish control of the outcome and put our complete trust in Him." - Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson