Swiper! No Swiping!

Remember that kid’s show, Dora the Explorer? Kids had to yell at the television, “Swiper! No swiping!” so that the sly fox would not steal the prized object of the episode? That show always got on my nerves, but my niece loved it. I remember her watching it with fascination and getting so upset when Swiper came on the screen. She would gasp like, “How dare he!”Swiper was always there, lurking. Often we are too busy looking at the prize that we don't see Swiper hiding in the bushes. 

Hebrews 11:1 is one of my favorite verses. God showed me this one back in high school and it became my life verse. It says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen.” Let's face it, faith is hard. I know that each of us have had something they have prayed and prayed for, only to wait and wonder if God is listening. That's the question right? Is God listening? It's like that Judy Bloom book, "Are You There God. It's Me Margaret." I have had many things in my life that I thought God just forgot about for me. I spent many lonely nights praying through tears to understand what God was doing, and questioning whether He was doing anything. 

Whatever it is that your heart desires, and you have waited and waited on God for, you are not  alone. So many people have been through the same things. The Bible is full of their stories. Abraham and Sarah wanted a child. Even when God promised it to them, their faith was small. Sarah laughed, and Abraham said he was too old. God had a plan though. Hebrews 11 is filled with people who had tremendous faith, and God used them greatly. These people were not perfect though.  They all made mistakes. They all had doubts. Sarah instructed her servant to lay with Abraham, in order to make the prophecy that he would be the father of many come true. It ended badly, and it wasn't God’s plan. If she had just waited a little longer, she wouldn't have had to go through the pain caused by Hagar and Abraham having a child together. It's difficult though. It's hard to wait for something you cannot see. It's easy to fall for the things you can see. It's easy to doubt that God is doing anything. 

Here is the danger in doubt. It's not just the mistakes and regrets that may follow. It's letting your faith be stolen. Trust me, that is exactly what Satan wants to do. Steal your faith. If he can do that, he can hold you back from all the good things God has for you. This in turn holds everyone back that God plans to touch through your life. He is sly too. He will use the smallest of things to cause your faith not to grow. I have wallowed in the sadness of not seeing my prayers answered the way I wanted, and when I wanted them answered. It is like a cancer feeding off of healthy cells to produce unhealthy cells. In these times you must hold on to God’s Word. Meditate on it day and night. Stay in prayer. God’s plan will prevail. It may just take longer than you wanted it too, but it will always be on time. Gods timing is perfect. He has a perfect plan for you. There are things in this plan that you don't even know about, nor could you imagine them, if you tried. If He promised to do it, He will. 

Perfection doesn't just happen, it's made. It is not made over night either. It takes time. Sometimes years. So, hang in there, Dear One. Keep praying for that thing you desire. God will come through. Focus on what you can't see, and not on what you can see. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Here's the tough part. We must trust God. Sometimes His plan is not what we hoped. It's still best. I know your thinking that is easy for me to say. God answered my prayer. He did! In tremendous ways, beyond what I had imagined, or hoped. Even if He had not given me this gift, I still would have to trust Him. I would still have to seek after Him, because anything else would be second best. Didn’t He already do enough when He sent His Son to die for our sins? Yes! Yes, He did!  Take heart though! He is with you, and He is for you. If that one thing becomes something you shouldn't have, He has something better. He will not hand you a stone, when you ask for bread. (Matt. 7:9) He will not withhold any good thing from you. (Psalms 84:11)

Sometimes you have to shout at Satan in order to hold onto faith. No swiping!!!! As cheesy as that sounds. Hold on tight to those truths that God has given you.

XO,

T