Faithful

Back story: I have always been really affected by music, and recently I have found a huge amount of comfort and sympathy in the lyrics of certain songs. Tonight I attended what was definitely the best concert IN HISTORY- Brooke Fraser (a singer/songwriter from new Zealand) at a little venue in Little 5. I was wholly moved by just about each one of her songs (download them ALL), but there was one chorus in particular that spoke to me:

"When I can't feel you, I have learned to reach out just the same
When I can't hear you, I know you still hear every word I pray
And I want you more than I want to live another day
And as I wait for you maybe I'm made more faithful"

Buddy's sermon this past weekend was just as powerful. He spoke about storms that we will experience in our lives and how we can choose to respond to these storms (or to any situation, really)... We can choose to be fearful and to doubt. Or we can choose to be in awe, to have faith. And the amazing thing about this is that we can't do both. If you are fearful about something, it shows that you have no faith. On the other hand, if you are faithful in a certain situation, you lack fear. Both fear and faith involve us anticipating the outcome- neither are reactions to the outcome (never thought of that before!) So do you look at something and fear the worst, or do you look at something in awe of what God has done, faithful of what He will continue to do?

That night when I checked my email, I read this concerning our friend Phil in Iraq:

"We are praising God for a bomb not able to go off that was pointed at Phil in Iraq. He was helping with an attack where 2 guys were killed and 1 seriously injured . He went in, to back them up and the enemy tried to detonate the IED but God who is sovereign over all kept it from going off. Thank you Jesus. Please continue to pray for him as he is often in danger."

It would be easy to look at this and be fearful for Phil's safety, to have doubts about this war. But here is his mother-in-law, praising God for keeping him safe, holding on to her faith that Phil is under the control of something much more powerful than a human enemy.

So as we wait on the military to tell us when to go, we are made more faithful each day. We can't sit and doubt what we're doing or when we're going to do it. God totally humbled me in the midst of my doubt by taking care of our house (I still can't believe how that worked out!)

So I know I keep getting deep and serious, but I can't help but notice the lessons I am learning in the waiting. Can't imagine what we'll learn in the "doing"...