Waiting on something has taken up most of my life. Waiting for answered prayers that occupied my heart and hoping that God was paying attention. In this podcast we will talk about the difficulty and sometimes pain we have when we are waiting for answers from God. We will also talk about the value in learning to wait as well as the ways God blesses beyond the waiting time we are in. 

1. God is in control--we must humble ourselves to let Him be God and king over our lives to wait well.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God until He is gracious to us. Psalm 123:2

1. Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
2. Faith is believing when we cannot see--choosing to believe when we absolutely do not know what is happening or what will happen--we choose to believe in God. 

Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Be still before the LORD, rest  and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

3. Waiting brings deep wisdom and perspective and stretches our character muscles
4. Waiting develops humility and compassion and extends your ability to minister to others

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Isaiah 40:31

As we ponder the countless thousands who have engaged in our ministry through the years, through conferences, through the publishing and launching of 20 books and Bible study guides, the development of an online ministry, our blogs, podcasts, small group and international ministries, the Bible studies and conferences that are taking place all over the world, we are humbled by what God has done. 

In today's podcast, you will hear about:

*My time with a dear friend, Terri Moon, and reminiscing about our lives with our children who have grown up together. 

*Favorite music and why we study composers and their character qualities in our membership, "Cultivating Life with Sally. And how music is healing

*Favorite recipes and traditions we both celebrate (She is an amazing cook!)

*How worry has never ever changed any of our circumstances

*How both of us restore and refresh and celebrate Christmas to bring Joy

*Why joy is a healer and why a joyful heart is good medicine.

We think that Christmas is a great time to share books as gifts because they also bring healing and inspiration to those we love. So, we are giving away 3 books to our readers for Christmas.

Take time to regroup today--Go eat some chocolate, and don't feel guilty as you are eating it (that would certainly be a waste of good chocolate!) Listen to some beautiful music, watch a heart-warming movie, take a nap, eat off of paper plates to save cleanup! The rest of December is still coming and you will be the better for it. I'll be praying for you!