Of Birds And Lizards

I am still waiting on the Lord. I don’t know what my future holds. This waiting time has become bittersweet. At first, it was bitter, having to wait on God. In this fast paced world, I’ve learned not to wait for anything. Yet, God is making me wait. The sweetness has come, as I read more and more scriptures, reminding myself who God is.

I can’t measure God’s goodness. But friends have been praying for me. And God has been speaking to me. It’s a strange and wonderful place to be. To continually trust in God’s character and not trust or look at my circumstances.

My friend told me a story the other day. She has a pool in her backyard. And here in California, lizards abound. And like every backyard in Southern California, my friend has lizards. The female lizards lay eggs, then the eggs hatch, and tiny little lizards come out with no supervision. She said, they always end up in her pool. So the other day, she went out to her backyard to do something and spotted a tiny lizard floating in her pool. She went to scoop him up, and realized he was still alive. She saved the little guy. While she was scooping up that lizard, she spotted another one. She scooped him out of the pool, and he was alive too. She brought them to dry ground and let them go. She saved two lizard lives that day. Then she reminded me of the verse:

Matt. 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from you Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

God saved two tiny little lizard’s lives that day. How much more significant am I?

This is the sweetness of this waiting time. I remember a relative I have, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was a Christian. The doctors didn’t know if the tumor was cancer or not. They wouldn’t know, until they gave him brain surgery to pull out the tumor. So during this time, everyday was a gift to him. He didn’t know if he ever had more than that day to live on this planet. So he drew near to God, in the waiting time. Then, he finally had the surgery, and there was no cancer and they were able to remove the tumor with no side effects. When I talked to him, he said he missed that time, before the surgery – the waiting time. He felt closer to God than he ever felt in his life.

And that’s where I am, in the waiting time. I don’t like to wait for anything, but this is a sweet time. God says He is near to those who wait on Him. I feel His presence. I am becoming still, like He asks us to. I am humbled by Him. He speaks to me. This is a good time. The verses that say how much He loves me are becoming real. When I remind myself of them, it takes away the fear and anxiety.

I wouldn’t have chosen it, if I had a choice. But this really is a good place to be. It’s refining me. It’s a good review of who God really is. It’s a sweet thing to be in the waiting time. I know, when things work out, how much sweeter it will all be.

So friend, don’t be afraid of the waiting time. It’s sweeter than I can ever explain to you. That’s why God asks us to wait, sometimes. Because we get to draw near to Him and experience a sweetness that’s indescribable.