MONDAYS WITH KERRI
Waiting is the ultimate act of worship. It is the tangible expression of a will that is surrendered. It is not dependent on what He has or has not done for us. It is only dependent on who He is, and He is unchanging. As we learn to wait on Him, we move into true worship. We worship Him in spirit and in truth when we don’t get what we want, and we still want Him. Sometimes what we ask for doesn’t come. And sometimes when it does, we are still left unfulfilled. If we are listening to the voice of our accuser, we will not wait for our Heavenly Father to act or move on our behalf in times of suffering, mourning or persecution. We must beware not to be like Eve and reach out and take the “apple” in fear, believing God will not give us what we want or need.
We must learn to surrender our desire, our plan and our will. We must wait for Him to move in our lives. In waiting, we will learn to be quieted by His presence and satisfied by His love. It is the proof of a heart so fulfilled by Him today that the worries and desires of tomorrow take a back-seat priority. Submitting to the posture of waiting is the manifestation of truly finding our identity and purpose in Him. We are finally free when He is our blessing–The One thing we want and need.
We must simply choose that He is enough for today and every day until He comes again to claim us. Just as the bride must be prepared for her groom, we must be prepared for His return. We can only wait on Him if we know Him. If we don’t, we will settle for lesser lovers and seek to fill the empty hole in our hearts with relationships that can never satisfy. We are waiting for our wedding day with The One who calls us His Beloved, but we must choose what we are going to believe, minute to minute and day to day. When we learn to choose Him and give Him first place, it will change the course of our lives.
//QUESTIONS//
What is your focus on? What is the story you are living in? Is your ring finger writing your story or are you living out of His bigger story, The One in which you are chosen, adored, covered and redeemed? Will the hope and promise of your future as His Beloved captivate your heart and attention or will the shame of your past and the doubts over your future hold and paralyze you? What is controlling your life? Are you operating in lies, shame, and fear or power, love, and self-discipline? What are you choosing to believe today? Is your life defined by your ring finger or are you living as the Signet Ring on the hand of God? Are you walking in your identity as His Beloved or are you living as though you are The Betrayed? Are you settling for His blessings or are you truly blessed in His presence?
//ACTION STEPS//
Regardless of what your relationship story has told you about your identity, allow Him to speak to you through your ring finger; let it represent the hope you have in Him. Every time you look at it, let it remind you of The One you are waiting for. He has made you His Signet Ring; you are always on His mind. He has written you on His heart and sealed you on His hand. You are not alone; He is in you, with you, and for you. He is covering you. He only asks that you choose Him, trust Him, and wait for Him. You are His bride, His Beloved, and He is coming soon to take you home.
Romans 8:22-25
For we know that all creation has been groaning
as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit
within us…groan to be released from pain and suffering.
We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our
full rights as his children…we eagerly look forward to this freedom.
For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it.
But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.
Now boldly proclaim…You are His Beloved.
WHAT’S NEXT?
This concludes this series of devotionals from Kerri’s book The Signet Ring. Starting in a few weeks Kerri will be offering a video blog posted on Facebook and on our website. Watch for it and we hope you will join us as we seek His face together.
To read more on this topic order Kerri's book
