Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wait

 
Wait
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word. 

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign. 

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply." 

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?" 

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

7 comments:

Angie Cousins said...

Such beautiful truth.

Unknown said...

He is soooo CUTE!!! He looks like you Mandy...In his little baby doll way. We are praying friend.....every night. Kayla at dinner makes sure we pray for him in the hospital. She is your #1 prayer warrior!

matt & sarah said...

Mandy this picture took my breath away- he is beautiful! We are still hoping to figure out a way to come visit and meet Jude- praying for you all as you wait.

rich menninger said...

Psalm 42

Adrienne said...

Let me start by saying that Jude is beautiful and I love to check in and see his pictures. I was introduced to your blog through a mutual friend who mentioned on Facebook to pray for your family. I have been checking in every so often and praying as often as I can for your family and friends but this is my first post.

Without going on about my story I will give you a short background. Our beautiful baby boy (first child), Isaac was born on June 5, 2011. He was diagnosed (at our anatomy scan) with anencephaly (a severe neural tube defect). He went to his heavenly home during the delivery, which was anticipated but still incredibly hard. We have and continue to suffer greatly through this experience.

I am telling you this not to vent about my troubles but to say THANK YOU. I am so moved by your story and I enjoy reading how you have openly expressed your anger/suffering/pain/frustration and how this relates to your love of God. It is hard to know that God is good and still be feeling such pain. I feel that I am often looking for answers through various forums (talking to friends, talking to my husband, google/internet, praying, reading the bible, etc.) that often leave me wanting more answers. It is hard to 'wait' even though there are times (usually when things are a little better) that I can understand why waiting is good. Thank you for your love of God and your willingness to share your story. I find great peace with your posts and I love to hear how Jude is doing.

Your family will continue to be in my prayers and I will hope with you that you will be able to bring Jude home.

Stephanie, Daneel, Avalon & Julie said...

What a beautiful picture! Precious Jude, you are fearfully and wonderfully made and you are such a sweet reflection of our great God. Praying for you little buddy!

Andrea Bullok said...

Thank you for the poem. Love the precious picture of Jude on this post - he is so sweet and adorable! We continue to wait and pray with you knowing that God is receiving glory through Jude's life! Praying against infection so that he can have the surgery as soon as possible.

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