God's Holding Pattern

By Pastor Cornelius F. Warren

Many times God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in

our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a holding

pattern. We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like

Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided

attention and speak to us.

God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart.

Jonah was alone. There were no friends to call; no colleagues to drop by, no

books to read; no food to eat, no interference, and no interruptions. He had

plenty of time to sit, meditate, and pray.

When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to

us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about

ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.

A Few of God's Holding Patterns:

1.When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed but God has not

healed you yet, you are in a holding pattern.

2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on

the altar but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.

3. When you have been praying for the salvation of a loved one and they have

not been saved yet, you are in a holding pattern.

4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God

but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.

5. When the doors slam shut before you can knock on them, you are in a

holding pattern.

When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no

interruptions. Hence, God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit,

meditate, and pray.

We cannot run from God, because there are no mountains that are high enough,

valleys that are low enough, rivers that are wide enough, rooms that are dark

enough, or secret places that are hidden enough from Him.

We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting and remember three things:

1. The pattern has a purpose.

2. The pattern has a plan.

3. The pattern has a process.

So stop struggling and start listening, praying, and trusting. He'll keep you

right where you are until you can hear Him clearly say, "I love you."

Prayer:

Father, heal my unbelief. I know you love me and will turn everything around

to benefit me. You have planned nothing for me but victories, and I am ready

to receive them regardless of how difficult the path. Amen

Today's Thought:

When God measures a man, He puts the tape around the heart instead of the

head.

Naomi, Phillip and I watched the New Year come in alone this year. Our year began with attending our granddaughter, Abigail's 8th birthday. She thinks she is so grown up now. We love her so much. The first Sunday in the New Year we were blest to attend a candle light service at our church which included commune. What a sacred time. The sanctuary was so lovely. Now why didn't I have my camera with me?

Then our grandson Steven had his eardrum punctured and the doctor is allowing it to heal on it's own with God's Mercy we pray. Aaron, our youngest grandson (10 1/2 months) had tubes put in his ears by the doctor. His hearing loss was upgraded from severe to moderate. We are very grateful. He will still require hearing aides but the loss is less that thought at first. God has blessed us already this year and whatever the Lord brings in this coming year (whether good or ill) we are determined to trust Him and serve Him anyway. Our pastor spoke so eloquently on this subject and I appreciated it so much. God Bless each of you throughout the coming year.
Happy New Year!

Little White Robin Hood
by Marion Mallette Thornton
In the New Year's box from Aunt Jo there was an unusually lovely present for Leslie. It was really two presents: a beautiful warm white coat and a black velvet hood, both trimmed with soft, white fur around the edges.
Leslie was very happy, and hurried to put them on.
"Oh, mother," she cried, looking at herself in the mirror, "I'm a Little White Riding-Hood instead of a red one!"
"So you are!" said mother laughing. "I hope Granny Wolf will not eat you up."
Leslie laughed, too, and clapped her hands. "Oh, I'll go and see Granny Graham and play she is the wolf, only she is ever so much too kind to eat anybody. I ought to have something nice to take her, mother, you know Red Riding Hood did."
"Oh, I'll go and see Granny Graham and play she is the wolf."
Mother gladly packed a basket with doughnuts and red apples, but Leslie was not satisfied. "I can take doughnuts any time, I'd like to take some of the oranges from Aunt Jo's box."
Mother looked a little surprised. "Are you quite sure you can spare them, dear? You do not have oranges very often."
"I'd like to," Leslie insisted earnestly. "I don't believe Red Riding Hood was selfish, and I'm sure White Riding Hood doesn't want to be."
So mother put in three big yellow oranges, and Leslie ran down the hill with her basket. Granny Graham was a tiny, sweet old lady who lived in a tiny cottage at the foot of the hill.
Leslie knocked at the door and a pleasant voice called, "Come in." Leslie opened the door and stood inside in her pretty furry things, feeling quite nice and shivery over even playing that Granny was a wolf.
"Good morning, Granny," she said, "I'm Little White Riding Hood."
"Good morning, my dear," said Granny, smiling, "how nice you look."
"Oh, Granny," cried Leslie, "'what bright eyes you've got!'"
Granny's bright eyes twinkled with fun as she answered, "'The better to see you with'."
Leslie giggled; that was just the way it went in the story. "'Oh. Granny,'" she went on playing, "'what long ears you have!'"
"'The better to hear you with,'" answered Granny; which was all very funny because the ears peeping out from under Granny's cap were tiny like the rest of her, and did not hear any too well at best.
After that, Leslie held her basket a bit tighter and said, "'Oh, Granny, what sharp teeth you've got!'"
"'The better to eat you with,'" laughed Granny, "I'm sure you look quite sweet enough."
Leslie ran over and put the basket in her lap. "The oranges are sweeter," she said, "please eat those instead."
"All right," Granny agreed, "if you will give me a kiss with them, that will be next best to eating you."
In her heart, Leslie thought it was much better, and while Granny Graham ate one of the oranges they both decided that the story of Little White Riding Hood had a much pleasanter ending than the old one in Leslie's book.

A New Year Prayer
Holy Father,
God of our yesterdays, our today, and our tomorrows.
We praise You for Your unequaled greatness.
Thank You for the year behind us and for the year ahead.
Help us in Your new year, Father, to fret less and laugh more.
To teach our children to laugh by laughing with them.
To teach others to love by loving them.
Knowing, when Love came to the stable in Bethlehem, He came for us.
So that Love could be with us, and we could know You.
That we could share Love with others.
Help us, Father, to hear Your love song in every sunrise,
in the chriping of sparrows in our backyards,
in the stories of our old folks, and the fantasies of our children.
Help us to stop and listen to Your love songs,
so that we may know You better and better.
We rejoice in the world You loved into being.
Thank You for another new year and for new chances every day.
We pray for peace, for light, and for hope, that we might spread them to others.
Forgive us for falling short this past year.
We leave the irreparable past in your hands, and step out into the unknown new year knowing You will go with us.
We accept Your gift of a new year and we rejoice in what's ahead, depending on You to help us do exactly what You want..
I say it again, we rejoice!
In Jesus name,
Amen.