Circling and Re-circling

This is the first summer that every one of my children are old enough to completely entertain themselves at the pool.  While my kids play, I can sit pool-side and do one of my most favorite things in the world--read!  House-work, ringing door-bells, making meals--none of these things can claim your attention when you are at the pool.  It is a glorious thing.  

To my delight, I am actually reading and COMPLETING books.
This week I have been reading 'The Circle Maker' by Mark Batterson.

This book is about exactly what the caption says: 'Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears.'  The author tells about the process of circling and re-circling prayers over and over in his own life.   It is a great reminder of praying hard and praying through, of persevering in prayer even when it doesn't seem like God is listening. 

It's made me think back about the prayers we circled and re-circled over the past couple of years.

It's got me thinking about how...

In our fast-paced, 'I want it now' society, taking the time to sit still and pray doesn't really fit into our hurried life-style.  Not to mention the 'waiting' that prayer requires of us, because the act of true prayer isn't like placing a 'to go' order.  No, it's quite the contrary.  It's more of the sit down dinner variety, except that you may not receive your food for days or years and when you do finally receive it, it may be a completely different entree than you were expecting.  

Yet, we fell to realize in our impatience that it's really not about what we ordered.  It's about the wait as we circle and re-circle our Waiter with our desires.  Interesting that the one we give our food order to is called a Waiter, isn't it?  The Waiter--listening to and submitting our requests, then waiting along with us.  Kind of like Jesus, isn't it?

In the wait, we have a choice--we can either get up and go to a completely different restaurant that will feed our appetite immediately, or we can stick it out.  

Re-circling.  Re-asking.  Re-questing.  

A quest for the answer to our questions.

If we are willing to wait and re-circle, the aroma and scents from the kitchen will entice us and draw us...until our thirst and hunger will only be satisfied here and here alone.

And the Gourmet Chef in all of His kindness will have the Waiter bring out an unexpected and most exquisite appetizer.  Treated by the Gourmet Chef himself.  Circling the table, circling the circle, our Waiter serves it up.  A small, satisfying, temporary fulfillment to sustain us in the wait. 

We fellowship with those He's put around us, enjoying the present sampling.  All the while our vigilant Waiter is there,  attending to our circle, and partitioning the Chef on our behalf.

Two years ago when Eric lost his job, we prayed and prayed and prayed.  Circling, Re-circling, re-asking, re-questing.  We kept giving our order to the Waiter:  a new job that will provide well and by the way, we'd like it in the medical field, please.

And as days and weeks past, our Waiter brought out the most unexpected appetizers.  Just when we thought we were going to faint from hunger, our Waiter would appear just in the nick of time with the most delectable hors d'oeuvre.  It would be just what was needed and just enough for the moment.  Delicacies such as:  An anonymous check to pay for our car repair, a gift card to Target right when a child needed a pair of shoes, a washing machine when ours quit working.

Month after month after month, we kept circling and pleading for the main course.  Month after month after month, an appetizer would show up just as the hunger pains were about to overtake.  

As time went along, becoming regular patrons of the establishment, we grew accustomed and familiar with the routine.  We began to learn to be satisfied with the appetizers and to trust the Chef to provide exactly what was needed when was needed.   

Then one day, quite unexpectantly, our Waiter appeared with the Chef's choice entree, served up on the finest platter.  Finally, after all of the waiting, we were being served an entree!

As the Waiter removed the shiny lid, exposing what was underneath, right away we new it wasn't wait we had ordered.

In fact, it was no where near our initial request.

Yet our Chef had prepared and whetted our palette for such a dish. Through hours of intense beating, chopping, whipping and stirring, it was made-to-order and grilled to perfection.

Our Chef had known all along what we had needed and served it up at just the right time.  Our intercessory Waiter circled and re-circled us as we circled and re-circled our request.  

How thankful I am that we didn't leave and settle for some fast food cheap substitute.

What have you been circling, re-circling, re-asking, re-questing?  Whether your dining experience includes four courses or 465, I encourage you to wait on the Culinary Artist to divinely deliver upon His dinner hour.