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 all 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, think, 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 the direction you were heading seemed so clear, yet your spirit inside tells you that it may be wrong, you are in a holding pattern. 2. 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 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. 6. 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. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. We cannot run from God because there are no mountains that are high enough, valleys deep enough, rooms that are dark enough, or 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 clearly hear Him say, "I love you." Prayer: Father, forgive my unbelief. I know you love me and will turn anything 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 The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything. Two Days.... There are two days in every week about which we should not worry ? Two days that should be kept free from any fear and apprehension. One of these days is Yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its aches and pains, its faults and blunders. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said; we cannot rectify a single mistake. Yesterday has passed forever beyond recall. Let it go. The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and poor performance. Tomorrow also is beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise either in splendor or behind a mass of clouds ? but it will rise. And until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, because it is as yet unborn. That leaves us but one day ? Today! And a person can fight the battles of just one day. Yesterday and Tomorrow are futile worries. Let us, therefore, resolve to journey no more than one day at a time. Robert J. Burdette Cited in More of...The Best of BITS & PIECES "Coincidence is when God prefers to be anonymous" ~ Anon