HOLDING_PATTERNS

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 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. 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 that
are low enough, rivers that are wide enough, room
s 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."
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the
word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things
which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a better
sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony
that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and
through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
Hebrews 11:3,4 NASB
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