Learning to wait on God-Content-Conrad Hilario

We often view waiting on God as a form of suffering. We tell ourselves, “God isn’t answering my prayers.” But if God calls us to cultivate daily dependence upon him, then we would recognize that few things can bring us closer to God than waiting on him. I found the following quotes from Andrew Murray’s book, Waiting on God, particularly helpful in seeing the value of waiting upon God.

At our first entrance into the school of waiting upon God, the heart is mainly set on the blessings which we wait for. God graciously uses our needs and desires for help to educate us for something higher than we were thinking of. We were seeking gifts; He, the Giver, longs to give Himself and to satisfy the soul with His goodness. It is just for this reason that He often withholds the gifts, and that the time of waiting is made so long. He is constantly seeking to win the heart of His child for Himself. He wishes that we would not only say, when He bestows the gift, “How good is God!” but that long before it comes, and even if it never comes, we should all the time be experiencing: it is good that a man should quietly wait. “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him.”

What a blessed life the life of waiting then becomes, the continual worship of faith, adoring, and trusting His goodness. As the soul learns its secret, every act or exercise of waiting becomes just a quiet entering into the goodness of God, to let it do its blessed work and satisfy our every need. And, every experience of God’s goodness gives new attractiveness to the work of waiting. Instead of only taking refuge in time of need, there comes a great longing to wait continually and all day. And, however duties and engagements occupy the time and the mind, the soul gets more familiar with the secret art of always waiting. Waiting becomes the habit and disposition, the very second nature and breath of the soul.[1]

When you first begin waiting on God, it is with frequent intermission and failure. But, do believe God is watching over you in love and secretly strengthening you in it. There are times when waiting appears like just losing time, but it is not so. Waiting, even in darkness, is unconscious advance, because it is God you have to do with, and He is working in you.[2]

[1] Andrew, Murray, Waiting on God (New Jersey: Start Publishing, 2012). Kindle Edition loc 758-763

[2] Ibid. loc 959-962.

April 22, 2021

The Anxiety Epidemic

Image Credit: Dadu Shin

Mental health issues in America have growing at a staggering rate. During the 90’s when I was a teenager, most of my friends and peers were unhappy. This all changed with the Millennial Generation. Those who reported feeling “very happy” increased significantly among Millennials. And yet, we see that there’s been precipitous drop in happiness among people born after 1995.

In a major survey administered by the American Collegiate Health Association, college students are now more likely to say they feel overwhelming anxiety and that they felt so depressed they could not function.[1] Many experts believe we’re in the middle of the worst mental health crisis in decades with teen depression and suicide skyrocketing since 2011.

Ministry Greed: Diagnosis & Treatment

Conrad Hilario | Dennis McCallum | John Ross

In most American churches, leaders feel disappointed by members’ lack of interest in developing personal ministry. Many members don’t have a category for personal ministry and can’t understand why people would exert energy to win disciples or develop other consistent outlets to build up the body of Christ.

At Dwell, we see a different picture. Our leadership has stressed the importance of every-member ministry and lay leadership. This has created a hunger among our members to engage in ministry. Even younger members desire to win lost people and help newer Christians become disciples of Christ. Our members relish the idea of spending numerous hours every week meeting with younger believers for study, sharing and prayer.

June 4, 2020

How does God feel about racial injustice?

Many across our country and in our own fellowship feel grief and moral outrage over the racism and moral injustice we’ve seen just in the last few months.

Some of you feel a mixture of anger, fear, and exasperation. Anger: because you have experienced racism and injustice firsthand. Fear: because you worry for your own life and the lives of your friends and family. Exasperation: because you feel like it keeps happening and nothing is changing.

During Jesus’ life, he often used Scripture to express how he felt. As the executioners fastened him to the cross, Jesus cried out the first line of Psalm 22 to express his feeling of god-forsakenness. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” Recently, I stumbled upon a verse that expresses the anger many of you feel right now. “Though I cry, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice” (Job 19:7).