Kathi Pelton: "In the Place Between Promise and Fulfillment"

From the Desks of Steve Shultz and Julie A. Smith:

We know that there are those of you who feel you are in transition...and in the place between promise and fulfillment.

You're going to receive an excellent understanding about this in Kathi Pelton's word as she shares from the life and birth of Jesus:

God had appointed the time and place where the promise would be birthed, and it was announced to nearby shepherds who were guarding their flocks. They were not crying out for the promise or striving to force God's hand. They were merely tending the sheep entrusted to them. Long before that night, God had made a promise that a Messiah would come; a child would be given to us that would bring hope and salvation.

And so it is with you...there is an appointed time and place for His promises to be birthed in your life.

During this Christmas week, God has a personal message for you...He IS fulfilling His promises over you.

Enjoy this awesome message as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

In Christ,

Steve Shultz and Julie A. Smith, Co-Editors
Elijah List Publications

Thank you for making the always-free Elijah List Ministries possible. To partner with us, click here.

Your donations truly help us keep these emails free for you. Donate at:

Give a Monthly Gift

The other morning, I woke up early with my soul beginning to strive for some personal things I've been carrying in prayer. I could immediately sense the striving in my heart posture, in my prayers and in my thoughts. This is an easy place to go when something is hanging in the balance between a request and an answer, or a promise and a fulfillment.

Then the Lord quieted my soul and said, "Just sit silently before Me in a posture of trust and take a deep breath."

I reminded my soul that He is never late, He does not forget and He is able to do what I am not able to do. I did not need to strive or force His hand, for He is willing and wise in all of His dealings with me.

"For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him." (Psalm 62:5)

Then I remembered the verse above, and a stillness and quiet trust came upon my heart and mind. He is my hope, and I can trust Him so completely that rest replaces worry and stillness replaces striving.

On a Silent Night

In this Christmas season, we remember how mankind waited for a Savior—the Messiah. Then, after a long time of waiting, the angel of the Lord appeared in a field where sheep and shepherds rested to announce that the waiting was over:

"Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.'" (Luke 2:9-12) (Photo via Picryl)

God had appointed the time and place where the promise would be birthed, and it was announced to nearby shepherds who were guarding their flocks. They were not crying out for the promise or striving to force God's hand. They were merely tending the sheep entrusted to them. Long before that night, God had made a promise that a Messiah would come; a child would be given to us that would bring hope and salvation.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

He came! On a silent night when most men slept unaware, He came... After all the generations of waiting, most had lost hope in the promise of a savior coming to pass. Yet, God had not forgotten, and He had an appointed time.

He Has Not Forgotten

You may have promises that you have been given, but the wait has been so long that you wonder if He's forgotten. He has not forgotten, and what feels slow to us is but a moment with Him.

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:8-9)

We are keenly aware and conscious of time. We keep time, we watch time, we wait while counting time. We often interpret time gone by as delay, yet with God there is an appointed time, and that time is but a moment after the promise was made from His perfect perspective. He is not being slow, and He is patient with our process and perspective that feels so very slow—yet we must continue to hope and rest in the One who promised. He will fulfill it.

If this is you, sit back and take a long, deep breath. Quiet and still your soul, and take comfort in the moment of hope that you are in. Wait in trust and stillness.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope." (Psalm 130:5)

He has not forgotten you; He has not abandoned you; nor is it His desire to bring you harm. Our lives often feel as though they have more seasons of waiting than of obtaining, yet I have and still am learning to not miss the day and moment that I have been given by begging God to do what He has already promised to do in a moment yet to come.

The God of Comfort

I have meditated often this year on the statement that Bill Johnson made when his precious wife, Beni, died. He said, "Worshiping in pain is only possible on this side of Heaven, so this is a privilege." (Photo via Raw Pixel)

He did not want to miss anything that God had for him in the season of pain. He wanted to learn everything about God that he could amid pain because then it would not be wasted. Yet most of us shy away from pain and try to fill it with other things or avoid it all together so that it is not experienced, but then we miss the encounter offered to us with the God of comfort. We miss experiencing the overflow of His compassion and grace that is poured out in pain and waiting.

A Waiting That Is as Rich as the Fulfillment

Waiting for a promise can be painful. I have waited many times in my life, but I have experienced some of the most tender and loving moments with God in those times. He truly is near to the brokenhearted. I have prayers and promises that I am waiting for even now, and some of them hurt, but I do not want to miss experiencing His comfort, His compassion, His patience, His mercy or His love in this time of waiting. Joy will come, but I want the waiting to be as rich as the fulfillment.

So, worship in your pain and in your waiting. Get still in the posture of trust and encounter Him in the moment at hand. You'll never get this moment back again, so live it well and hold nothing back from Him.

"Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him." (Isaiah 30:18)

Whatever you do, don't miss another ELIJAH LIST email! Subscribe at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.

Kathi Pelton
Inscribe Ministries
Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.inscribeministries.com

Jeffrey and Kathi Pelton live in Portland, Oregon. Jeffrey is a writer, teacher and book editor. Kathi is an author and prophetic voice to the Church. They walk with nations and individuals to see God's original intent fulfilled. Their ministry, Inscribe Ministries, was founded upon the verse from Habakkuk 2:2 that says, "Then the LORD answered me and said: 'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.'"

To receive more words like this in YOUR inbox, subscribe FREE to the Elijah List at this link: elijahlist.com/subscribe.

Find us on:
* Facebook click here
* XAPiT click here