During
a time of war, King David found himself in a precarious situation because his
men were talking of stoning him. Each of them was bitterly vindictive in their
spirit because of the loss of their sons and daughters in an ambush. They wanted
to take their revenge out on David. David lost family members in this raid too.
He was in as much grief as they were. So, David waited on the Lord, prayed for
direction and found strength in the Lord our God (1 Samuel 30:6). In His own timing and way, God always exalts those who
wait on Him (Psalm 37:34, 40:1; Lamentations 3:25; Isaiah 40:30-33).
There
are so many hectic demands on our life in today’s society. Working long hours,
children’s activities, the needs of a spouse, a fulltime career as well as a
home to keep clean and organized, extended family obligations, church
expectations and all of our friends want our attention all at the same time. We
stand the chance of offending someone if we say, “No” to a request. However, if
we have the courage to stop the frenzied demands and to take time to wait on
the Lord, He will always strengthen our heart.
It
is so important to stop the frantic pace we usually maintain; and, instead, to
wait on the Lord for the leading of His Spirit moment by moment throughout the
day (Psalm 27:14). No one who puts his/her hope in the Lord will ever be put to shame.
Instead, God will place that shame on our enemies when they deal treacherously
with us without any grounds or reason (Psalm 31:24, 25:3: Proverbs
20:22). Our soul
– our mind, will and emotions - finds rest in God alone, because our hope comes
from Him as we rely on His Word (Psalm 62:1,5, 130:5).
When
we gladly accept God’s salvation for our self, we have so much to rejoice in (Isaiah
25:9; Psalm 119:81). In our quiet times, we lay our requests before God and then wait in
expectation. The Lord always hears our voice and answers us, even if it is not
in the way we imagined (Psalm 5:3; Micah 7:7). Even when the
Lord chooses to be silent, to hide His face from us, if we wait on Him and put
our trust in His faithfulness, He will never let us down (Isaiah
8:17).
Do
not grow weary and give up, because we will indeed reap the fruit of our labors
if we do not quit (Galatians 6:9). Our health may fail, our eyesight grows
dim and our soul may grow weak, but God remains the strength of our soul and He
is ours forevermore (Psalm 73:6). Numerous troubles my surround us on every side, our
sins and our flesh may overwhelm us, we may be overcome with depression, stress
and anxiety; but the Lord quickly comes to rescue us when we call upon Him (Psalm
40:12-13).
So,
do not lose heart. Paul calls these hardships momentary and light affliction
when compared the eternal weight of glory God prepared for us. Do not look at
the temporal, earthly life you are living; but look to the eternal, everlasting
promises that God has for us both now and in Heaven. These earthly trials are
fleeting, but the attributes that God is working in your life through this
tribulation are perpetual (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Our citizenship is in heaven, and we await the coming
of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, from Heaven (Philippians
3:20).
Prayer:
Father
God, my soul waits for You more anxiously than the night watchmen who wait for
the first morning light (Psalm 119:148, 130:6). Even as I fall asleep and wake again the next day, I
remember You. I think of You all through the watches of the night (Psalm
63:6: Isaiah 26:9). I rise before dawn and cry to You for help. I put my hope in Your Word
and I delight myself in You (Psalm 119:55, 147). I will constantly praise You for Your wise counsel.
Even at night You instruct my heart (Psalm 16:7, 72:2). During the day, You
shower me with Your love. At night, Your songs of praise fill my soul as a
prayer to the You, the God of my life (Psalm 42:8).
Thought
for the Day:
Don’t quit just before the miracle happens. Wait
on the Lord.
