Hey there and happy Monday! Is that a thing? I know Mondays can be a drag for most of us, but I hope you had a good one this week. I can’t complain myself. I started out pretty slow, but I ended up making some time to spend in the Word this evening..and here I sit.
Waiting on the Lord. There are countless verses in the Bible that encourage us to do so. In Psalm 27:13-14, David said, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” I have found that waiting on the Lord always pays off. He is faithful to his Word.
Sometimes, I don’t even know what I am waiting for. Right now, I think it is an answer. I do not feel overwhelming confusion; I am at peace. I know (from experience doing the opposite), the best thing to do is wait on the Lord. However, my heart is expectant and when I begin to solely focus on that answer I think I may be waiting for, I experience impatience. Serious impatience. I know it is coming, but I can’t see anything else in the meantime.
It is important to maintain vision and await promise. It is important to trust God through the wilderness in order to reach the Promiseland. But, we must be careful not to sacrifice the time in the wilderness because we are solely focused on the promise. Remember, first God, then the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4).
Friends, there are miracles along the way. There is rich communion along the way; gifts and blessings of knowledge and relationship. Moses awaited the Promiseland, but he was still mindful of the blessing in the manna (see Exodus 16). Be mindful of God in the moment. He is not just God of the wonderful future and the ancient past; he is God in this moment.
One definition of worship according to Merriam Webster is devotion to an object of esteem. I don’t want the time gap of waiting to become the thing I worship; the thing that consumes me, that I devote all my energy and thought to. But, how? How do we stay expectant and eager for God’s promise but also mindful of His presence in the waiting?
I found a few practical tips in the Word that I want us to try to apply together, and I listed them here with some scripture to back it up:
- Read the Word
- Psalm 130: 5- I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
- Psalm 119:105- Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
- Maintain a heart of thanksgiving
- Psalm 95:2- Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
- Philippians 4:6-Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- View the world through a filter of faith
- Matthew 18:3- And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (childlike faith)
- 2 Corinthians 5:7- For we live by faith, not by sight.
James 1:12 reads, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” We don’t only have that crown of life in the Promiseland; we are royalty now, bought by the blood of Christ, so we get to experience life (peace, joy, and hope) along the way!
So, what do you say? Let’s believe God for the answers and the promises: that financial miracle, the dream job, that Godly spouse, the healing, the salvation of a child. But, in the meantime, as we wait in faith, let’s enjoy God in the waiting.
Morning Joy 