"Waiting"

"I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." Psalm 130:5 

Waiting, waiting, waiting. It seems like with the Lord there is always a "waiting period". The world waited for the Promised Redeemer for two thousand years. Abraham waited for the promised son. Joseph waited in Egyptian bondage before the fulfillment of his destiny. David waited to come to the throne after he was anointed for it. The earth is still waiting for the manifestation of the children of God, and the return of Christ. 

 

"I wait for the Lord." "My soul waits for the Lord". "In His word do I hope". Even the word hope here can be translated "wait". There are times when we have to wait for the answer to manifest. There are times when our faith is tried, and perfected, through waiting. Will you trust Him even if He waits? If He does wait, will you give up and doubt? 

 

Lazarus waited in the grave for four days before Jesus raised him back to life. His sisters gave up hope because Jesus didn't come right away. "Lord, if You had been here". In others words, "If You hadn't waited to get here he would still be alive." God's time is not our time. Delay (waiting) doesn't change the plan of God, it often is "The" plan of God. 

 

We tend to think that if God doesn't "do it now" it means He is not going to do it. We should learn from life around us that this is not always the case. Pregnancy is nine months of waiting. Harvesting of crops is a process of waiting. Seasons wait to change. Etc. 

 

We need to learn that waiting for the manifestation of the promises of God doesn't mean that He will not do what He says He will do. Neither is it an indication that He has said, "No". "In patience you posses your soul". (Luke 21:19) Waiting helps produce patience, and patience produces experience, and experience produces hope, and hope will not make us ashamed because our hope is in the Lord and His word and His word is Truth and He is faithful as promised. 

 

Have a great day. Waiting is not only a part of our physical lives, but it is a part of our spiritual lives as well. Don't get discouraged in the "wait", but put your hope in the Lord's word. 

 

For further reading:

Romans 5:3-5

Psalm 37:7

John 11

 

"I Am Here"

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:8

Several weeks ago, our Youth Pastor was preaching in the evening service. He has a precious 5-year-old daughter. During the service he was making a point and wanted to use his little daughter to illustrate the point. He didn't see her in pews because she was on the floor, so he asked, "Where is (and called her by name)?" Before he could even finish his question enquiring where she was-- she immediately raised her hand and said, "I am here". 

Although, he was enquiring of her whereabouts to make another point, what happened in her response spoke volumes to me. She didn't hesitate to answer and respond when her father called her name. How quick are we to respond when our Heavenly Father calls our name? Do we ignore Him? Do we continue doing what we were doing? Are we so busy with other things that we don't acknowledge Him? Or do we respond like she did? How much quicker should our response be to our Heavenly Father when He calls our name? Should we ignore Him like we didn't hear? Should we continue doing what we wanted to do? 

How attentive are you to the voice of the Heavenly Father? Are you listening for His call? Are you paying attention to other things more than you are to Him? Are you distracted by the things that you are involved in and miss hearing His voice when He calls your name? The Bible says that a child shall lead them. The reaction of this child is speaking to us. We could all learn a lesson from the way she responded to her earthly father without reservation and hesitation. Lord, make us people who hear and respond quickly to Your voice. Amen.

Have a great day. How do you respond to the Father when He calls your name?

For further reading: Matthew 11:9,15; Isaiah 11:6

 

"Thankful Lifestyle"

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

The weather may be nasty outside, but there is always something to be thankful for. You may be facing a storm, but there is always something to be thankful for. You may be going through a time of tragedy, but there is always something to be thankful for. Life is full of ups and downs, you may be in a "down" time right now, but there is always something to be thankful for.

 

We don't have to look very far to find things to complain about. The devil will make sure of that- he is good at pointing out what is wrong. But neither do we have to look very far to find something to be thankful for-- all we have to do is just open our eyes. There is actually more to be thankful for than there is to complain about. There is an old hymn that says, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

 

Today why not start counting/naming some of your blessings, surely you can be thankful for them? Did you wake up with a roof over your head? Do you have food to eat? Do you have clothes on your back? Do you have eyesight? Can you hear with your ears? Is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Have your sins been wash away? Then you already have much to be thankful for. For the Christian thanksgiving (which we recently celebrated) is more than a date on a calendar, it is our lifestyle. Is it your lifestyle? Or is your lifestyle one of complaining about what you don't have or what is not going right in your life? 

 

Have a great day. Your lifestyle should be one of thanksgiving because there is always something to be thankful for. 

 

For further reading:

Psalm 100

"Not A Straight Shot"

"Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people." Psalm 105:11-13 

The Lord promised to give the Israelites the land of Canaan. When He brought them out of Egyptian bondage, He led them to that land. Before they were able to take possession of it they went from one nation to another and from one kingdom to another-- their journey to get to Canaan involved going from one place to another.

 

When the Lord tells us His plan for our lives, we think it is going to be a "straight shot" to get there. That is rarely the case. In the book Hinds Feet In High Places Much Afraid was on a journey to the High Place. Each time she thought she had arrived, there was another "turn in the road". There was another valley to cross, another hill to climb. We see this also in the life of Joseph. His destiny was the palace of Egypt. But before he arrived there he went from one place to another-- from his father's house, to the pit, to Potiphar's house, to the prison and then to the palace.

 

Perhaps you have been wondering if you will ever arrive at your promised destiny? Each time it seems like you are close, the road changes direction-- and that direction looks like it is taking you further from it instead of nearer to it. Rest assured that God is watching over His plan for your life. He is leading and He is guiding. He knows the path that you must take. He knows what places you must travel through to get there. He knows when to bring you into it. So enjoy the journey, learn from it, develop trust and faith through it, let it strengthen you, and rest in the Lord's faithfulness to bring you into the place that He said He would. 

 

Have a great day. The journey to the plan of God is not always a straight shot, sometimes it takes many turns into many places. 

 

For further reading:

Psalm 105

"Not Hid By Darkness"

"Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." Psalm 139:12 

When we go through a time of difficulty and tribulation, we call it a "dark place". It is dark because we can't see any light in the situation. It seems to be void of all hope. It is just dark. Perhaps you are in such a place now. A bad report, the lack of finances, a broken relationship, all have taken you into a place that looks dark and hopeless. If so, I have good news for you. 

 

The good news is that the darkness cannot hide you or the problem from God. He sees you. He knows what you are going through. He is not searching trying to find you in the darkness. Nothing is hidden from Him. Even the darkness of night shines as brightly as the light of day to Him. He sees you. It may be so dark that you can't even see a smallest flicker of light, but it is not like that for God. Nothing escapes His vision. 

 

I feel like I am on the verge of repeating myself over and over again, but I want (the Lord wants) to reassure you this morning that He sees you. You feel like He doesn't. You feel like He has abandoned you in the time that you need Him the most. You feel like He will never find you in this dark situation because it is even too big and dark for Him. It is not. The things that are impossible for men are possible for the Lord. He doesn't have to wait for His eyes to "adjust" to the darkness before He can see you and do something about it. The situation has to adjust itself to His vision. You are not hidden from Him. He sees you perfectly well. The situation only looks dark to you, but it looks light to Him. He is in the darkness with you, you are not in it by yourself. 

 

Have a great day. The place of darkness you are in cannot hide you from God. Darkness is as bright as light to Him.

 

For further reading:

Psalm 139

Hebrews 4:13