Sunday, June 6, 2010

"Wait for the LORD"




"Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take
courage;
wait for the LORD!"

(Psa.27:14)


In this Psalm of David there is strength and solace to be found.....Yet, I will readily admit, waiting is not one of my strong points!

Maybe it's in my genes or maybe I have been influenced by our "instant gratification" society. Maybe it's a little of both.

To wait on the LORD is hard for us finite creatures. Time is of the essence....please God, can't you do this right now?.....is often my plea.

How easy it is to affirm our belief in the declarations of scripture when all is smooth....but how hard it becomes to rest and wait when the trials and needs come!

But God, throughout scripture instructs us to "wait" and trust.

I think of Abraham and Sarah....."you shall have a son"....but it would be 25yrs of waiting! A wait that was broken by an attempt to expedite the fulfillment.

This attempt, as usual, brought trouble and sorrow, and it was again proven that God is always right on time and faithful...if we will but wait.

In the wilderness, the children of Israel were instructed to move when the pillar of cloud moved, and when it stood still, they were to abide in their tents....they were to wait on God.

God's ways and times are not ours, and they do not conform to our plans and our preconceived answers to our requests.

Nevertheless, we are told to wait and trust that His ways and times are perfect and that they will be for His glory and our good.

So, I must learn again and again this principle of waiting on the LORD, not with idleness or a wandering heart.....on the contrary, I am to "be strong" and "let my heart take courage" as I actively look to Him by faith and gaze with great anticipation toward what He has in store!

If I am to find strength and courage of heart, I must learn to "stand still and see the salvation of the LORD". I must sit at His feet as Mary did and be quiet and listen.....Wait on the LORD.......The Wait is always worth it!

2 comments:

Craig and Heather said...

And yet so often, when I have waited and then look back I find that the waiting was for my benefit. He was always ready, it is I who was not. I was the one who wasn't strong enough to go on yet.
So in reality, He was waiting on me. But His patience is so much stronger than mine. He does not tap His foot in impatience while He waits for me.

His mercy endures

Craig

Tom Gabbard said...

Amen Craig, I am ever thankful for the long-suffering of our Savior and Great High Priest!