Waiting- In His Word 11-5-18
Throughout our whole lives
we are waiting for something. Waiting to grow up, waiting for people, waiting
for occasions… God wants us to wait on Him. He wants us to wait in His
presence.
We wait for Him to do
things but do we wait there with Him? Do we wait and listen to Him directing us
in what to do?
Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Happy is the man who
listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord; Proverbs 8:33-35
Jesus waits for us to notice that He is waiting
for us to realize He is real. Then He waits for us to listen to His
instruction. Then He waits for us to get it, and obey His Word.
He went through so much to get our attention,
even to the extent that He died on the cross and had it put in a book!
Do we notice?
Sometimes when you are waiting to talk to someone
they do not notice. You know, you stand there in a proverbial line waiting to
get the attention from a person you value or need to speak with. Whether it’s a
celebrity or your boss or just a good friend; waiting is the hardest part of
any conversation. Sometimes you have to wait because they are talking to
someone else, and other times you have to wait because they are talking to you;
when ever you wait to speak with someone it can seem like forever. Our silence
can be a real sacrifice! If it’s a long wait we can be late to wherever we need
to go next, or perhaps we are waiting to get info from someone else on what to
do but we are not paying attention when they start to talk; we may have to wait
to hear what they said again.
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet. For by a single
offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrew
10:12-14
Time is of the essence! We value our time each
day. I know it is not always our own choice what we do with it; but what we do
with it shows others what we value most.
Sometimes we are impatiently waiting, but God’s
word says wait, and it tells us to be patient!
The best way to be patiently waiting is to be engrossed
in what ht person is saying.
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming
of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit
of the earth, waiting patiently
for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
James 5:7
There are also times when we are discouraged when
we wait to speak with someone, but God’s word says that when we wait on the
Lord we can be courageous, trusting that He will give us the strength to
endure.
Sometimes it may even be God Himself we are
waiting to hear from, or to have a word with; when it seems like even He is too
busy to hear our needs. It may appear this way to us because we see no answer;
but it does not mean that the answer is not on the way.
Wait on the Lord; Be
of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 27:14
I am reminded of the story when the man was
waiting for an answer and the Angel of the Lord said he would have been there
sooner but that he was battling with the enemy with the other Warriors. We do
not know why it sometimes takes longer for God to answer our needs.
Or our wants for that matter; we just need to
know that He will answer in His time.
In the mean time we can wait in the Word! We can
read and be encouraged in His Word. Psalms is full of words of affirmation and
long standing strength. There are so many stories through out the old and new
testaments that show us how God came through just in time.
So, lets make it a plan to wait, to wait on the
Lord, to be of good courage and know that He will strengthen our hearts in His
Word. This will happen when we make the time to read, and to pray and to focus
on His promises! This will happen when we are waiting in His Word.
Dear heavenly Father, help us today to be strong
in Your Spirit and Your might. Help us to recognize that Your Word is here to
help us wait as we lean and we learn from it. Open our eyes to see and ears to
hear what it says in your Word, and help us to wait. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Suggested reading Psalm 27:1-14, James 5:1-20, and
Proverbs 8:1-36.