The saying goes: “Timing is everything.” That is so true.
You see this to be obvious in the trauma operating room. The surgeon knows that to operate too quickly - before the patient’s vital signs are stabilized - will probably kill them on the table. But, he knows that to wait too long will cause the patient to die of their internal injuries.
You see that “timing is everything” in the airport’s control tower. The air controller must direct dozens of aircraft with perfect timing or else tragedy results in the air or on the tarmac.
You see that “timing is everything” in the kitchen. The cook knows that the margin between under-cooking and over-cooking can oft times be measured in mere moments.
You see that “timing is everything” is true on the basketball court. If the player shoots too quickly, the ball will fly erratically and miss. If the shooter waits too long to shoot, the defense has time to get set and block the play. Timing in shooting must be precise.
You see that “timing is everything” on the farm. If the farmer plants too soon, the young crop can be destroyed by a late Spring freeze. If he waits too long, the crop may not have the complete time necessary to bring the crop to maturity before the Fall’s first frost.
You see that “timing is everything” at the stock exchange as the investor must pay very close attention as to when he buys and when he sells the stock to ensure a profit.
The fact is, the importance of timing can be seen in just about every activity, project and purpose we engage in.
Of all the things in which timing is important, it is most so in our daily walk with the Lord and in our decision-making processes.
One of the primary reasons why believers step out of God’s purposes and out of intimate fellowship with the Lord is that they make wrong decisions because they do not know God’s methods and timing. Feeling that they know what they want to do and achieve, and feeling somehow unable to wait until they receive some clear direction, they move ahead and make decisions apart from understanding the will and purpose of God.
Or, feeling uncertain as to what to do in a given situation, rather than wait for clear direction, they act on their emotions or first impulse in order to receive relief of their frustration and anxieties. We are an "instant generation." We want to do things now, get things now, resolve things now and move ahead.
Yet, there are many, many verses in Scripture that speak about the need for and the blessings of waiting upon the Lord. This does not mean that sometimes when you step ahead of Him that God will not bless you to some degree; however, it certainly is not going to be God’s best. And, yes, it does mean that often you will make a big mistake for which you could be very sorry.
Let me give you a couple of Biblical examples of godly people who failed to wait upon the Lord and paid a heavy price:
ABRAHAM.
Abraham is known to be the epitome of faith and, certainly, there were times in his life when his faith was phenomenal. Never the less, there were a couple of instances where his faith fell short. We’ll consider one of those instances.
When God brought Abram to Canaan from Ur of the Chaldeas, God promised to give the entire land to Abraham and his descendants. That promise (found in Genesis 12:7) was interesting because, at the time, Abram and Sarai were childless.
Well, time passed and Abram and Sarai still had no children. Abram’s faith wavered. In Genesis 15:2, Abram told God that it would be acceptable to make his servant Eleazar of Damascus his legal heir and Eleazar’s descendants could inherit the land on Abram’s behalf. God said, ‘No way! When I said your descendants, I meant your natural descendants… not adopted descendants.’ Abram responded happily and his faith was bolstered…. for a time.
Again, time passed (ten years since the original promise) and still no children. In Genesis 16, we find Sarai convincing Abram to have a natural child with her Egyptian maid-servant Hagar. Instead of waiting on God’s direction, Abram submitted to his wife’s suggestion and had a son by Hagar - Ishmael. The result was bitter strife in Abram’s household.
Sarai grew envious and spiteful of Hagar and Ishmael. Abram was now in a mess. He was just befuddled as to what to do.
It was another four years before God answered His original promise by miraculously allowing Sarah to give birth to Abram’s child - Isaac. She was 90 years old and Abraham 100.
Abram brought strife to his own house and the entire world because he did not wait upon God. You see, Isaac became the father of the Jews and Ishmael the father of the Palestinians. To this day, hatred and bloodshed reigns in the Mideast because Abraham tried to help God do God’s work according to Abraham’s timing and Abraham’s methods.
MOSES.
Many believe that Moses was first told that he would be used to free his people from bondage out in the desert wastes of Sinai, at the burning bush. This is not so. It was while Moses held his lofty position in Egypt, as Pharaoh’s supposed grandson, according to Acts 7: 23-25, God revealed to him that he would be the instrument of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egyptian bondage.
However, we read in Exodus 3, that instead of waiting for God’s timing and direction, Moses rashly killed an Egyptian taskmaster and presented himself to his people as their deliverer. The Israelites were confused and rejected his wayward leadership and Moses was forced to go into exile for forty years.
God still used Moses we know; but, by his stepping ahead of God, he brought pain and confusion for another 40 years.
These are just two of many instances recorded in Scripture when people failed to humbly submit to God and wait for His timing and direction in their lives. In all the instances of which I am aware, negative consequences resulted from such behavior.
Therefore, it is important for us to realize what it means to truly wait upon the Lord. Waiting upon the Lord simply means pausing until you receive further instructions. You should think of waiting as a determined stillness, during which time you decide not to do anything until the Lord gives you clear direction or has dealt with your circumstances. You see, God has a plan for your life. God will not leave you to guess. However, it is essential that we learn how to wait and discern His direction.
This is especially true when we find ourselves in a time of confusion, adversity, affliction, difficulty, distress, hardship, or persecution. Why? Because it is when we are suffering confusion, adversity, affliction, difficulty, distress, hardship and persecution, that we are most prone to seek quick relief. This is human nature.
If we find ourselves in unpleasant and/or confusing circumstances, let me tell you some common mistakes we make. We can find them mentioned in the beginning verses of Psalm 37.
1. We look at our situation and fret (Vss. 1, 7, 8).
David’s distressing situations were usually the result of people whose schemes threatened his well-being. Ungodly people were out to get him - to shame him, to ruin him and sometimes even kill him. If it wasn’t King Saul, it was the Philistines. If it wasn’t the Philistines, it was a member of his own family! A great portion of his adult life was spent in exile from his peaceful home. Many nights his shelter was a tree or a cave. There were days when there was uncertainty where he would obtain his next meal. There were times uncountable where David looked at himself and the situations he was in and he was afraid and full of anxiety. He fretted.
We find ourselves in some pretty hairy situations ourselves. Sometimes we find our well-being threatened by the schemes and deeds of others. Other times, other factors bring situations where our serenity and well-being are shaken to the core.
We look at ourselves and our circumstances and fear and anxiety grip our minds and hearts. We wonder: ‘How are we going to get through this?’ ‘How is this going to get resolved?’ ‘How are things going to be restored?’ ‘How am I going to get back on top?’ ‘How are things going to get to the way they ought to be?’
We fret; that is, we are swallowed-up by worry.
David learned that fretting was pointless. He counsels against it in verses 1 and 7. He says in verse 8, “Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” This is so true. Worry often leads us to commit the sin of complaining. Worry steals our thoughts from tending to other affairs in our lives. It saps our energies needed to perform other responsibilities. It robs of sleep and makes us vulnerable to sickness. Worry blinds us to the blessings we do have and engenders a bitter rather than thankful spirit. It promotes rash action. Worse of all, in our thought processes, it leaves God out in the cold. It closes the door to His comfort, strength and direction. If we worry and fret, we are not truly waiting upon the Lord.
2. We look at others around us and envy. (Vss. 1, 35-36)
Waiting is trying. When you are standing at the back of the line at the check-out lane of the grocery store, its easy to envy those at the front of the line, especially when you got a tired three year old at your feet. Its hard not to become envious when you are waiting at the doctor office and the person next to you gets called back.
When you find yourself in a difficult time, when you are distressed and afflicted, when you are facing hardship… its pretty easy sometimes to look at others whose lives seem happy, healthy, abundant and carefree and feel a twinge of envy. Many times the suffering righteous find themselves looking at the bliss, robust health and prosperity of unbelievers and wishing that they could be in their shoes.
David came to understand that envying those who seem to have more or have it better than ourselves… especially the unrighteous… is pure foolishness. Its foolish because we are only looking at the present and not the future. The bliss and prosperity of the unrighteous lasts but this short lifetime, if even that. The day of their death begins an eternity of misery. Envy is wrong because it is a symptom of carnality rather than spirituality. Left unchecked, it can cause us to forsake the way of righteousness and faithfulness. Envy is looking at life without a spiritual and eternal perspective. It is forgetting that whatever God allows us to experience in this life is for our good in the long run.
Looking at others and envying is not waiting upon God.
3. We concentrate on the wait and become angry. (Vs. 8)
When you are taking a trip and you are traveling on the interstate and all of a sudden traffic comes to a stand-still, and you sit there for quite a while, its pretty easy to get irritated and cranky.
When you are feeling really lousy and you find out that you can’t get in to see your doctor until next week or next month, its pretty easy to get disgusted and angry while you wait. And when you do get to the appointment and you are sitting in the doctor’s office and you see the hands of the clock go round and round, and you think about all the things you could be doing…its easy to get irritated if not irate.
We can get pretty grumpy when we sit at our table at a restaurant and the waitress seems to notice every table besides ours. We can get pretty testy when we are on a half hour lunch break and it takes 25 minutes to get your meal.
We can get upset when our good name and reputation has been maliciously dragged through the mud and time passes and the day of our vindication remains elusive. While waiting for that day, we can become angry.
Waiting can be so aggravating when our thoughts dwell on the wait.
Some get angry because God doesn’t seem to be paying any attention to their plight nor heeding any of their prayers. We get angry as we wonder why God has not intervened to deliver us from our problems and sorrows.
Anger is wrong because it often causes us to mumble and complain. Anger is wrong because, like worry and envy, it clouds our judgment and prevents us from discerning God’s direction and purpose in our lives. Such anger is dangerous because it can motivate us to jump-in and try to resolve matters in ways that only dig our holes deeper.
Becoming angry as we concentrate on the wait is not truly waiting upon the Lord.
Waiting upon the Lord requires focusing exclusively upon the Lord and the fulfillment of His will and purpose in our lives. So, let’s now examine how we are to wait upon the Lord:
A. Realize the blessing of waiting for the Lord. Lamentations 3:25; Psalm 147:11
There will be times in our lives when we will find ourselves in confusing circumstances and the path that we should take is unclear. There may be more than one option and we are not confident in knowing which option is best. Where are we to seek guidance and direction?
There will be times in our lives when we will find ourselves in difficult circumstances and we will be forced to conclude that there is nothing we can do to change the circumstances. It is beyond our ability to effect positive change. Where are we to seek relief? Where are we to find resources to cope? Where are we to seek deliverance?
We answer: ‘the Lord, of course.’ However, how few times do we truly go to the Lord and then wait for what we have sought from Him until He answers.
The first step in properly waiting for the Lord is to decide that we will stand on the foundation that we truly believe that by waiting for Him, He will respond. Before standing on that foundation, we must know that the foundation is sound. And the Scriptures tell us that that foundation is very sound.
Psalm 147:11, “The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His loving-kindness.”
This verse tells us that God takes pleasure in the person who respects His sovereignty and expectantly awaits for His loving kindness to be manifested in their life.”
Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him.” Jeremiah says that God is good and will bring about good in the lives of those who wait for it. When Jeremiah made this statement, Jerusalem laid in ruble and the Jews were in great distress. Babylon had conquered Israel and taken the people captive. Jeremiah says that God will bring good into their lives if they are willing to wait expectantly for Him to do it.
Psalm 25:3, “Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed.” David reassures us that if we are willing to wait for God’s providential goodness and loving kindness, we won’t be embarrassed or be put to shame by the results of His work. Our waiting will be vindicated because we will be able to say, when all is said and done, ‘He doeth all things well!’
With this foundational truth on which we can now stand, we must now take the next step in waiting for the Lord. We have the exhortation of Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will do it.”
The phrase rendered “commit your way to the Lord” literally reads in the Hebrew ‘roll your way upon the Lord.’ This is probably a metaphor taken from the custom of the bedouin who has his camel lie down till his load be rolled upon and secured to the camel’s back.
Applying this metaphor, God is our camel. He is waiting for us to place our life’s circumstances upon Him and let Him do the work. Is there an affair of importance that lies heavy on your heart or mind? Roll it on the Lord’s back. That is, commit it to the Lord’s care. Let Him deal with it.
It says, “trust in Him and He will do it.” He will work on your behalf. He will bring about the best results. You will not be ashamed of the trust you place in Him. He will supply what needs to be supplied. He will shed light where light is needed. He will bring clarity where there is confusion. He will deliver.
B. Wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 37:7; 40:1
The next step in properly waiting upon the Lord is waiting and doing so patiently. Psalm 37:7 commands us to “rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”
Bedouin know that it is important not to rush a camel. To do so can be disastrous. You see, camels have an amazing awareness of the conditions they find themselves in. They have an innate ability to sense the nature of the terrain before them. They can sense better than a human whether or not the sand is firm or shifting. They can sense whether there is bedrock lying beneath or if it is quicksand. They know where to walk and at what pace. To push or pull a camel to speed-up or slow down can result in the camel sinking or falling down.
Moreover, because the camel has a special transparent membrane that can cover their eyes, they are able to see even in the midst of a sandstorm without endangering their eyes from the blowing dust and sand. Because they have extra long eye lashes, the camel’s vision is unaffected by the blinding sun. Whether in storm or sun, the camel can see ahead when their Bedouin owners cannot without difficulty. When the way is difficult or unclear, the Bedouin follow the camels. Bedouin have learned to trust the camel in their treks across the desert or wilderness and allow them to take the lead.
Continuing with the metaphor and its application, it is important that we learn to trust in God’s methods and sense of timing. It is important that we let Him do His thing at His pace. We need to understand that He has a greater awareness of the overall situation than we. His sight is greater and more far-reaching than our sight.
After we commit the situation to Him, we must learn to patiently wait for Him to work and to answer. One of the Hebrew words most often translated “wait” literally means ‘to sit still’.
So very often, when God does not seem to bring about swift relief, or resolve our dilemmas quickly, or does not provide clear direction in a timely manner - we grow impatient and we think that its time to work rather than wait any further. We feel more at ease as we rationalize our activity, saying to ourselves, ‘at least something is being done about the situation.’ We must resist the urge to reassert ourselves. We must resist the temptation to take the lead and dive-in with our plans and solutions.
Its not easy to patiently wait; that is, sit still in our circumstances waiting for God to accomplish whatever we have committed to Him. Its hard to sit still when things seem to be getting worse than better. Its hard to sit still when we can’t see God moving and working. It is a real trial of trust.
When our patience begins to wear thin and our trust begins to waver, we must meditate upon God’s promises, such as we find in Isaiah 64:4, “God… acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.” Just because we can’t see God working doesn’t mean He is not working. Just because we don’t see progress in a manner or at a pace to our liking, doesn’t mean progress is not being made. God is in action providentially arranging and ordering circumstances in such a way that He will bring about good.
It takes spiritual courage and strength to be patient. David beckons us in Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”
Courage comes from the faith we acquire as we meditate upon the Scriptures. As we read how God was faithful in the past to those who waited patiently for Him, so we derive courage to trust Him now to be faithful in our circumstances. Romans 15:4, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry.”
We not only need courage, we need strength. Strength to endure and cope while we wait is a grace given by the Lord to those who truly are making Him their hope. Fleshly strength will not suffice. God wants to clothe us with His strength. - Have you ever tried to dress a little child? How many times during the act of dressing, do we have to say, "stand still, stand still"? God has as much trouble with us, His children, when He so desires to clothe us with the garment of divine strength. If we keep moving around trying to resolve our dilemmas in our strength and in our ways and in our timing, its impossible for God to clothe us with His strength. We will grow weary in the inside and despair.
Isaiah 41:10 - `Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Isaiah 40:27-31, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?’ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
Being patient means being still. It means taking refuge in the Lord. It means allowing Him to be our source of strength and peace. Psalm 46:10, “Be still (cease striving, let go, relax) and know that I am God.”
That not only applies to outward stillness but inward, too!
C. Wait silently for the Lord. Psalm 62:1, 5; Lamentations 3:26
In Psalm 39:7, it says “rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” The term “rest” literally means ‘be silent, be dumb.’
This is not the only passage that commands us to be silent when waiting upon the Lord. Other instances include -
Lamentations 3:26, “It is good that a man waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.”
Psalm 62:1, 5, “My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation….My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.”
What does this mean?
Obviously, it means that we ought not murmur and complain about our circumstances. We ought not find fault with our Maker and His providence. We do not criticize the Lord’s ways nor His timing. Psalm 18:30, “As for God, His way is perfect.”
It means that we need to hush our hearts and subdue our minds. When we commit our way to the Lord, we must do so completely. Not only must we cease any action whereby we try to handle and resolve the situation ourselves or go ahead and impulsively make our decisions, we must not allow our thoughts to continue to dwell on the matter. If our thoughts are constantly stewing about the situation, if we allow ourselves to continue to worry about the circumstances and the future, if we allow the situation to crowd-out everything else in our mind…we have not yet committed our way to the Lord. We are still holding on. We have not let go. We are not waiting for Him. We need to subdue our minds and hush our hearts.
Being silent while we wait even means that there is even a limit to the place of prayer. This does not mean that we are not to pray. Prayer has its own great and unique place in the Christian’s life and I only wish we realized more fully its importance and power. Nevertheless, prayer is to proceed our waiting. Often times, we do the praying but not the waiting.
Have you ever had a conversation with someone or tried to have a conversation with someone who does all the talking. Its not a conversation, it’s a monologue. You wait for them to run out of breath thinking that that might be your opening, your opportunity to get in your two cents worth. I have come across some people who I think do not need to breath during conversations because my opportunity never comes.
Well, that is the way it is with our dialogue with God. We pray and pour-out our heart but do not give Him a chance to respond. Our hearts are much distressed and burdened, so we go to pray and maybe spend much time pouring out our petitions before the throne. And too many times we get up immediately, rush out of His presence and move-on to other things. Let us not be afraid to be still and silent before Him. It is in the silent hour before Him, quietly waiting in His presence that the miracle is wrought. It is when we are still and silent that He grants us grace and He speaks to us.
Silence is golden, they say. I don’t think we see it that way. We are part of a noisy culture. It seems we dread quiet. It seems that we must constantly have something to fill the void of silence. We have the radio on, we have the stereo on, we have our CDs or tapes playing, we have our televisions on, we have our VCRs running or our DVDs playing. Or, we are always on the phone or seeking the company of friends or brethren. We treat silence like a plague rather than an opportunity to focus on God and let Him speak to our soul.
I must say that some of the most spiritually rewarding time is when I get on my scooter and go around the block or go to some serene location and just ask the Lord what He wants me to know, what He would like to say to me. I find such peace and patience and strength when I am quiet and still before Him and I do not crowd Him out with noise or my thoughts.
I do not care what your schedule is like. You can find time and must take the time to regularly be with the Lord alone in silence. This is an important discipline to learn because of the next step that is part of truly waiting upon the Lord.
D. Wait attentively for the Lord’s deliverance or direction. Psalm 130:6; Micah 7:7
If we truly wait for the Lord, then it implies that we expect Him to respond.
There are times when His response will be obvious and dramatic. We will be healed of our sickness. We will abruptly recover from our disease. The schemes of our enemy will be suddenly thwarted. A wonderful unforeseen job opportunity will come our way. Unexpected money will come so as to meet that bill that is on the verge of becoming overdue. The list of examples is endless.
More often than not, God responds in ways that are more subtle. He does eventually reveal His plans to us, showing exactly what to do and how to do it. Or, He does answer by making it possible for us to gain spiritual insight and graces enough to become stronger and wiser without a full deliverance. Or, He does bring deliverance through a gradual change in circumstances and/or through a gradual changing of hearts.
One of the Hebrew words we translate “wait” means ‘to watch, observe, take notice.’ This means that waiting on the Lord requires that all our spiritual senses must be alive, alert and expectant. Our hearts are to be sensitive enough to catch the faintest reflection and be able to discern quickly His voice. We are to be near to Him and still and quiet that we may catch the slightest intimation on His part.
Many today do not understand the movement of God in the world as He is speaking to us in present conditions because they are not near enough or still enough to observe Him.
The prophet Micah knew the importance of this part of waiting upon the Lord. He says in Micah 7:7, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.” David, too, knew the necessity of remaining alert for God’s direction and guidance. Psalm 130:6, “My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.”
I am reminded of the time Elijah was confused about what to do with his life and ministry. He was in despair. He went into the wilderness and God confronted him there. 1 Kings 19:11-13, “Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”
As you wait for the Lord, don’t always expect His response to be earth-shattering. Be sure you are close enough and still enough and alert enough and sensitive enough to discern His still small voice.
One thing to always keep in mind is that God will never direct you or guide you to take a path that is contrary to His special revelation - the Scriptures. He will never lead you to disobey His commandments. This leads to the final step in our waiting for the Lord.
E. Wait with faithful obedience. Psalm 37:3, 34; 25:21.
While we wait for God to answer our petitions…while we wait for His direction and guidance, we are to be faithfully following His revealed will found in the Scriptures.
I’ve heard various individuals, over the years, make statements such as:
I’m going through some difficulties right now but when things improve, I’ll be able to attend worship services and be more active in the Church.
I’m just so down and out right now over these circumstances, I don’t feel too enthused to do much of anything spiritually speaking.
Once I get my situation straightened-out, I’ll be in a better frame of mind to do the Lord’s work.
When I get this situation under control, I will be able to concentrate more on doing what is right.
I can’t give my all to the Lord until all these loose ends get tied.
I think that we can understand from our earlier comments that if our circumstances or situation is weighing so heavily upon us that we find it interfering with other aspects of our life, we have not yet committed it to the Lord. We are still carrying the load ourselves.
The Scriptures teach us to leave the matter in God’s hands and go about the Lord’s business. We are to continue in our commitment of obedience and service to the Lord.
Psalm 37:34, 3, “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way...Trust in the Lord, and do good.”
One may reply - ‘Yeah, but, bro. Scott, you don’t understand my situation. My circumstances are really pressing. They are critical. The situation is emotionally and mentally overwhelming. It is incomprehensible for me to be able to ignore the situation and nonchalantly go about a normal routine! It is asking the impossible for me to fully give myself to the Lord in my miserable and bleak circumstances.’
Well, I may understand that thinking from a fleshly stand-point… but, such a perspective is without foundation from a perspective based upon faith and hope.
Many godly men and women have found themselves in very trying situations and yet remained faithful and obedient to their Lord and serviceable to those about them.
The Apostle Paul found himself in many pressing, yeah, overwhelming circumstances and situations - “imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).” Yet, he was able to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!…Be anxious for nothing…I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me (Philippians 4:4, 6, 13).”
Paul also reminds, in Romans 8:28, that “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” How do we show our love for God? Is it not by obeying His commandments? (1 John 5:3). Thus, Paul is saying that God causes all things to work together for good to those who obey God.
Dear brethren, when we stop serving and obeying we are just digging our holes deeper. We are creating more problems in our life and slipping farther from the Lord. When we place ourselves outside the path of duty, we place ourselves outside the path of blessing. Only by drawing near to God in obedient service will He draw near to us (James 4:8).
For yesterday is but a Dream,
And Tomorrow is only a Vision;
But Today, well lived,
Makes every Yesterday
A Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow
A Vision of Hope
One last point, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, we are still to glorify our God. Jesus taught us in John 15:8, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” In the Parable of the Sower, recorded in Mark 4, Jesus compares those who allow affliction to prevent them from bearing fruit as seed thrown upon ‘rocky ground’ and those who do not bear fruit for God due to the cares and worries of this world as seed thrown upon ‘thorny ground’.
Let’s not be rocky or thorny soil. Let’s be rich soil which bears fruit for God while we wait for Him to handle our circumstances in His way and in His timing. Let us “put first the kingdom of God and its righteousness (Matthew 6:33).”
I am confident that when we wait for the Lord properly, we will be amazed how much more smoothly our lives will flow.
I am equally convinced that when we decide to truly wait for the Lord, we will be blessed with overflowing joy and peace in our daily walk. Isaiah 25:9, “And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for Whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for Whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."
