Waiting: August 27, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY AUGUST 27, 2012.

WAITING

DEFINITION:

Remain in place expecting something; to patiently anticipate; a stay or delay.

SCRIPTURE:

Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I will wait all day. Psalm 25: 4-5

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Many of the Psalms were written by David. In many of his Psalms David bares his soul and openly and honestly expresses his feelings. In Psalm 25, David vividly portrays his complete dependence on God and his willingness to wait upon God for His leading in his life. It takes discipline and commitment for us to learn to wait on God for His leadership in our lives.  There are several basic conditions that we must understand in order for us to wait upon the Lord.

The ways of the Lord and His timing are nothing like ours and we need to learn that fact. From a human standpoint, He usually does things in a totally different way than what we expect. We, therefore, must have faith and learn to put our total trust in Him. We will discover that God’s way is always better than ours. God alone knows the future and he is certainly wiser then we are. When we learn to live in harmony with God’s will, His timing will begin to make sense to us.

To wait upon the Lord you must be convinced, as David was, that you need Him in every area of your life. Submission to His divine will requires humility. You cannot charge ahead with your own plans, which we tend to do at times, and at the same time be fully surrendered to God.

Patience is one of the hardest things to learn in order to wait upon the Lord. You need to ask yourself the question, “Are you willing to remain in your current position until you receive clear divine direction?” Waiting upon the Lord is a deliberate decision that requires patience. It is so much wiser to pause for clarity from God than to plunge ahead and do something we will come to regret.

Waiting upon God often takes courage, especially when there is pressure being put upon you to act immediately. If you are not careful, you might stop listening to the Lord and begin to follow the advice of others. Keep your ear tuned to God and you will not go wrong.

In Isaiah 40:31 it reads in part, “those who wait upon the Lord will gain new strength.” God does strengthen us when we wait on Him during delays. He sometimes says no, sometimes yes and sometimes later. There is no verse in the scripture that tells us to take control and fight our own battles. When we face difficult battles and decisions the key is learning to wait.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Joshua 1:9.

Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

PRAYER:

Help our family to learn to wait upon You as we make our daily decisions and face concerns in our daily life. Help us to understand that when we have You, our God and creator, as Lord of our life You will lead us through every difficult battle we face. Help us to understand that learning to wait on You requires faith, humility, patience and courage.