“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself
because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth
wicked devices to pass.”-Psalm 37:7
We are called to seek God, to
believe God, and have faith in Him. This
is true whether we feel like we have everything or nothing. The Lord still wants us to praise Him, to
glorify Him, and to seek His face. However,
it can be difficult when there is no answer, no feedback, no response, no
direction, and you are forced to wait on Him.
Wait, when you need an answer, and you long for victory.
“Birds sing in the dark” (words from Oswald
Chamber’s devotional book “My Utmost for His Highest), they sing announcing a
sunrise that has yet to come, a sunrise they are expecting to see, but have yet
to see. They have faith it will rise; as
the morning before, and the morning before that, and before that. Like the birds, we must praise him in the
dark. Praise him for the victory that is
not yet come, but most certainly will. With
him there is only victory. He will fight
for his people, for his children. If we
trust in the Lord and have faith it may not be today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe
not a year from now, but at some point, there will be victory; there will be a
sunrise, in his own good time. It is not
easy to wait on the Lord when the world is falling apart around you, but
ultimately it comes down to: “Do I trust Him?”
If so, I will wait on his answer, wait on his leading, wait on the
victory that he will bring, and not follow my own selfish desires, my own escape
plan. When there is a problem or a situation on your doorstep and you begin to
call on God, and call on God, and call on God; with no answer. Then it is time to wait, to have patience, to
have faith. In the Bible, there are so many wonderful accounts
of men and women who had a great ability to wait before God. A situation would arise, and they would take
it to God, and wait on his answer. They
would wait with a mind and heart ready to accept whatever answer came their
way. They trusted in His
providence. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David,
Ruth, Hezekiah (to name a few); heroes of faith. These men and women challenge me and
encourage me. We live a world that is plagued
with fear, and if you let it, fear will act as a tyrant in your life. However, the scripture says: “For God hath
not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind.” (2 timothy 1:7) When you look around, the sum of circumstances may
look like your serving to God has only brought hardship. While others seem to be serving themselves
and prospering. However, trust not in
the things seen, but in the un-seen. God
is leading, the sunrise is coming, and the Lord will provide. If you try to take the situation into your
own hands you will fail or get off course.
Christ is the captain and we must wait for His direction. In times of unknown, this can be the hardest
thing to do in this world. However, if
we let His plan develop, he will bring us to light and victory.
It can be very easy to confuse motion with
accomplishment; movement with action.
When we take it upon ourselves to play captain then we are doing so in
vain. Although it may feel like we are
acting to accomplish a virtuous end; if we are not in God’s will, then it is in
vain. The soul that finds rest in the Lord
and waits patiently for him; that soul will have victory and peace. In your walk with God, stillness, can be very
productive. “I’ll cast on him my every
care and wait for thee.” (Lyrics from Sweet Hour of Prayer)
