Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
For many of us it is difficult to wait. When you want something, you don't want to wait for it. Waiting on the Lord is not the same as waiting for things we want. We don't wait on the Lord because he's not ready. We wait because he is at work according to the timing of what we need. If you put cookie dough in the oven before the oven is hot, you’re going to end up with hard, dry cookies. Most things have to be done in the proper sequence.
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God is at work in your circumstances below the surface and behind the scenes. He's dealing with people and circumstances that do not instantly respond to His will. For example, if you ask God to help you with a financial matter, he won't counterfeit money to get it to you. He often works through the natural order of things. Courage is not the absence of fear or anxiety, it is willingness to endure within a challenging circumstance without giving up. The time between the "Amen" to your prayer and the answer to that prayer requires patience and courage. God offers you strength of heart during your seasons of waiting for his timing. You may not realize this, but your season of expectation and waiting prepares you to handle the blessing when it comes! If the blessing came before you were ready, you could not contain it. Reflection Question: What do you need to adjust in your waiting on God? Today’s action item based on insight:
Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. To “delight” is to incline or bend ourselves towards the objects of our desire and sources of our pleasure. Most of our pain or satisfaction in life comes from what we desire and how we are bent. Most importantly, the direction of our bent or delight determines our success in achieving the desires of our hearts. The key words in this text include: Trust (in the Lord), Do (good), Dwell (in the land), Feed (on His faithfulness), Delight (yourself in the Lord), Commit (Your way to the Lord), Trust (in Him) The idea of bending represents a significant change in character. Our training, experiences, and influences all find expression in how we delight. In this we are all unique, but as believers the object of our greatest delight and deepest desire should be the Lord. For example, if you want to become a doctor, you need to have a bent towards science, physiology, and wanting to cure people. David wrote: "Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass." What is “it" that God brings to pass? It is whatever you need or desire from your heart! Reflection Question: In what ways are you "bent?" These are the real desires of your heart.
Psalms 20:1, May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah 4 May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose.5 We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 8 They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright. 9 Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call. God helps you in ways that no one else can. God can respond and help using an endless variety of ways. There is no end of methods and means that He can use. People who only depend on other people, end up frustrated. As David said, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God." When you come to an end of yourself, you will begin to see what God can do. The only thing that remains is for you to call on the name of the Lord! Reflection Question: What has God done for you that you could not imagine Him doing? Today’s action item based on insight:
Our devotional has landed on Psalms 19. We will use this Psalm to consider God’s creation as a point of inspiration. David wrote in Psalm 145:5, "I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works."
There is something life-lifting in meditating on the works of God. We often marvel at the works of man, but nothing compares to the works of God.
David wrote in Psalm 19:1-3, The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. The heavens are the skies, both the daytime and night skies, going into space. The heavens declare God’s creative glory and his power to regulate all things. David said that day and night utter speech. It also reveals knowledge. God speaks to us through His creation and challenges us to expand our knowledge. Jesus used parables about nature to illuminate truth. Of course, I don’t suggest we worship nature or put nature on the level of God’s word and and person of Christ. I do suggest that you become more impressed with what God has done than what man is doing. I challenge you to elevate your thinking and remove yourself from the petty and pointless things of this world that compete for your attention. As a matter of fact, when you meditate on the glorious splendor of God's majesty and on His wondrous works, you will experience a reset in your outlook and in your thinking. By looking at a big God, you will see yourself in proper perspective and realize your help and strength are available from Christ. Psalms 19:12-14 concludes with these words of correction and reflection: "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." Reflection Question: What are 2-3 inspiring messages from the heavens and nature to you? Today’s action item based on insight:
Psalm 23:1, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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Psalm 23 is one of the most well read and memorized passages of Scripture in the Bible. Sometimes the things with which we are familiar are passed over, so let's highlight some of key point here. 1. "He makes me lie down in green pastures." Good shepherds always took their flocks to a place where they could rest and be nourished before nightfall. I've learned that sometimes God literally makes me lie down to rest. It's better to have the good sense to know when to slow down, but sometimes over burden ourselves and God has to literally "make me lie down." 2. "He leads me beside the still waters." Shepherds knew better than to take sheep close to rushing streams of water that was disturbing and dangerous for the young lambs. God does not lead you into the noisy and confusing places. Look for His peace and still waters even when your circumstances become noisy and disturbing. 3. "He restores my soul." Your mind, will, and emotions can be disrupted and thrown into disarray by difficult circumstances. Getting quiet and alone with God allows Him to reset (or restore) your soul. Sometimes when you have a malfunctioning computer the best thing you can do is turn it off and back on again. 4. "Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Some Bible commentators assert that the shepherd's rod and staff we're opposite ends of the same pole. Some say that the rod was used for correction and the staff was use for a drawing sheep away from danger. We should view both correction and protection are forms of "comfort." 5. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." In any circumstance where you are faced with loss, peril, or betrayal, know that God has already made provision for you. When the challenge ends, provision will be waiting for you on the table. Reflection Question: What do you need the Good Shepherd to do for you?
