Blessed are all who wait for him… Isaiah 30:18
Each one of us knows what it is to have to wait for something. We wait for the promised letter or call from a friend; we wait in line at the supermarket; we wait to hear the results of exams or a job application; the pregnant woman waits for the birth of her child – you get my meaning I’m sure. At the moment our patience is being tested as we wait for the processes to be completed so that the building of our house can begin.
The waiting, though, that I want to write about today is much more important that all of these and a much different kind of waiting.
Now is the time to wait upon the Lord. In Isaiah 40:31 it says that “those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…”. This kind of waiting requires us to quieten our hearts and minds and coming before God for the purpose of entwining our hearts with his – finding a one-ness or unity with him. By spending this kind of time in his presence we exchange our weakness for his strength, our hurts for his healing, our questions for his answers, our ignorance for his understanding, our sorrow for his joy, our hopelessness for his purpose……. the benefits are endless. I don’t know why we find it so difficult to do!
Moses had to wait 7 days until the Lord called him higher up the mountain where he experienced face to face conversation with and revelation from God for 40 days and nights (Exodus 24:15-18). David often wrote in the psalms about waiting for the Lord. Jesus waited to see what his father was doing before he did his miracles (John 5:19). He obtained his strength and ability to work miracles from the Father. Even now Jesus continues to wait for the day that the Father has appointed for his return to earth.
The disciples were told by Jesus to wait for the empowering of the Holy Spirit before venturing out in ministry. This is so important still today. There are too many casualties of ministry and mission because people moved in the emotion of the moment and the power of their own flesh, rather than patiently waiting for God’s empowering presence to fill and equip them for what He wanted them to do.
Waiting upon the Lord does indeed bring its own blessing in many forms. Will you choose to set aside time today to wait – entwine your heart – with him? He knows what you need but he’s waiting for you to come. Read the rest of verse 18 of Isaiah 30 – “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion….”
The blessings of waiting await you!
Prayer: Gracious and loving God, help me to determine to spend time with you to strengthen myself in your word and receive your grace for each day. Amen
Each one of us knows what it is to have to wait for something. We wait for the promised letter or call from a friend; we wait in line at the supermarket; we wait to hear the results of exams or a job application; the pregnant woman waits for the birth of her child – you get my meaning I’m sure. At the moment our patience is being tested as we wait for the processes to be completed so that the building of our house can begin.
The waiting, though, that I want to write about today is much more important that all of these and a much different kind of waiting.
Now is the time to wait upon the Lord. In Isaiah 40:31 it says that “those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…”. This kind of waiting requires us to quieten our hearts and minds and coming before God for the purpose of entwining our hearts with his – finding a one-ness or unity with him. By spending this kind of time in his presence we exchange our weakness for his strength, our hurts for his healing, our questions for his answers, our ignorance for his understanding, our sorrow for his joy, our hopelessness for his purpose……. the benefits are endless. I don’t know why we find it so difficult to do!
Moses had to wait 7 days until the Lord called him higher up the mountain where he experienced face to face conversation with and revelation from God for 40 days and nights (Exodus 24:15-18). David often wrote in the psalms about waiting for the Lord. Jesus waited to see what his father was doing before he did his miracles (John 5:19). He obtained his strength and ability to work miracles from the Father. Even now Jesus continues to wait for the day that the Father has appointed for his return to earth.
The disciples were told by Jesus to wait for the empowering of the Holy Spirit before venturing out in ministry. This is so important still today. There are too many casualties of ministry and mission because people moved in the emotion of the moment and the power of their own flesh, rather than patiently waiting for God’s empowering presence to fill and equip them for what He wanted them to do.
Waiting upon the Lord does indeed bring its own blessing in many forms. Will you choose to set aside time today to wait – entwine your heart – with him? He knows what you need but he’s waiting for you to come. Read the rest of verse 18 of Isaiah 30 – “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion….”
The blessings of waiting await you!
Prayer: Gracious and loving God, help me to determine to spend time with you to strengthen myself in your word and receive your grace for each day. Amen
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