by David Brenneman
"Life Principle 14: God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
In this hurry-up world, waiting for anything can cause us to lose our temper and our good sense more often than we care to admit. Yet the Word of God insists we learn some of life’s greatest lessons while we wait. Though waiting rooms can be hard classrooms, God promises vast reward to those who wait for Him.
When we wait on God …
We discover His will.
God does not allow delay in giving us the desire of our hearts to lead us along. Rather, even as we wait, He reveals His will to us and works all things together for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28).
We receive supernatural energy and strength.
As God deepens our relationship with Him through times of waiting, He also increases our energy, faith, endurance, and strength (Isa. 40: 29-31).
We’re victorious in battle.
When we do things our way in our time, we end up defeated. But when we wait on God and obey His commands, He ensures our victory (Prov. 20:22).
We see the fulfillment of our faith.
Though others may encourage us to forge ahead instead of waiting on the Lord, we must remember He’s the only One who can truly help us and who will never let us down (Is. 49:23).
We witness Him working on our behalf.
While we actively wait, God actively works (Is. 64:4). Every single day, we have the greatest Mediator working on our behalf. And even when things seem to go wrong, He’s making sure that everything works according to His purpose. What a wonderful promise!
Although waiting can be one of the more difficult things in the Christian life, it’s not wasted time. God gives us instructions through periods of actively waiting, keeps us in step with His will, prepares us for His answers, and uses the time to sift our motives and strengthen our faith. When we choose to wait on Him, God will use the long pauses in our lives for our blessing—both large and unexpected—if we let Him." Life Principles Devotional on the Bible app, Dr. Charles Stanley.
"Kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am the Lord; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame." Isaiah 49:23.
"For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him." Isaiah 64:4.
"And 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." Romans 8:28.
Stand Free
"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery" GALATIANS 5:1
There are forces all around you working to undermine freedom Jesus died to give you. Whispers of condemnation the feelings of fear and insecurity, graceless messages from well-meaning believers, constant criticism from those you love. Day after day your spiritual liberty and God-given identity are assailed from all sides.
It was this very threat that moved the apostle Paul to write
today's verse. He knew from watching the Christians in Galatia
that a believer's freedom must be constantly guarded and defended.
For just as the truth can liberate us, so the lies of the Enemy can
send us right back to the bondage and defeat we once knew.
So today consider: Are you standing firm in the freedom Christ
provided at the cross? Are you taking hold of His Word daily? Are
you asserting who you are in Him? If not, take a few minutes to
review the strongholds and areas of weakness that the Lord has
identified and desires to overcome in you. He wants to liberate you.
Ask Him for specific Scripture verses that you can memorize and
meditate on. Then stand firm in your faith by clinging to the truth
that sets you free.
Jesus, help me to experience the fullness of Your truth and
freedom. Amen.
- Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley.
Yes that's a lot of pre-reading before getting to the post...but as has been said before...I don't have much to do with what the content of the post is about. God says to write on this or that and that's what comes of it.
Patiently waiting on God isn't easy at first to do. 6 months of unemployment, 95 percent of the time silence from places that you've applied to will certainly show that patience is not an optional thing but a requirement.
in the 2nd devotional he mentions graceless messages. Those too I discovered along the way. Well meaning people who's suggestions would have put me in a position of getting ahead of God's provision.
We cannot go through this life with even a shred of doubt that we are ALWAYS on the mind of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Billions on this world coming into it and leaving it and all the apparent chaos of the times...and He still has each and every Believer on His mind for their good and His glory. All those who are rejecting Him for salvation are all on His mind. All those whom rejected Him unto death and are falling into Hell in droves are on His mind. All those entering the gates of Heaven with praise on their lips are on His mind.
In the "Left Behind" book series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins there's the one part of the one book where the Behma Seat Judgment occurs. Everyone, in the way they portray it, approaches Jesus at the same time yet in that moment each person is seen individually by the Savior. I think that's how both that and the Great White Throne Judgement will be like.
In our time here on Earth patience is something that humans have to be taught. Adam and Eve had to learn it after the fall and they were kicked out of Eden. We've all had to learn it since.
In our patience we shouldn't be looking to other things to fill our time, energy and efforts with other things, other thoughts, other people.
Luke 5:16 says "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray".
A very profound reminder that He could not conceive of a life without communion with His Father in Heaven. We can read of the Transfiguration that Peter, James and John got to see. When Jesus prayed...that was what was happening in just a different way. The Father, the Son and the Spirit all together to plan out the day in the way that the Father wanted to have happen.
We start the day in any of a few thousand ways but, and I'm just as guilty as all others in this, we should begin with prayer. Jesus got up early to go pray.
We can have well meaning people in our lives that sound incredulous at what is coming out of their minds to our ears or our eyes.
We can have well meaning people who indeed speak of possiblities that are from the Father.
Discernment is what should be part of our prayer times. Job had discernment concerning his friends. The Lord Jesus very much agreed with Job's assessment of most of his friends. Only the youngest was not rebuked.
Patience isn't easy but it is a requirement. We have to be patient about the return of Jesus. We have to be patient about food in the microwave. Patient with those around us.
Impatience causes those things that are not of the fruit of the Spirit.
It's a leading cause of envy, strife, jealously, anger, bitterness, lack of self-control...it's the root cause of most things that come from the heart that are not good for the soul of man.
So...what to do...what to do.
Obviously the first thing to do is not to pray for patience because that's a core fundamental part of growing in Christ. That is GOING to come whether or not we are prepared for it.
Pray about whatever is on your heart. Pray with thanksgiving. Pray after the model that Jesus gave. Remember it's a model of priorities it is not to be mindlessly be repeated thinking it's some magical prayer.
As I patiently wait it's also clarifying things in my mind. Patience with dealing with others causes truth to come to the surface.
Jesus is coming soon and what will He see in how you lived your life for Him?
Laying the burdens of our hearts at the feet of Jesus should be our everyday thing.
Jesus wouldn't be rushed in all that we read of His life and ministry. He also never rushed the plan of God for Him from the Father in any way. Satan tried in many ways we can read in the Gospels to rush or stall the plan of God the Father for Jesus but Jesus saw through it.
Mary and Martha is probably the most profound example of patience. Wait patiently at the feet of Jesus and do as He directs even if it makes no sense.
We are here to do as He sees fit even if it disrupts or maybe ruins our thoughts and plans. The goal is to reach others for Christ to point people to Jesus for salvation...it isn't for our joy and comfort first then anything else afterwards.
Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.
First. Not after we get what we are impatient about. First.
Think about that today as you stop and pray.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.
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