Wait on the Lord

I know that there are times when I will get anxious about things; not as much as I used to but more than I should.  This morning doing a Bible study I do with a small group of men I came to this thought “Wait on the Lord”

It is not the kind of waiting that Pat does for me when I am having a rough day…  but to wait patiently for His direction.

The study I was doing directed me to read and comment on Psalm 131 as part of understanding God’s character.

Psalm 131

Psalms 131 (ESV) I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul
A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.

I looked over that Psalm for some time thinking about what it said to me and verse 2 just resonated for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

A calm spirit that places all its hope in the Lord is what David is talking about.  I had to consider my own as I read this… am I calm.  Am I content.  Then Psalm 130 caught my eye.  The Title of that Is “Wait on the Lord”

Psalm 130

I was taken by verses 5 and 6 in this Psalm.

 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

The direction God offers through David is so comforting.  I am humbled by the words.  Just looking at verse 5 is so powerful…

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;

It is not just to wait, but to wait in His Word and the hope that feeds my soul.  And I wait more than a watchman waiting for the dawn.

For me waiting has something that I did well, but with the strokes and other issues, I have had to learn to wait.  I have had to learn not to get out in front of God with MY plans, but follow Him and wait for the plans He has for me to unfold.   I am reminded of Philippians 4:5-7

Philippians 4:5-7

 “The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:5-7 (ESV)

This is it for me.  It is not always easy to do.  My nature is to do something… anything…  But that is not God’s desire for me.  Instead, His desire is that I take EVERYTHING to Him, including my trust, and He will give me peace…  “⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (verse 7)

You know I just think about that prayerfully and the promise of this passage comes true… not because I struggle, but because I surrender my will to God’s will and I trust in His sovereignty over all things.

Wait

I am reminded of a quote by Henry Blackaby from his Bible Study, “Experiencing God“.  This was one of the first studies that my Preacher, Terry Cooper, recommended to me.

In it Blackaby was talking about patience and waiting on God… and I think of this every time I start to get impatient and just want to do something… Blackaby gave some very sound advice.

“Don’t just do something… stand there”. 

 The exact opposite of what I grew up being told…  I was convinced that I must be doing something always…  but truly what I need is to wait on the Lord.

Romans 12:1-2

I thought of Romans 12:1-2 as I considered this waiting thing…

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I pray this passage a lot.  But as I thought of it in the context of these other verses and the idea that I must wait on the Lord I found new meaning.  This world is a world of action driven by the hearts of men.  That is not God’s desire for me.  He desires my soul commitment to His ways.

How do I do that?  I do what he directs through Paul in verse 1.

“¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

God also desires that I not conform to this world…  and I do that by living verse 2.

² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Final Thoughts

As I consider all these blessings that God shared with me this morning through prayer and His word I have one last passage… and it is one of my favorites.

 ²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:25-30 (ESV)

I love 25-27 as Jesus gives glory and thanksgiving to His Father.  He never takes only gives and receives.  He never gets ahead of His Father always glorifying Him…  then in verses 28-30, He reminds me to do the same…

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Closing

I look at all this and I see the desire of God to take the lead in my life.  To guide me and direct me.  To show me the path that he has laid out for me.  I am humbled.  All the lies of the world are set aside by the truth of God’s Word.  My direction is to follow Him.

There is just one more passage…

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV)

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your Holy Word.
Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit so that He might teach me through your word.

Lord, I pray today that I may wait on you. Father, That I might not get out ahead of your plan but follow you.

Lord, you know the plans you have for me and I am filled with Thanksgiving.

In Jesus name, I pray,
Amen