Be
patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience
for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient;
stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one
against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth
before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name
of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold,
we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and
have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender
mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither
by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay,
nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.
Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord
shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias
was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it
might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and
six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought
forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert
him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his
way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of
sins. James 5:7-20 KJV
Hast
thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the
Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no
searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that
have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 KJV
The Word of God has quite a bit to
say about waiting. Waiting is referred to in two ways.
1. the action of remaining passive,
inactive or stationary until an event, activity is done or someone or something
arrives.
2. the sense of a servant attending
to the needs of someone, or serving someone.
The world's tendency towards a fast
paced culture has eroded much if not all of our ability to wait. "I want
it NOW!" is the constant cry of the masses, and sadly, it finds a
resonating chord in the lives of many of God's saints. Many a child of God
has allowed their heritage in the Lord to dissipate because of their anxiety.
We see someone else hustling and bustling and building up their earthly
possessions and become edgy, feeling that we also need to do the same. We
become caught up with the effort to keep up with, or surpass the Joneses,
without realizing that it's an inner envy rather than God that is driving us.
We become aggressively diligent in our efforts to rise up the social ladder. We
try to align ourselves with those we believe are the right people for material
success. The tragic result is that we
become slothful in the work of the Lord, disloyal to his Name and spiritual
paupers even though the world may hail us as a success story! In Luke 12 Jesus
illustrated this tragedy with the parable we refer to as the rich fool, ending
it with these words: So is he that
layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:21 KJV
It is essential to wait for the
Lord, and it's our duty to wait upon the Lord are reminded by His Word of our
priority: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 KJV
1. Waiting requires patience and
learning to wait develops patience
David said he waited all day
Lead
me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do
I wait all the day. Psalms 25:5 KJV
David said
to wait patiently
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. Psalms 37:7 KJV
I
waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He
brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my
feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my
mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust
in the LORD. Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth
not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Psalms 40:1-4 KJV
David described his waiting on the Lord as a man who is sinking into a
horrible miry pit of clay. However he is not giving up on his waiting. His eyes
are fixed on his Lord, even as he's going down. It matters not that he is in desperate
straits. He keeps his eyes expectantly on the Lord! The world may be critically
condemning him but he patiently waits, with doglike devotion, his eyes is fixed
on the Master, who rescues Him and sets him on solid rock. His establishment is
from the LORD.
Sometimes if not most times, waiting
is difficult. Ask Mary and Martha, when they sent a message concerning Lazarus,
to Jesus, who yet remained in the same
place for a couple more days before responding. It takes patience and
perseverance to wait!
The mushroom springs up overnight
and just as quickly passes away.
It takes years for the oak to grow
but its growth is strong and lasting.
Spiritual growth is not an overnight
happening. It is a constant diligent process.
David said
to wait ONLY on the Lord!
My
soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my
rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my
salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a
refuge for us. Selah. Psalms 62:5-8 KJV
We should not allow ourselves to be
side tracked from is purpose however legitimate it may seem. Abraham in a hurry
to achieve what God had promised made a fleshly mess of it, with far reaching consequences
that remain to this day!
Moses in patriotic zeal rushed out
to be the deliverer of Israel. He did not wait on Yahweh for His plan and
strategy. The result? Moses had to hide and wait until he became passive.
Fleshly impatience can precipitate
unexpected backlash. Saul could not wait for Samuel and presumed to act on his
own initiative in offering . He destroyed his heritage as a result!
2. We should
wait with longing and expectation as for the sun to rise up on a brand new day!
I
wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul
waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more
than they that watch for the morning. Psalms 130:5-6 KJV
When we are in the nighttime of our
lives, we long for the advent of some light to dispel the darkness. In similar
manner our soul should wait on the Lord for with Him comes Light!
3. Those who wait for the Lord will not be ashamed!
And
kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they
shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust
of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be
ashamed that wait for me. Isaiah 49:23 KJV
4. Those who wait for the Lord will inherit the earth!
For
evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall
inherit the earth. Psalms 37:9 KJV
Wait
on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land:
when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. Psalms 37:34 KJV
5. It's a
good thing to wait on the Lord and the Lord is good to those who wait for Him!
The
LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is
good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that
a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is
good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Lamentations 3:24-27 KJV
6. We should
learn to wait with diligent watchfulness, lest we miss the timing of the
Master!
Fear
not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax
not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief
approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will
your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return
from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him
immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall
find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them
to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come
in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are
those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what
hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his
house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man
cometh at an hour when ye think not. Luke 12:32-40 KJV
And
the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall
make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due
season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so
doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he
hath. But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and
to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not
for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and
will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew
his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will,
shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much
is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much,
of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:42-48 KJV
I
will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what
he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the LORD
answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he
may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at
the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it
will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:1-3 KJV
And,
being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart
from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye
have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:4-5 KJV
7. Waiting on the Lord also carries the sense of a servant
waiting on the master or mistress of the house.
Unto
thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the
eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a
maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God,
until that he have mercy upon us. Psalms 123:1-2 KJV
A good and faithful servant will be diligent, and have eyes constantly
on the Master, in order to anticipate every gesture or glance in an effort to fulfill
His wish and command.
Wait
on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I
say, on the LORD. Psalms 27:14 KJV
Remember! Waiting on the Lord is
NEVER a vain thing, whether we are waiting for Him to act on our behalf, or we
are waiting in our service to Him! Many find themselves actively involved in
ministry in the church, sometimes with an overloaded agenda.
Why is it that when we become
overloaded or burdened, the first thing that we let go is our involvement with
God, and the ministry? Why is it that when our life seems overwhelmed, the first
thing we drop as baggage, is service to the Lord? Remember you cannot work in
the ministry of the Spirit with the strength of the flesh and effort of the
mind. That is a prescription for spiritual exhaustion and burn out.
If we spend time laboring, and do
not spend time in His presence, we are creating crisis in our lives. Prayer is
for our benefit not God's! Failure to spend time in prayer and waiting on Him is
failure to tap into the most awesome source of power beyond even our wildest
imagination.
Hudson Taylor said "Do not work so hard for Christ that
you have no strength to pray, for prayer requires strength." I hasten
to add also, that STRENGTH REQUIRES PRAYER! "Remember 7 days without prayer makes one weak!" Anon
Hast
thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the
Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no
searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that
have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 KJV
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