If you’re anything like me, it can be hard to wait on the Lord, be patient in the Lord’s timing, and just slow down enough to listen to the Lord in a culture that is consumed with distractions and connectedness.
But the Lord certainly speaks of it often in His Word. The Lord met me in Psalm 37 the other day, with these thoughts.
PSALM 37:3-11
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Dwelling is not a fast pace thing. It Speaks of remaining.
Friendship takes time. Relationship comes from time spent with an individual…So should it be with faithfulness
4 Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
We’re reminded to delight in the Lord, because sometimes the things that should stoke our delight, can become mundane duty when we hurry.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
To commit is to make a commitment. To remain dedicated to.
He WILL act (promise) — Trust in Him (challenge)
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
Righteousness will come, just as the sun comes up, if we do these things.
Justice will come just as lunchtime comes, if we do these things.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
We’re told to be still because everything in our culture tells us to get moving!
We turn toward lesser things often (netflix, TV, social media, iPhone, etc.) because we don’t have to wait for these things. But the BEST things come from patient waiting.
And quit worrying about how others are prospering and I’m not.
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
Stop worrying about everything. It bottles up and will explode.
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
Patient waiting will lead to a bountiful harvest.
10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
Little while = not yet. keep waiting. keep befriending faithfulness
And God is big enough to handle the wicked. Don’t spend meaningless time worrying about them.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
These kind of people will find peace…and it will be a lot of it.
Know it.
Preach it to yourself.
Let it inform your heart today.
Follow Jesus. He didn’t get what he wanted when it came to the cross, but he loved feircly and led the way in kindness, compassion, worship, and following God.
He promises peace.
Perhaps you can find that peace in the places you wouldn’t expect it, by waiting on the Lord today.