TODAY'S PROMISE

"Wait for the Lord;

be strong and let your 

heart take courage;

yes, wait for the Lord."

(Psalms 27:14 NASB)  

TODAY'S PROMISE

"Then you will know that I am the Lord;

no one who waits for my help will be disappointed.".

(Isaiah 49:23 GNT)

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"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;

they are as genuine as silver refined

seven times in the furnace."

(Psalms 12:6 GNT)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.

2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.

3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.

(William Gurnall)

HE WAS IN A RUSH

I read in a motorcycle magazine about an incident with one of their staff members. He was in a rush. Waiting for a traffic signal to change, he wanted to be first across the intersection. He would have been - if it were not for a negligent driver running the red light.

The motorcycle rider had,

the fastest reaction time,

the fastest vehicle,

the right of way,

and the broken leg.

King Saul was in a rush. He started to seek God's leading. But life came too fast and he said, "There's no time to consult the Lord!" -1 Samuel 14:19 (TEV)

That same impatience cost him the kingship. Becoming impatient earlier Saul offered a sacrifice he was not supposed to. God speaking through the prophet Samuel said, "But now your rule will not continue. Because you have disobeyed him, the Lord will find the kind of man he wants and make him ruler of his people." -1 Samuel 13:14 (TEV)

That was king David, "a man after God's own heart." David had learned not to be in a hurry with God, but to wait for him.

In the remainder of 1st Samuel and 2nd Samuel we see David constantly consulting God. And when in doubt reconsulting God. As the Psalmist, David mentions fifteen or twenty times the matter of waiting on God. [Depending on your version and it's word usage.]

I can relate to king Saul. And I can relate to the motorcyclist. But when will I ever learn to "wait on - or consult" the Lord?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way." -Proverbs 3;5,6 (TEV)

Have you ever got in a rush and missed the Lord's best??? Tell us about it. I don't want to be the only one that failed to wait.

STRENGTH FOR THE DAY

"but they who wait for the Lord
shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31 RSV)

It has always seemed to me that the Lord did this backward.
He has a descending order.  And we humans want an ascending order.
You know.
Crawl, walk, run.
Up, up and away.

Years ago Armin Gesswein coined an expression
regarding this portion of Scripture that helps me.
He said this is the three speed Christian.

As a retired auto mechanic and ex car nut -
that speaks to me.

If you are over forty years of age.
you know that all of life is not soaring on clouds
nine to thirteen.

Photo courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com

Whether you are a Christian or not,

there are high points in life.  Mountain top experiences.

Few and far between.  But they are not life.

Most of life is more;

Another day, another dollar.

Ho hum.  Or as some used to say,

"Same O, same O."

Or just plain old boring.

Just another boring highway.

Photo courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com

And by now most of us know that the road of life can be much 

worse than this Australian outback road.  In some parts of our 

area, that looks like a super highway.

Photo courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com

Life often is more of a steep climb with a heavy backpack.

An uphill experience that requires a lower gear than out vehicle has.

So, how do we get this "renewed strength" for today?

The Scriptures say to "wait" on the Lord.  

Some versions say, "trust in" or "hope in" the Lord.

But to myself the help comes from dear old brother 

James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D.  He says this comes from 

the Hebrew word "qavah". [Now that's Greek to me.]

And that it is "a prim. root, to bind together

(perh. by twisting), ..."

Waiting on the Lord for strength is not sitting on a park

bench waiting for help.  That could be part of it.  But

waiting on the Lord is binding myself to the Lord.

Involving God in my life to the point that his life and

mine are twisted together as one.

When my "rope of life" consists of several strands,

God the Father,

God the Son,

God the Holy Spirit

and me.

My rope will have all the strength I need

and, the Devil himself cannot break it.

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and 

purify your hearts, you men of double mind."

(James 4:8 RSV)

GOD'S TONIC

GOD'S TONIC

"tonic n. ...

b: something that invigorates, restores,

refreshes, or stimulates"

-Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary

 Photo courtesy of dougleschan.com

The last time I read through the book of Judges

something stood out to me.

At least two times the entire nation of Israelites

"sat before the Lord".

See Judges 20:26 & 21:2

And we know about king David sitting

before the Lord in 2 Samuel 7:18

And of course Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus

in Luke 10:39

And we all know the Scripture that says,

"but they who wait for the Lord

shall renew their strength,"

-Isaiah 40:31 (RSV)

Yes, I have read the various definitions of

waiting on the Lord.

But do you suppose that waiting and sitting

before or on the Lord might be close to

the same thing?

You know, wait as in "wait...

1 a: to remain stationary in readiness or expectation...

b: to pause for another to catch up."

-Webster

or,

"It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord."

-Lamentations 3:26 (RSV)

It seems that our definition of wait is,

"Do other things while we are waiting 

for the Lord."

 Photo courtesy of harmonybis.wordpress.com

Below I have included some random quotes or 

comments from or about that old exemplary

saint Andrew Murray.  These have been taken

from the book,

Andrew Murray one of God's choice saints

by W.M. Douglas

These have been an encouragement to me in

spending time with God.

 Photo courtesy of www.123rt.com

"The quiet, contemplative life led to a deeper,

truer knowledge of God..."

-p. 110

"but above all, it was prayer and quiet waiting

upon God that gave him the confidence to step

out in faith on this new venture."

-p. 126

 Photo courtesy of liveaction.com

"I think in the present day there is not enough

retirement to seek teaching from above,

there is too much human teaching."

-p. 154

"And it is in secret that we must begin to give

ourselves to the power and working of the Holy

Ghost.  What we need are two things.

The one, faith that He is in us,

and will do a Divine work in teaching

and sanctifying us.

The other, is quiet waiting to realize

His presence, to hush our own thoughts,

and to crush all our natural activity, 

so as to give Him time and opportunity 

to take possession, and become

the new principle in our lives."

-p. 160

 Photo courtesy of www.pollsb.com

"It was during this time of trial he learned the value

of silence, as practised by the Friends (Quakers)

which counteracts one of the central weakness

of Protestantism"

-p. 181

"When not writing he spent much time on the broad

stoep (verandah) in front of his study.

There he would sit and pray and meditate."

-p. 234

Photo courtesy of tracyhurst.com

"How I love your law!
I think about it all day long.
Your commandment is with me
all the time
and makes me wiser than my enemies.
I understand more than 
all my teachers,
because I meditate on your instructions.
I have greater wisdom than 
those who are old, 
because I obey your commands.
I have avoided all evil conduct,
because I want to obey your word.
I have not neglected your instructions,
because you yourself are my teacher.
How sweet is the taste of your instructions -
sweeter even than honey!
I gain wisdom from your laws,
and so I hate all bad conduct.
Your word is a lamp to guide me
and a light for my path."
-Psalms 119:97-105 (GNB)