Wait For It

Psalm 27:11-14

Have you ever played “Chutes and Ladders?”  It was one of my favorite games growing up and I’ve played it many, many times with my kids.  Reading today’s passage, I began to think of life like a game of Chutes and Ladders.  We’re all trying to make it to the top without tumbling down too many times.

It’s thrilling to land on the square where you help a cat out of the tree and get to race to the top, but nothing can be more frustrating than landing on the one where you’re trying to sneak a cookie, then find yourself chuting all the way down to the broken jar. ☹ The pictures on the board are based on cause and effect and consequences – both good and bad.  If you do this, then this will happen. If I follow the way of the Lord, then I’ll go “up” to heaven, right?  If I don’t accept Him and his promises, then heaven will be out of my grasp.

During a game, the spinner can be either your best friend or your enemy.  We may find ourselves yelling, “Yes!  That’s the number I needed!” or “No, that's so unfair!” How many times have we been climbing the ladder of life when the enemy tries to knock us down?  That’s when we call out, “Teach me your way, Lord.”  With Christ as our compass, the direction is clear.

And then you have the waiting.  For a young child, the agony of waiting can seem too much and being sent down a chute makes you feel like you might never make it, but verse 14 says Wait for the Lord. It actually says it twice, wait for the Lord.  Waiting can be tough at any age, but if we learn to wait with patience, then winning will be so much sweeter.

Father, Lead me in a straight path and give me the patience to be strong when life sends me spiraling.  With you, I know I can make it to the top and see your goodness fulfilled.  Amen.

        

Seek Me

Isaiah 45:18-19

For this is what the Lord says—

he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
    but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.
 I have not spoken in secret,
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,
    ‘Seek me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.

God's promises are public, and their fulfillment is sure. So why do we ever doubt him? We never have to be uncertain when we have a God of truth and righteousness.   - Life Application Study Bible.

Indeed, God's promises are public.  If you read my journal you will find numerous occasions of notes of God's faithfulness to me.  I cling to a promise, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God; trust also in me." (John 14:1). Before I know it, God came through and peace fills me.

When I am anxious, I lift it up to God, spilling my heart in words and He responds through His Word; "Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14) Yup, you know it, my anxiety proved to be unfounded and my spirit once again overflows with hope.

In mid-March I was seeking in prayer, a word of encouragement, direction, peace and hope. One of the devotionals I read that day said: "God's looking out for you when you don't even know you are in danger." Again, a calm presence centered me that morning.

Isaiah 45:22 (NIV) 
"Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.


Indeed, there is no other God. No other earthly god can provide strength, or fill hearts with courage and conviction. "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again; REJOICE!" (Philippians 4:4)




Isaiah 45:15-25

Psalm 27

Prayer is Waiting

We wait in line at the grocery store. We wait in traffic. We wait to be seated at restaurants, then wait to give our order, wait to be served, wait for our check, wait for our change, and then wait to exit the parking lot so we can wait at the traffic light for our turn to go, so we can get to the next intersection and wait some more.

We accept this waiting because it is a must if we are to get what we want and remain safe.

Psalm 27: 1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:4-5 “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in his temple. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in his dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”

In this fast food, express line world, we forget what it is we are called to do. Psalm 27: 14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

He will give us what we desire, and He has promised to keep us safe. We can count on that promise. Our grocery stores, restaurants, and cars may offer us momentary satisfaction, but our true source of peace and contentment can be found only in the Lord.

As we conclude this series in Psalms, please remember that this book is a wonderful source of encouragement and comfort when this world beats us down. Psalms holds truth and hope for all of us. Turn to Psalms when you are tempted to close off the rest of the world and have yourself a pity party. Open the book of Psalms when those you thought were friends disappoint you. Rest in the book of Psalms when your heart is broken. His word is always there for you, and His promises remain.

Strength Will Rise As We Wait Upon The Lord!

Listen to “Everlasting God” by Chris Tomlin

Listen to/Read Psalm 27 

Acknowledge Him Who is Faithful and True

“For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.  Then my head will be exalted above my enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will make music to The Lord.”  Psalm 27:5-6

God’s love for us is more than a warm, fond regard.  We are dear to him, yes, but God’s love is a proactive love.  He responds to our cries, moreover, he initiates on our behalf mercies that we never thought to ask.

Though we go through the crucible of purification, God is no less attentive to us than to the three Hebrew men thrown into the furnace of fire.

Though surrounded by those who would destroy us, God is no less faithful to deliver than he was to Gideon and his impossibly outnumbered band of “warriors.”

Though we do not fully understand the Spirit of power that is ours in Christ Jesus, God no less strengthens us when we call upon him than he did when he empowered Samson.

Lord God of the heavens and of your people on earth – creator and owner of all that exists – you are faithful and true. You remember your promises; in your love for us do you recall them.

When our commitment waivers, your faithfulness does not.

When our trust ebbs, your trustworthiness moves not an inch.

When we tremble at what appears to be, you speak what is.

When we heedlessly follow the paths of our understanding, your Spirit guide us to Him who is “the Way.”

When our anxious flesh compels us to do “something! anything!”, you say “it is good to wait quietly for the Lord (Lamentations 3:26)”.

Though in despair we are convinced our enemies have crushed us, you arise, deliver us and call our enemies before you to account.

Today, Lord, be my God.  Today, Lord, I trust in you.  Today by your mercy, I will praise you for your proactive love.

And when today is over, I will lie down and await a new “today” created at your word, knowing you will again be faithful and true.