Learn to wait

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 45-48;  Psalm 25

TO CHEW ON: "'Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day." - Psalm 25:4,5

Are you good at waiting? I confess I'm not. From a child the importance of being prompt has been drummed into me. I like meetings to start on time. I am rarely late for anything. But God is—or so it seems.

In our reading today, David talks about waiting. He uses the word wait (qavah) twice in reference to his relationship with God: "On You I wait all the day" and "….I wait for you" - Psalm 25:5,21.

There's a subtle difference between saying we wait on God and we wait for Him. Really, though, it's two sides of the same coin. Waiting for Him could imply that we're waiting for Him to arrive. Of course He is present everywhere all the time, so the absence (lack of presence) we feel is due to our faulty perception.

Waiting on Him implies that He's here, with us, but we need Him to show His hand, to act, to come through for us in some way.

In our reading it seems the psalmist David is waiting on God for enlightenment about how to live and for His endorsement of David's trust,  integrity and uprightness of action (or perhaps lack of action).

Other passages illustrate more riches available to those who wait on God:

• Courage - Psalm 27:14

• Inheritance - Psalm 37:9

• Defense - Psalm 59:9

• Salvation - Psalm 62:1

• Mercy and Justice - Psalm 123:2; Hosea 12:6.

• Vindication - Proverbs 20:22

• Hope - Isaiah 8:17

• Strength - Isaiah 40:31

An article about waiting in my Bible adds even more perspective:

"To wait upon the Lord is to foster a sensitivity both to His presence and His promptings which quiets our hearts, focuses our minds through thanksgiving and praise, and allows Him to reveal any subtle attitudes or forgotten sins that would dull our sensitivity to His voice (Psalm 66:18). Accept the NT call to fasten the belt of your mind (1 Peter 1:13), meditate on God's Word, and respond with focused worship. Dedicate times alone with God for waiting and for interaction with Him" Steven Fry, "The Discipline of Waiting," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 704.

PRAYER: Dear God, I am so easily impatient. Help me to learn the discipline of waiting for You and on You so I don't mess up and confuse situations with my impulsive actions. Amen.


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 25

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Stay the waiting course

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 61-64; Psalm 120

TO CHEW ON: "For since the beginning of the world

Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,

Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,

Who acts for the one who waits for Him." Isaiah 64:5

Do you like to be kept waiting? I don't! But God, whose wisdom trumps our likes and dislikes, may often keep us waiting.

[Wait means 1) To stay or remain in expectation as of an anticipated action or event. 2) To be or remain in readiness. 3) To remain temporarily neglected or undone.]

Isn't that third definition apt? For when we are kept waiting, neglected is just how we feel.

The Bible is full of people who God kept waiting.

• Abraham and Sarah waited for an heir. When they got impatient and tried to achieve this their own way (through Abraham having Ishmael by Sarah's maid Hagar) they brought trouble into their lives.

• Samuel told King Saul to wait for him to offer a sacrifice before he (Saul) went to war. When members of his army started slipping away, Saul grew impatient and offered the sacrifice himself. Samuel arrived at the end of the ceremony and told Saul that because of his disobedience, the kingship would be taken from his family (1 Samuel 13:1-15).

• The disciples, on the other hand, waited in Jerusalem as Jesus had told them to, until the Holy Spirit descended. Then, indwelt with God's power, they "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).

Are you waiting for something today? Take heart from today's verse and words like David's in Psalm 37 as you stay the waiting course:

"Commit your way to the Lord

Trust also in Him

And He shall bring it to pass...

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him

Do not fret..." (Psalm 37:5-7).

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to commit my way to You and wait for You to "bring it to pass" and "act" for me. Amen


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 120

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tests

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 105:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him." Psalm 105:19


The "his" and "he" referred to in the verses above is Joseph. What is the psalm-writer talking about when he says "...until what he had said came to pass"? I believe it was those outrageous dreams of Joseph's which we read about in Genesis 37:

"Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold we were binding sheaves in the field and behold my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf....Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me..." Genesis 37:6-9.

During his days as a slave in Potiphar's house and later as a prisoner, I wonder if Joseph ever thought back to those dreams and wondered — What was that about? His situation couldn't have been farther from what his dream predicted.

However, there was action toward the fulfillment of those dreams all through that time. The psalm-writer alludes to what was happening behind the scenes. God was testing Joseph.

It's interesting that the psalmist doesn't say that circumstances tested Joseph, or Potiphar and the jailer tested Joseph but "the word of the Lord tested him," telling us that these circumstances had God's knowledge and permission. They issued as "the word of the Lord," that same creative force that brought the worlds into being (John 1:1-3).

Joseph's response to this testing was positive. With faithful dependability he passed every test. Then on one day that began like every other, the test was over (Psalm 105:20-22). And of course, when his brothers came from Canaan seeking food, the fulfillment of his dreams came true in living color before his eyes.

Your current situation may also be far from what you feel God has promised you for your future. Viewing the unpleasant, difficult, and unfair things in your life as God's tests may help you gain courage, inspiration and the hope to keep going.

Joseph's story shows too, how completely and radically God can turn things around in a short while once the test is over. So don't be fooled or disheartened by appearances.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this glimpse behind the scenes of the way You work in human lives. Please help me to pass the tests You bring my way today. Amen.


MORE: The test of waiting

You may find my article "In the Waiting Room" helpful if your test is waiting...and waiting... and waiting some more

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spiritual hearing

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 10:1-10

TO CHEW ON: “‘To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him for they know his voice.’” John 10:3,4

Jesus is here setting the scene for one of His iconic “I Am” statements—actually two: “'I am the door of the sheep'” - John 10:7 and “'I am the good shepherd'” - John 10:11.

These verses speak so powerfully to me that I’ve chosen them as my 2017 verses of the year to accompany the word “Listen,” my word for the year.

Two things stand out about the shepherd-sheep relationship from them: 

1. The shepherd knows his sheep individually and intimately: “…he calls his own sheep by name.”
2. The sheep follow him because they recognize and know his voice and obviously trust him.

This is what I want above all—to hear the voice of my Shepherd, recognize that it’s Him, and that I can confidently follow. How does this happen? We find some clues as we look at other places in the Bible that talk about spiritual listening and hearing.

• We discover that it may involve tuning our ears to listen, and watching and waiting. In one of his Lady Wisdom poems, Solomon, speaking as wisdom personified says, “Blessed is the man who listens to me / Watching daily at my gates, / Waiting at the posts of my doors” - Proverbs 8:34.

• It is listening to rebuke: “The ear that hears the rebukes of life / Will abide among the wise” - Proverbs 15:31.

• It is going to church with a receptive attitude: “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools” - Ecclesiastes 5:1.

• It is recognizing that spiritual truth and wisdom may not always come from the places we expect: “Words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard / Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools” - Ecclesiastes 9:17.

• We can pray to have renewed hearing even if we’re getting on in age: “O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known” - Habakkuk 3:2.

• It involves acting on what we’ve heard—obedience for the long haul, as Jesus taught: “‘But the ones (seeds) that fell on the good ground are those who having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience’” - Luke 8:15.

• God’s words to and in us can flourish when we live with an attitude of saying less and listening more: “… let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” - James 1:19.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your words as recorded by the apostles, as well as all the words of the patriarchs and prophets in the Bible. May You, by Your Holy Spirit, help me to hear, understand, know how to apply, and then obey what You say to me through them. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

In the meantime, revival

Habakkuk by Donatello (1423-6)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Habakkuk 3:1-19

TO CHEW ON: "O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy." Habakkuk 3:2


God told Habakkuk earlier that waiting would be involved in the resolution of Judah's situation—that "the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak … Though it tarries, wait for it." In the meantime he needed to live by faith (Habakkuk 2:2-4).

But that knowledge didn't dampen Habakkuk's hope for the meantime. Here he prayed that God would revive His people even during the time of waiting: "in the midst of the years!"

Isn't that the cry of our hearts too? Wherever we are on the continuum of time between Jesus' ascension and return to earth, we long for God to again make His presence felt, to send conviction of sin like only He can, to break down resistance to wanderers returning to Him, and to cause a new spiritual sensitivity and fruitfulness in our land. And so we join Habakkuk along with David, Asaph, the Sons of Korah, and Isaiah in praying for revival:

"Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You" - David in Psalm 51:13.

"Restore us, O God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!" - Asaph in Psalm 80:7.

"Will You not revive us again,
That Your people may rejoice in You?" - Sons of Korah in Psalm 85:6.

"Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
And the fruitful field is counted as a forest" - Isaiah 32:15.

 

PRAYER: Dear God, stories of revivals from years ago seem like fanciful tales—impossible to repeat. Would you send revival again? Please? Amen.

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

It's not if you live by faith, but faith in what

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TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 11:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title-deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality—faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses." Hebrews 11:1 AMP

The last bit of Hebrews 11:1 from the Amplified Bible is as good a definition of faith as any: "Perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."

It's interesting to go through our faith chapter reading today and pick out the verbs / actions associated with faith shown by these heroes of the Christian faith. As we do that, let's apply these actions to our own lives of faith.

* "For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good testimony" - Hebrews 11:2.
or, as the Amplified puts it: "For by [faith]… the men of old had divine testimony borne to them" - Hebrews 11:2 AMP.

Interesting, especially the "had divine testimony borne to them." I apply this as us acknowledging that God is involved with life and our world. When looking at life through that lens, God Himself gives us understanding of its purpose. It also applies to us having faith in the "testimony" (the scriptures) that was "borne" (revealed) to those "elders."

* "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God" - Hebrews 11:3.

We take the narrative of beginnings that accepts God as the creator by faith.

* "By faith Abel offered… a sacrifice" - Hebrews 11:4.

We worship God and perform any acts of a religious or spiritual nature by faith.

* "By faith Enoch was taken away" - Hebrews 11:5.

We accept God's sovereignty in setting the boundaries of our lives—their beginnings and endings, by faith. (This is so relevant to current life in Canada, where doctor assisted suicide has just been made legal.)

* "By faith Noah … prepared an ark" - Hebrews 11:7.

We build stuff by faith.

* "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out…" Hebrews 11:8.

We obey by faith, to the extent of moving when we're not even sure where we'll end up (at least that was Abraham's experience).

* "By faith he (Abraham) dwelt …" Hebrews 11:9.

We stay where we are by faith.

* "By faith he (Abraham) … waited" Hebrews 11:10.

We wait by faith.

"By faith Sarah … received strength to conceive" Hebrews 11:11.

We have families, passing on the gift of life, by faith. For women that can mean a nine-month program of working on faith fitness!

By our definition of faith ("perceiving as real fact what is not perceived by the senses"), so much of every life is faith. No matter what our belief system, we'll be putting our faith in something: ourselves, our government, the social safety net, science, medicine, God. So it's not if we live by faith, but faith in what?
I have chosen to put my faith in God. What about you?

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to live all of life with the awareness of Your presence in it. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Waiting... waiting...

Micah - Gustave Dore

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Micah 7:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me." Micah 7:7

Micah (in the light of what he has seen and proclaimed:
- that his people continue callously on their course, its rulers thumbing their noses at righteousness and justice - Micah 7:1-4
- that spiritual rot has penetrated the most intimate relationships—friends, lovers, sons and daughters, the members of one's own household - Micah 7:5-6) takes a stand.

What will he do? "I will look to the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation."

My Bible's footnote calls these statements "Micah's creed for crisis times. They make specific what the vision, attitude and faith of a believer should be" - W. S. Elijahson, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1211.

This two-pronged response is one we too can make when trouble comes.

• We can look to God instead of focusing on the distressing circumstance, the bad state of the nation, our ill health, our family hurts and dysfunctions.

• We can wait for God, though this might not be as easy as it sounds.

[Wait - yachal means to wait, tarry, hope, trust, expect, be patient, remain in anticipation. Yachal is often translated 'hope' - (Psalm 31:24; 33:18; 130:5,7; 147:11). The correct way to hope and wait for the Lord is to steadfastly expect His mercy, His salvation, and His rescue and while waiting not take matters into one's own hands (cf. Genesis 15:1-17:22 - the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar & Ishmael) - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Bible, p.  1211- ] Emphasis added.

Isn't that the rub—resisting the temptation to take matters into one's own hands? But the very near Christmas celebration reminds us that God does come through when the time is right.

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons" Galatians 4:4-5.

Hallelujah!

PRAYER: Dear God, waiting is one of the hardest things for me to do. Help me to wait for You in matters where I'd like to see action, movement, and results, knowing Your timing is always the best. Amen.

MORE: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. The liturgy for the day begins with this prayer:

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Promotion in God's time

David crowned king in Hebron

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Samuel 5:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years." 2 Samuel 5:4

Though David was thirty when he was crowned king of Judah in Hebron and thirty-seven when he took Jerusalem and became king of all Israel (2 Samuel 5:5), his path to the throne began years earlier.

The story of Samuel anointing him king is in 1 Samuel 16. He is the eighth and youngest son of Jesse. The writer of 1 Samuel describes him as "….ruddy with bright eyes and good looking" (1 Samuel 16:12). But he doesn't tell us David's age at the time Samuel anoints him .

I think we can assume he wasn't full-grown because of the way he reacts to putting on Saul's armor in preparation for facing Goliath: "'I cannot walk with these …'" (1 Samuel 17:39). Let's suppose he is seventeen. That makes a 13-year gap between when he is anointed and when crowned king of Judah, and a 20-year gap before he is king over the whole nation.

The years in between aren't easy either. He spends several running and hiding from jealous Saul. Some of the psalms he may have written while he is on the run show how difficult this time is for him:

• In Psalm 7 he expresses outrage at being wrongly accused and persecuted (Psalm 7:3-6).

• In Psalm 27 he gives thanks to God for keeping him through a time when the wicked came "To eat up my flesh" (Psalm 27: 2), an army "may encamp against me" (Psalm 27:3); "the time of trouble" (Psalm 27:5); even a time "when my father and mother forsake me" (Psalm 27:10).

• In Psalm 31 he describes "the net which they have secretly laid for me (Psalm 31:4). In that psalm he tells of feeing grieved and weak (Psalm 31:10), repulsive to neighbours and acquaintances (Psalm 31:11), forgotten (Psalm 31:12), slandered as they plot against him (Psalm 31:13).

But all through the years between his anointing and his becoming king he never forces the issue. In fact several times when Saul is in his hands, and with the full knowledge that he is God's anointed, David refuses to take the life of his pursuer:

* David to Saul after David spares his life the first time: "'But my hand shall not be against you'" (1 Samuel 24:12,13).
* David to Abishai, his general who is urging him to kill the sleeping Saul: "'…the Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed'" (1 Samuel 26:11).

What an example for us! For if God has put an anointing on our lives, a dream of usefulness or ministry in our hearts, He is the one who can bring it to pass. Even if the delay is long, let's wait for Him:

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" - James 4:10.

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time" - 1 Peter 5:8.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this inspiring example of David, who waited for You to lift him up instead of doing it himself. Help me to follow His example. Amen. 

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Secrets of spiritual power

"Jesus in prayer" - by Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 9:14-29

TO CHEW ON: "So He said to them, 'This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.' " Mark 9:29

We hear a message and it convicts us of sin. A song has us on our knees in worship. The story of a godly life brings us to tears of awe. In the spiritual realm we call such ministry, such music, such writing "anointed." By that we mean that there is something in it, coming through it, that is of God. It has power that is not explained by the cleverness of the message and story, or the beauty of the melody and lyrics.

Jesus demonstrated that power after the distraught father explained his distress following the disciples' inability to exorcise the self-destructive demon from his son. Jesus cast out the demon, seemingly effortlessly (Mark 9:25,26). When the disciples later asked Jesus why they couldn't help the boy, He gave them and us one means by which God empowers a life: " ' This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting' " - Mark 9:29.

Spiritual power also comes by:

 - Returning to God and confidently trusting in Him - Isaiah 30:15 

- Waiting on the Lord - Isaiah 40:31.

- Waiting for the Lord - Isaiah 49:23.

- And of course via the Holy Spirit:

• Who gave the prophet courage to confront his countrymen about their sin - Micah 3:8.

• Who is capable above any human resource - Zechariah 4:6.

• Who empowered Jesus - Luke 4:14.

• Who baptized and still baptizes Christians with power to witness - Acts 1:8; 4:33.

• Who gives power to do miracles - Acts 6:8; 9:11,12.

• Who inhabits speech so that words are not mere human persuasion but a "… demonstration of the Spirit and of power" - 1 Corinthians 2:4.

• Who strengthens us in the inner person - Ephesians 3:16.

I want to live a life of spiritual power. I'm sure you do too. Let's be aware of the possible cost to us in self denial (as we fast and pray), in waiting on God for His timing and methods, and in the surrender of ourselves—our bodies and wills, goals and ambitions, methods and strategies—to the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to be willing to pay the price needed to live a spiritually powerful life. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

WAIT—a small but difficult word

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 40:18-31

TO CHEW ON: "But those who wait on 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

Though "wait" is a theme of the advent season, it is definitely not my favorite thing to do. However, the ability to wait looms large in the life of the God-follower. A promise to those who "wait on the Lord" is the punchline of beautiful Isaiah 40 that we've read yesterday and today.

[Wait - qavah means to wait for, expect, hope, wait hopefully.]

Bible references help us see the array of circumstances in which we may need to "wait." David, for example, was a great believer in waiting.

• When unsure of what to do next, he resolved to wait for God's direction (Psalm 25:4,5).

• During a time of personal danger (when spied on by Saul, who intended to kill him) he waited on God to defend him (Psalm 59:9).

• To get the big prize. That would come to the one who waited on the Lord ("They shall inherit the earth" - Psalm 37:9).

• He waited patiently - not impatiently (Psalm 40:1).

• He waited silently without fretting or giving God suggestions on how to fix the situation (Psalm 62:1).

• He encouraged himself and his readers to keep on waiting even when things were great (Psalm 27:14).

The writer of Proverbs reminds us to wait for God instead of trying to "recompense evil" ourselves (Proverbs 20:22).


Isaiah picks up the challenge to wait. He says:

• We must "Wait on the Lord" when He seems absent and silent (Isaiah 8:17).

• We wait  on Him for energy, strength, and vitality (Isaiah 40:31 - today's focus verse). As we wait on Him, he renews us for tasks that take a burst of energy, to "… mount up with wings like eagles";  for tasks that take endurance: "They shall run and not be weary"; and for everyday, plodding life: "They shall walk and not faint."

• Finally, our waiting will vindicate us. We trusted in the right One:

Behold this is our God;
We have waited for Him and He will save us.
This is the Lord;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." - Isaiah 25:9.

Whatever our situation, let's join David, the writer of Proverbs, and Isaiah in waiting on God today.


PRAYER: Dear God, in my modern time of speed and instant, I feel stretched, antsy, even anxious when I need to wait. Help me to grasp Your trustworthiness and how much better it is to wait on You and for You than to take matters into my own hands. Amen. 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Be with Me

Moses sees God's glory

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 24:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Come up to Me on the mountain and be there…'" Exodus 24:12,13


What an invitation from God: "'Come up to Me … and be there.'" In our casual talk we might phrase it 'Come and hang out with Me. Be here with Me—be fully here with no wandering thought or gaze.'

This invitation to be with God brings to mind other such invites. The Bible has many. They came on a variety of occasions:

• To Israel when they were bitter and complaining. Moses told the Israelites, "'Come near before the Lord for He has heard your complaints'" on the occasion of the Israelites' bitter complaints about food just before God gave the first manna (Exodus 16:9).

• To a king who needed advice for battle. The priest advised Saul to "'Draw near to God,'" when he was uncertain as to whether or not he should go into battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 14:36).

• To a worship leader who felt envious of and intimidated by the wicked. The psalmist Asaph expressed his resolve to draw near to God at such a time (Psalm 73:28).

• To all us needy mortals. Jesus extended the invitation to come again and again (Matthew 11:28; 22:4; Revelation 22:17).

• To us who believe in the new covenant and want to approach God. The writer of Hebrews invites: "'Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" because we've been washed of our sins (Hebrews 10:22).

• To us when we feel humbled and lacking in esteem and wisdom. James says, "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

Another thing that I notice about Moses' encounter with God in our reading is that God took His time in showing up: " … and on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud" - Exodus 24:16.

In drawing near we must always keep in mind, He is God. If we want to be with Him, we'll be adjusting to His timetable, not He to ours.

PRAYER: Dear God, what an invitation to "be" with you. Help me to know and practice this state in my 21st century life. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

My projects or His purposes?

"St. John the Baptist Sees Jesus From Afar" 
- by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 1:29-42

TO CHEW ON: "'I did not know Him but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.'" John the Baptist in John 1:31

John's career choice as a baptizer was not some random job that came out of a brainstorming session with his high school counselor. It was a God-inspired career the main purpose of which was to introduce Messiah. It was the curtain rising, the drum roll on Jesus, the Lamb of God.

John tells us plainly how it worked:

"I did not know Him but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water....I did not know Him but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit' and I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God!" John 1:31, 33-34.

John, the writer of this gospel, doesn't describe that baptism but Matthew does. In fact, it seems John the Baptist had no clue who the person would be. For when Jesus asked John to baptize Him John "...tried to prevent Him saying, 'I need to be baptized by You and are You coming to me?'"

However, Jesus insisted and immediately after, "... the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him" Matthew 3:14-17

How exciting it must have been for John to see what God had told him secretly happening before his eyes and everyone watching. How fulfilling to know that he was God's instrument and his life was furthering God's eternal purposes.

Isn't that what we as Christians all want — to know that our actions, words, and lives have accomplished something significant and lasting because they were God-centered and aligned with what God was doing?

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby says:

"To live a God-centered life you must focus your life on God's purposes, not your own plans. You must seek to view situations from God's perspective rather than your own distorted human outlook.

[...] God never asks people to dream up something to do for Him. We do not sit down and dream what we want to do for God and then call God in to help us accomplish it. The pattern in Scripture is that we submit ourselves to God. Then we wait until God shows us what He is about to do, or we watch to see what God is already doing around us and join Him" - Experiencing God Workbook, p. 33-34)

How do I rate here? How do you? Are we dreaming up projects and asking God to bless them? Or are we waiting for God's explicit instructions or joining Him in His work already in progress?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to be God-centered with my life focused on fitting in with Your purposes and exalting Jesus.

MORE: The Feast of St. Andrew

In today's reading we read that a man named Andrew was in the crowd. He was so impressed with what he saw, and with Jesus, that he ran to find his brother Peter, greeting him with the words: "We have found the Messiah." Then he brought Peter to Jesus and so began some eternal relationships.

The liturgy for the Feast of St. Andrew begins with this collect:

"Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by your Holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

Wait!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 40:18-31

TO CHEW ON: "But those who wait on 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

If there's anything we moderns find hard to do, it's wait. Computers have made waiting — for some things at least — almost obsolete. Want to read a book? Buy it online and if you have an e-reader you can be reading it in minutes. Call or text your friends any time and from anywhere on your cell phone. Access your bank online 24/7.

The way we're accustomed to expect instant action on getting our desires satisfied may make Isaiah's advice to wait on the Lord harder than ever to follow. But it is something we need to do, no matter how jumpy and impatient technology has made us. For God has His own agenda, and is on His own timetable — something we ignore at our peril.

Isaiah has been talking about that agenda for Israel in Isaiah 40. He has predicted the coming of Messiah, and reminded the people of how big and all-powerful God is when compared with earth's nations. Here at the chapter's end, he calls the people back to trust in Him, concluding with verse 31 about how waiting on God renews strength and gives energy for the long haul.

Waiting in that way is something we need to do as we face life's evils, injustices and unresolved issues. The Bible tells us to wait on, or for, or in God because:

• He is our salvation (Psalm 25:5).

• He is our source of mercy (Psalm 123:2).

• He is our defense (Psalm 59:9).

• He is our revenge (Proverbs 20:22).

• Waiting for Him and His timing is the way we achieve our destiny (Psalm 37:9, 34).

• We are to wait for him alone (Psalm 62:5) and continually (Hosea 12:6).

A footnote in my Bible referring to Isaiah 40:27-31 says:

"A proper understanding of God's dealings in life comes only by knowing His perspective and ways. This calls for great patience (v. 31). Wait on the Lord means to go about the routines of life with a fervent, patient hope that He will consummate His rule in His time; He will deal with evil. Such an inner attitude gives one strength to mount up above the moment with vigor to go on. See Romans 8:18-30." - New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 919.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to resist the urge to act impatiently and take matters into my own hands. Instead help me to wait on, for, and in You to bring resolution to issues I face. Amen.

MORE: The tragedy of impatience

King Saul is someone who refused to wait. Read the tragic results of his impatience in 1 Samuel 13:1-14.


(From the archives)

Wait!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 40:18-31

TO CHEW ON: "But those who wait on 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

If there's anything we moderns find hard to do, it's wait. Computers have made waiting — for some things at least — almost obsolete. Want to read a book? Buy it online and if you have an e-reader you can be reading it in minutes. Call or text your friends any time and from anywhere on your cell phone. Access your bank online 24/7.

The way we're accustomed to expect instant action on getting our desires satisfied may make Isaiah's advice to wait on the Lord harder to follow than ever. But it is something we need to do, no matter how jumpy and impatient technology has conditioned us to become. For God has His own agenda, and is on His own timetable — something we ignore at our peril (see More below).

Isaiah has been talking about that agenda for Israel in Isaiah 40. He has predicted the coming of Messiah, and reminded the people of how big and all-powerful God is when compared with earth's nations. Here at the chapter's end, he calls the people back to trust in Him, concluding with verse 31 about how waiting on God renews strength and gives energy for the long haul.

Waiting in that way is something we still need to do as we face life's evils, injustices and unresolved issues. The Bible tells us to wait on, or for, or in God because:

• He is our salvation (Psalm 25:5).

• He is our source of mercy (Psalm 123:2).

• He is our defense (Psalm 59:9).

• He is our revenge (Proverbs 20:22).

• Waiting for Him and His timing is the way we achieve our destiny (Psalm 37:9, 34).

• We are to wait for him alone (Psalm 62:5) and continually (Hosea 12:6).

A footnote in my Bible referring to Isaiah 40:27-31 says:

"A proper understanding of God's dealings in life comes only by knowing His perspective and ways. This calls for great patience (v. 31). Wait on the Lord means to go about the routines of life with a fervent, patient hope that He will consummate His rule in His time; He will deal with evil. Such an inner attitude gives one strength to mount up above the moment with vigor to go on. See Romans 8:18-30." - New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 919.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to resist the urge to act impatiently and take matters into my own hands. Instead help me to wait on, for, and in You to bring resolution to issues I face. Amen.

MORE: The tragedy of impatience

King Saul is someone who refused to wait. Read the tragic results of his impatience in 1 Samuel 13:1-14.