Waiting In Faithfulness

June 4 (Habakkuk 2:3-4)

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

     it speaks of the end

     and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

     it will certainly come

     and will not delay.

See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—    

 but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.  (ESV)

“Are we there yet?”  It is a question every child asks when going on a trip, and it is a question we all ask of God.  We want something.  We pray about it and are convinced that God wants it, too, or at least is not opposed to it.  And then we wait.  Only the problem is that we do not wait.  If we have prayed at breakfast, by our midmorning coffee break we are upset that God has not come through for us.

A child who repeatedly asks how much longer the trip will be is focused solely on the destination.  He does not consider what else his parents have in store along the way and is incapable of understanding all that they know about making such a journey.  As adults, we think we know it all and can somehow discern the ways of God, but the problem remains the same.  We focus on the gift and not the Giver.

There is no word of God that will not come to pass.  Keep waiting in faith, which is easier to do if you keep your eyes on Him and not how you imagine His word will be fulfilled.  And truly, if your eyes are filled with Him, you will be filled with more joy than anything your own mind could conjure.

Lord, You know the desires of my heart.  I pray first that they are in line with Your desires.  If they are not, help me to abandon them.  As I wait for the fulfillment of Your good and perfect will, fill the eyes of my heart with Jesus.  May He be all I see.  Amen.

Copyright © 2017 by Steven R. Perkins

November 9 (Psalm 62:1)

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.  (ESV)

Is this true?  Don’t jump to the end of the verse and start talking about how you believe in Jesus as your Savior.  I’m talking about the first part.  Do you wait for God?  Is He your sole focus so that you are not expecting anything else, like your own strength or some earthly program, to save you?  Do you wait on Him in silence?

I am struck over and over again by how much of a frenzy my life is.  I am much more like one of the Greek warriors in the Trojan War, about whom Homer said, “Now here, now there, he darts from place to place.”  I want to work out my own salvation.  I do not mean my eternal salvation, but I want to make things work out for me in the here and now.  I try to make it happen, and when I do pray, it is not a period of waiting in silence.  I hurl my to-do list at God and say amen.

David was a man after God’s own heart.  God Himself said so.  He must have known something about living a godly life, and unless I miss my guess, this was anchored in a quiet waiting upon God.

Lord, I know I must seem silly running around trying to accomplish things on my own.  This day I commit to slowing down.  I am also not going to ask You for anything, at least not with the anxiety of my mind.  You know the true needs of my heart.  I am simply going to wait on You in silence.  Amen.

Copyright © 2014 by Steven R. Perkins