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Scripture
But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God. – Psalm 40:17 KJV
Devotion
Taking a trip down memory lane, I remember the fun–albeit challenging—trips to the grocery store with my dad. He would go in with a shopping list and a goal to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible. It seemed almost like he was in a competition with himself. As a young girl, it was fun racing up and down the aisles, but that would swiftly dissipate when we would get to the checkout area. The cashiers were always busy and had lines with many customers. My dad would quickly observe how many customers were in each line, the quantity of merchandise in each of their carts and which of the cashiers was the fastest. He would then pick a line and then swerve from one cashier lane to the next, trying to finish and leave the store as quickly as possible. There were times when this approach was successful, but nine times out of ten , that was not the case and frustration mounted.
Many times, our approach to waiting on the Lord is just like my dad’s shopping style. We have a list of prayer needs to present to the Lord. We race through them with urgency and hope, but then we are not thrilled with the waiting process. This leads to frustration, doubt, and lots of questions like ‘why is this still happening, why are things not changing?’ The one question that is most likely repeated: ‘why do I have to keep waiting?’
There are many reasons for these questions and only God knows why we must keep waiting, but our assurance needs to be that the Lord has a plan for us. His plans are for us to prosper, plans that give hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
It is in the waiting process that our character is refined, our reliance on the Lord becomes stronger, and our thoughts become more aligned with the Lord’s. This will happen when we surrender to the Lord’s will, otherwise we will swerve from lane to lane in attempts to get the job done without the Lord’s help and blessing. We have free will and we can swerve all we want, but then we must deal with the consequences. Just look at Sarah. Initially, she did not believe the promise the Lord spoke over her life. Waiting was an issue for Sarah and she took matters into her own hands and offered her maid to Abraham (Genesis 16:2). What followed that decision? Bitterness, jealousy, and family separation.
Saul also had trouble with waiting! Samuel tells Saul, “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do” (1 Samuel 10: 8). Yet, Saul and his son Jonathan started a conflict with the Philistines. Unprepared to deal with the strength of the Philistines, Saul and his men hid in caves and his army scattered due to fear. To fix the mess he got himself into, Saul decided to go ahead and offer the burnt and fellowship offering without Samuel, despite Samuel’s command to wait. Samuel arrives just as Saul finishes the offering! He was so close but because Saul could not wait, his reign as king was short-lived (1 Samuel 13:13-14). His disobedience led to position and inheritance displacement.
God is never late! He always arrives on time. In our verse of the day, David reminds us that we must share our feelings with the Lord; He does hear us and see us, but He still wants us to be obedient. We must remember that He arrives suddenly and in perfect timing. We cannot become so anxious that we are unable finish the task of waiting for the Lord. Let us pray that God will help us be obedient in the waiting. Without His help, we may make the mistake of fixing what does not need fixing and all of the so-called fixing will lead to consequences and lost opportunities. If the Lord has spoken a Word over your life, wait! Do not create your own path unless He tells you move. Do not move based on your emotions or personal perspective. Wait on the Lord and see how He moves in your favor.
My dad continues to go to stores with a slight change. He now takes advantage of the waiting opportunities by sharing the message of the Gospel. As a pastor that loves to chat, it all starts with a “hello my friend” and then he graciously brings up the goodness of the Lord.
Keep waiting and trusting in the Lord.
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