Wait carries too much weight for many people. Who wants to wait in traffic when the urgent need is to get to the store for some new clothes? Who wants to wait endless seconds for the microwave to heat up dinner? Life is too short; why wait?
Much of the weight we carry in life is due to the fact that we don't wait. Consider:
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)
I would not for a minute disagree with the Psalmist concerning the priority of waiting; the problem comes when I DO try to wait. Why is it that every imaginable distractive thought floods my mind in those moments of waiting? Or, why does a stack of papers suddenly need to be rearranged, or a pencil sharpened? Waiting on the LORD easily becomes an opportunity for meaningless distraction.
The Psalmist said, "When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.'" (Psalm 27:8). the Psalmist turned his full attention to the face of the LORD when the LORD called upon him to wait and to seek. Through spiritual and mental determination and discipline, he chose to let nothing hide the face of the LORD as he waited upon Him.
I have trouble picturing the face of the LORD. After all, it was the LORD God who said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" (Exodus 33:20). In my mind, I see a bright light when I seek to see the face of the LORD; facial features are indistinguishable. But, this image of the LORD's face is sufficient to focus my thoughts upon Him as I wait.
Few things - especially in our age - are harder than waiting. And yet, it is only through waiting upon the LORD that we find strength and courage (Psalm 27:14). An uncertain economy, health concerns, family and/or marriage problems, and our own mortality will certainly drive us to despair and fear if they are our focus. Through patient waiting in the presence of God, and seeking His face, we find the courage and strength to overcome and cope.
Difficult as it is to kick our busy minds into neutral, take time today to bask in the refreshing quietness of a time of waiting before the LORD. The weight of your world can wait while you wait upon the LORD.
Steve
© 2011, Steve Taylor
Much of the weight we carry in life is due to the fact that we don't wait. Consider:
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)
I would not for a minute disagree with the Psalmist concerning the priority of waiting; the problem comes when I DO try to wait. Why is it that every imaginable distractive thought floods my mind in those moments of waiting? Or, why does a stack of papers suddenly need to be rearranged, or a pencil sharpened? Waiting on the LORD easily becomes an opportunity for meaningless distraction.
The Psalmist said, "When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.'" (Psalm 27:8). the Psalmist turned his full attention to the face of the LORD when the LORD called upon him to wait and to seek. Through spiritual and mental determination and discipline, he chose to let nothing hide the face of the LORD as he waited upon Him.
I have trouble picturing the face of the LORD. After all, it was the LORD God who said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" (Exodus 33:20). In my mind, I see a bright light when I seek to see the face of the LORD; facial features are indistinguishable. But, this image of the LORD's face is sufficient to focus my thoughts upon Him as I wait.
Few things - especially in our age - are harder than waiting. And yet, it is only through waiting upon the LORD that we find strength and courage (Psalm 27:14). An uncertain economy, health concerns, family and/or marriage problems, and our own mortality will certainly drive us to despair and fear if they are our focus. Through patient waiting in the presence of God, and seeking His face, we find the courage and strength to overcome and cope.
Difficult as it is to kick our busy minds into neutral, take time today to bask in the refreshing quietness of a time of waiting before the LORD. The weight of your world can wait while you wait upon the LORD.
Steve
© 2011, Steve Taylor
posted by steve @ 8:10 AM
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