Waiting on the Lord is my theme for the upcoming new year. I don't want to move from the left to the right without that blessed assurance that the directions have come from the Lord. But man have I been tempted to try and take back control during these last few days of 2010. In fact just this morning when I woke up I sat and contemplated on some different options. Just a few ways to help me get to my desired destination a little faster. I stopped for a second walked over to my dresser and saw that my devotional calendar hadn't been changed in a few days. I changed the date and this is what it said...
'Lord, I put my future in Your hands and ask that You would give me total peace about it. I don't want to be trying to secure my future with my own plans. I want to be the center of Your plans, knowing that You have given me everything I need for what is ahead'.
Time to wave the white flag. Yes Lord I hear you loud and clear. I will wait on You. I bet you didn't realize that we spend the majority of our lives waiting. When we were a child we couldn't wait to grow up. It seemed like it took forever. We fell in love and couldn't wait for him to ask us to marry him. On Monday we are waiting for Friday. At eight o'clock in the morning, at the beginning of the workday, we are waiting for five o'clock. We go to bed at night in anticipation of the morning. We wait in traffic. We wait in line at the bank. And let us not forget the line at Wal-Mart. At some time during any given day we are waiting for something. So why have we not mastered this thing called waiting? Part of the reason is because we don't know what to do while we wait. We spend most of our time focusing on whatever the problem is. If we are stuck in a dead end job, we spend all our time waiting for some relief. If we don't have a job, we spend all our time waiting for a call on that one application. If we have been to have some tests done at the doctor's office, we spend all our time waiting for the doctor to call. None of this behavior coincides with what the Word tells us about what to do while waiting on the Lord.
Isaiah 40:31 says, 'but they who wait for 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'. Waiting does not imply inactivity. According to this verse some activity should take place. This is not an activity that includes taking back control. Instead it means to relinquish control completely. So what is it you must do? I don't know about you but my attitude is not the best when I have been waiting a long time without results. It becomes a bit sour and far from hopeful. The first thing you must do is to 'renew'. Change. Alter your way of thinking. The joy of the Lord is the believer's strength. That joy comes from the confident hope we have in God. Where do we find this hope? We find it in the Word of God. Verse after verse gives testimony of how the Lord has delivered those before us. I would almost bet if I sat down and did an interview with you about your life, you could give your own testimony. Once you change your way of thinking, you must 'mount up'. Change your position. Focus your attention upward on the Most High God. You are not a turkey. You were divinely designed to soar. This changing of position may mean to change your surroundings. Change the people you hang around with. A concept I believe most Christians don't get is that when God had destined you for greatness, you can't take everybody with you. The waiting implied in this verse also means 'to bind together'. It is like taking a thin strand of thread (you) and hooking it up to a steel cable (God). How else do you think we are able to run and not grow weary. You won't even feel fatigued. You exchange your weakness for His strength. Your foolishness for His wisdom. Your misery for His joy. You must search the Word. You must seek His face. You must surrender to His will. The result - youth soaring, middle age running and old age walking.
Most Gracious Heavenly Father,
I lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help, my help comes from You O Lord. Today I surrender to You. I relinquish all control and submit to Your will. I know that alone I am a thread that can easily be snapped but with You I am strong. I want to live a life that is pleasing in Your sight. I know that only comes through obedience to Your Word. My future is in Your hands. In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.
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