Today's
scripture: Psalm 27:14
Waiting ... one of my least favorite things to do. I don't really like waiting
in traffic (which, praise God, I don't have to do much of these days 😊), waiting in line at the grocery store, or waiting for a doctor's
appointment. I'd much rather do than
wait.
However, quite often, God asks us to wait. Wait for answered prayer. Wait for
direction. Wait for a revelation of His will.
That's not easy for many of us ...
The thing I love most about today's verse is that through the waiting comes
growth. We become stronger in the wait. We learn to trust Him more. We learn to
stay calm in the storm. We learn to see how His plans are always better than
our own.
I've been praying for years for something near and dear to my heart. I believe
God continues to ask me to wait. As I've waited through the years, I've come to
rely more and more on God, trusting Him to work everything out according to His
plan and His purpose. And I know, because He's asked me to wait in the past, He
will answer my prayer one day.
I can wait, with confidence and courage, growing stronger in faith every day.
Today’s
scripture: Psalm 39:7
Lila was waiting for her friend, Carrie . . . again.
It seemed that, no matter what time she told Carrie to arrive, Carrie was
always fifteen or twenty minutes late.
And it was beginning to make Lila angry.
Another few minutes crept by, and Lila became even angrier.
How dare Carrie make her wait so long?
Have you ever waited for someone? It’s pretty frustrating, isn’t it? But
waiting isn’t always a bad thing.
The Bible tells us that if we wait upon the Lord, He will renew our strength so
that we can fly like eagles. We can walk and run, and still not be weary
(Isaiah 40:31).
God’s timing isn’t always ours, but we can be assured that if we wait on His
plan, He will work His perfect will in our lives. We can live in hope that “all
things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Waiting, when it’s waiting on God and His plan, isn’t a bad thing.
In fact, sometimes, waiting on Him can strengthen our faith and deepen our
trust.
Have you been waiting on God for something, and it seems to be taking a long
time? Go to Him and ask Him to give you the patience to wait upon Him.
Today's scripture: Ephesians 4:1-3
We are unworthy of any grace or mercy, yet God sees us as worthy. We are sinful
by nature, yet when we accept the gift of salvation, our sins are washed away.
So how do we—in even the smallest way—honor God and show Him gratitude for that
gift?
By learning to “walk in a manner worthy of [God’s] calling.”
And how do we do that?
Paul lays it out well: We need to be humble, gentle, patient, and tolerant in
love, and we need to preserve unity in peace.
Pretty tall order, isn’t it?
I’m pretty sure I can be gentle … and I’m pretty tolerant in love, accepting
people as they are. And sometimes that does mean “love the sinner, hate the
sin.” I seek peace in all interactions.
But patience? I’ve been working on that one for ages—or should I say the Spirit
has been working in me. I still tend to want what I want when I want it. I am
getting better at this, though, the older I get. I recognize how God has worked
in the past, and His timing is usually not my timing.
And humility? This is another area in which I need help. I’m learning to put
others ahead of myself (Philippians 2:3-4).
It’s not easy, but it’s part of the journey. And—praise God!—my walk is an
ongoing, continuous action, and I’ll continue growing and learning until I meet
my Lord face-to-face.
So how’s your walk? Are you struggling with any of these? Pray that the Spirit
will work in you and through you, so you will be worthy of God’s calling.
Today’s
scripture: Galatians 2:1-3
We’ve talked about this before: God always answers prayers, but He answers
differently, according to His will. The hardest answer to receive from God is
“wait.”
Sometimes God just wants us to patiently await His work. Paul waited 14 years
to continue his God-given journey. He was an itinerant missionary and knew God
had designed a particular path for him to take. And he was patient, knowing God
would reveal His will in His timing.
Have you prayed for something for a long time, yet you feel God hasn’t
answered? Chances are, He’s asking you to wait and trust Him.
I’ve been praying well over 20 years for my husband’s salvation. I believe God is softening
his heart, but so far, the answer has been, “Wait, my daughter.” It’s hard
sometimes, but I know without doubt that God is faithful. I know with quiet
certainty that He loves Russ so much more than I ever could. I know I can
patiently and trustingly wait for the moment when the answer is finally, “Yes!”
We are invited to come to God and pray to Him, knowing He will listen. (See
Jeremiah 29:12-13.) But we have to be ready to receive whatever His answer is.
Even if He asks us to wait—for 14 years … or 20 years … or even longer.
Today's scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4
Normally, I cover several verses in one devotional. But 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 need a
more in-depth review, so for the next 14 days, we’re going to take a closer
look at Paul’s descriptions of love. I know these words are read at engagement
parties and weddings, and I don’t know about you, as I read these words, I’m
somewhat—make that I’m a lot—overwhelmed. How in the world can anyone be all
that Paul described?
The only person I know who manifested every one of them was Jesus—is Jesus. So
let’s look at how Jesus was love. And let’s think about how we can love just a
little more like He does.
Love is patient.
Oh dear. Do we have to start here? Patience isn’t necessarily the fruit of the
Spirit I manifest most often. But Jesus is indeed patient, and we can be as
well when we remember that this life is temporary. What happens here is
temporary. What we have is temporary. Eternity with Jesus should be our focus.
Think about it. Why are we impatient? Because we want something right now. We
want that job. That relationship. That car. That house. Now.
And when we don’t get it in our timing, according to our plan, we get a
bit upset—to put it lightly.
We can’t love—certainly not as Christ did—when we’re feeling impatient.
I think patience has a lot to do with trust. If I trust God, I can patiently
wait on His timing, knowing He’ll work everything according to His plan (Romans 8:28). If I trust someone, patience comes relatively easy because I know she has my best interests at heart. I trust my husband, so I can be patient even if he isn't moving as quickly as I like.
Be patiently loving today, just as Christ is. Those you love may be pleasantly
surprised!
Today's
scripture: Psalm 62:1-2
You've probably heard the saying that God answers prayers in three ways: yes,
no, or wait. I'd rather have either yes
or no than wait. Waiting is hard. It requires patience (with which I struggle)
and trust (which I'm learning more and more each day).
The
psalmist encourages us when God asks us to wait. We can "silently wait"
because God is our salvation. Even more, we who have been blessed to live under
the New Covenant can "silently wait" because we know God the Son,
Jesus, Who is our Redeemer.
We can also "silently wait" because God is our rock. He is the solid
ground upon which everything else stands. Remember the old hymn: "On
Christ the solid rock I stand/All other ground is sinking sand"? We can
trust the One who laid the foundation of this world, on Whom we stand firm. He
has plans for each and every one of us, and He will bring those plans to
fruition in His time.
Finally, we can "silently wait" because we know that He will defend
us against the wiles and lies of the enemy of our souls. No matter what the
enemy whispers in our ears, we can trust that God is in loving control, and one
day, He will ultimately conquer the enemy.
For what are you waiting right now? For what do you pray over and over again?
"Silently wait" for the Lord to answer according to His plan and in
His timing.
Today's
scripture: Psalm 27:14
Waiting ... one of my least favorite things to do. I don't really like waiting
in traffic, waiting in line at the grocery store, or waiting for a doctor's
appointment. I'd much rather do than
wait.
However, quite often, God asks us to wait. Wait for answered prayer. Wait for
direction. Wait for a revelation of His will.
That's not easy for many of us ...
The thing I love most about today's verse is through the waiting comes growth.
We become stronger in the wait. We learn to trust Him more. We learn to stay
calm in the storm. We learn to see how His plans are always better than our
own.
I've been praying for years for something near and dear to my heart. I believe
God continues to ask me to wait. As I've waited through the years, I've come to
rely more and more on God, trusting Him to work everything out according to His
plan and His purpose. I know, because He's asked me to wait in the past, He
will answer my prayer one day.
I can wait, with confidence and courage, growing stronger in faith every day.
Today's scripture: Ephesians 4:1-3
We are unworthy of any grace or mercy, yet God sees us as worthy. We are sinful
by nature, yet when we accept the gift of salvation, our sins are washed away.
So how do we—in even the smallest way—honor God and show Him gratitude for that
gift?
By learning to “walk in a manner worthy of [God’s] calling.”
How do we do that?
Paul lays it out well: We need to be humble, gentle, patient, and tolerant in
love, and we need to preserve unity in peace.
Pretty tall order, isn’t it?
I’m pretty sure I can be gentle … and I’m pretty tolerant in love, accepting
people as they are. Certainly, sometimes that does mean “love the sinner, hate the
sin.” I seek peace in all interactions.
But patience? I’ve been working on that one for ages—or should I say the Spirit
has been working in me. I still tend to want what I want when I want it. I am
getting better at this, though, the older I get. I recognize how God has worked
in the past, and His timing is usually not my timing.
And humility? This is another area in which I need help. I’m learning to put
others ahead of myself (Philippians 2:3-4).
It’s not easy, but it’s part of the journey. Praise God!—my walk is an
ongoing, continuous action, and I’ll continue growing and learning until I meet
my Lord face-to-face.
So how’s your walk? Are you struggling with any of these? Pray that the Spirit
will work in you and through you, so you will be worthy of God’s calling.
Love
is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not
arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into
account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices
with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NASB)
Love is not provoked.
Good old Webster defines provoke as “to incite to anger” or “to stir up
purposely.”
If you’ve been in a relationship for any length of time—and by relationship, I
mean family or friendship or romance—you probably know that other person very
well. You know what brings him joy, and you know what drives him nuts.
And you know how to push his buttons.
My husband and I have been married for over 24 years (together for almost 27),
and we know each other deeply. And yes, we know how to drive each other
crazy—if we choose to do so. And sad to say, we sometimes make that choice.
Fortunately, the longer we’re together, the less we provoke each other. And
when we do, we ask for forgiveness much more quickly.
But I have to ask myself, why do we provoke those we love? If we we're prideful, we’re only hurting ourselves. But if we provoke another, we’re
hurting them.
I don’t know for sure, but I have a theory. I think it may have to do with our
own feelings of low self-esteem. If we’re not terribly confident in ourselves,
we may provoke others to gain a false feeling of superiority.
Which brings us back to Paul’s words to the Philippians … If we love others,
we’re going to do “ … nothing … through selfish ambition or conceit, but
in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (2:3).
I hadn’t thought about it before, but today’s attribute really builds on those
that precede it: If we’re patient, if we’re kind, if we’re not boastful or
arrogant, then we won’t need to put others down or provoke them to anger.
We won’t need to push their buttons because we’ll be to busy esteeming them. We'll be too busy loving them.
Love
is patient, love is kind and is not
jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong
suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NASB)
Love is not jealous.
I have to be honest here … I sometimes struggle with this one. I see someone doing something I think I
should be doing, and I’m envious. I read Facebook status updates about children
or travels or amazing opportunities, and that nasty green-eyed monster raises
its ugly head.
I don’t want to feel this way. I want to truly rejoice in the talents and
achievements of others. I want to be genuinely happy when others have things I
never will.
I really do.
Why do we feel jealous or envious? I think it has to do with contentment—or
lack thereof. When I’m discontent with my own life, I’m much more likely to be
envious of what others have. Conversely, when I’m content and satisfied with
what I have and what I can do, I don’t even think about what others do.
It also has to do with trusting God. If I believe He’s blessed each of us
according to His plan, I don’t have to be jealous because I know what I have,
what I can do, what I’ve achieved is what He desires for me.
And as I write these words, I recognize yet again how very blessed I am. I have
a wonderful husband, a great family, supportive friends, several vocations I
enjoy. I live in a lovely home. I’m adored by my four-legged “kids.” I have
terrific “children of my heart,” and I get to indulge my passion for theater.
I have no right—none whatsoever—to be jealous or envious. None. Because when I
am, I’m telling God He hasn’t given me enough—when He’s given me abundantly
more than I deserve.
