Tag: wait on the Lord

THE KEY TO A STRONG HEART

Covid-19 waited until the New Year to drop in on me—it wasn’t a nice visit. It’s actually been a while since I felt so weak and helpless. Around the same time a friend (who I hadn’t seen in a while) unexpectedly passed away at the age of 65 years old (flashback of the age that my Dad was when he died 19 years ago). These are reminders of how fragile life truly is and how frail and vulnerable we are (See Psalm 89:47-48, 103:14-16, 144:3-4, 146:4). As the Scottish poet, Robert Burns penned, “The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.”  We can’t account for unexpected tragedies or stubborn illnesses as time and chance happen to us all (Eccl. 9:11). (See also Ps. 33:10, Prov. 16:9, 19:21). One may say, “So what’s the use? Why bother?” That defeatist attitude comes from the destroyer, not from God (1 Pet. 5:8, John 8:44).  Death is not the end for believers in Christ Jesus as the better life is to come (2 Tim. 1:10). In the meantime, wouldn’t you like to strengthen your heart?  Your heart will only weaken if you tune in to the present world for their ‘solutions’ (Ps. 60:11, 94:11, 108:12, 118:8, 146:3-4). 

The 27th psalm opens with, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  This psalm ends with, “Wait on the Lord: Be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord.” 

The key to strengthening your heart is in an area we mortals have trouble with—waiting. 

We want the remedy to fix illness now. We want the job promotion and pay raise when we deserve it. We don’t want to wait for the prodigal to reach rock bottom before coming home, and the list goes on. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than man’s ideas and ways (Isa. 55:9). God chooses to work in ways contrary to the world’s ways. His preference is to seek the frail, broken and weak to display His glory. David was the youngest and the smallest of his brothers (1 Sam. 16:7, 10-12). Gideon’s family was poor and He was the ’least’ in his father’s house (Judges 6:15). “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27). “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” So although we can be hard-pressed on every side, we won’t be crushed. We may become perplexed, but not in despair. We may feel persecuted, but not forsaken. We may be struck down, but not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:7-9). Our mindset should be like that of the apostle Paul’s who understood the sufficiency of God’s grace. He experienced God’s strength being made perfect in his weakness, so he took pleasure in infirmities, reproaches, persecutions, and distresses for Christ’s sake. For when he was weak, he was strong (2 Cor. 12:9-10).  We should welcome tribulations because they provide the opportunity to build perseverance (which requires waiting on the Lord). Perseverance develops character (that gives us good courage) and character, hope.  And it’s hope that doesn’t disappoint, but causes our heart to strengthen and be filled with God’s love (Rom. 5:3-5). 

                As we allow our minds to be renewed in the knowledge of God and think in a new spiritual mode, we’ll be synced up with God’s will and deprogrammed from the basic principles of the world (Rom. 12:2, Colossians 2:8, 3:10). 

This brings me to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18—(verses that I never grow tired of), “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

                So don’t lose heart by what you see (or experience) in this fallen world, wait on the Lord and be of good courage.  He WILL strengthen your heart!  We’ll feel blessed when our only expectation comes from the Lord. A heart that’s set on pilgrimage (the highways leading to Him) is a heart that will always be strengthened (Ps. 62:5, 84:5).

Laura

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Waiting…

“The waiting is the hardest part” —Tom Petty—

                The waiting is the hardest part. Just ask our French bulldog pup, Walter—whether it’s for food, treats, to go outside, or to play… it’s not an easy thing. Waiting isn’t just hard for dogs; we humans also struggle with delayed gratification.  It may be waiting for the light to turn green at an intersection, waiting for our turn in line at a store, or for us Wisconsinites, waiting for springtime to come after a cold, snowy winter.

                We live in a world where access to just about anything we need or desire is at our fingertips and can be brought to our doorsteps via on-line shopping. Even the simplest of tasks in our homes can be performed via a virtual assistant, but God is not “virtual”—He is spiritual and He is real (John 4:24). 

Funny thing about God, even in our high-tech world today, we still have to wait on His timing and ways. God doesn’t operate with our ’prayers on demand’. We can’t just say, “God”, like “Siri” or “Alexa” and get a response (Isa. 55:8-9, 29:16). God does desire for us to continually bring our requests to Him in prayer regarding all things in our lives. We can have confidence that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us and will answer us in His perfect time (Phil. 4:6, 1 John 5:14-15).

That brings us to the kind of waiting that pleases God—patient waiting.  Patient waiting doesn’t tap toes, pace or fidget. Patient waiting doesn’t whine, worry or carry on in an angry rant. Patient waiting requires a demeanor of stillness. “Rest (be silent-wait or stand still) in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Ps. 37:7).  Here’s how the rest of verse 7 and into verse 8 goes, “Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.”  Our prayer should be as the Psalmist, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Ps. 25:4-5).  The Lord Himself exemplifies all longsuffering (patient waiting), not wanting any to perish, but all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth (2 Pet. 3:9, 1 Tim. 2:4).  It’s in knowing and trusting in God’s Word that will encourage us to patiently wait as these verses suggest: Ps. 39:7, 62:5, 130:5-6; Rom. 8:25; Phil. 3:20.

                There’s a lot to be learned in the wait —

•Sometimes we find out that what we desire is not within God’s will for our lives. Many times as He closes one door, another one (that we may have been unaware of) is opened.

•Sometimes we learn that we have to accept the things God’s allowed us to have control of and let go of what we don’t (that includes other people & the choices they make).

•For whatever reasons, God only knows, some things we even patiently wait for never come in this lifetime. But God is faithful to those who patiently endure (Heb. 6:15, Lam. 3:25, James 5:10-11).

Waiting on the Lord (rather than ceasing to strive in our own flesh) enables our strength to be renewed and our hearts to be strengthened (Isa. 40:31, Ps. 27:14).

                So—“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Ps. 27:14).

Laura

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