Psalm 27:14 - Waiting On The Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NIV) Wait for the LORD; be
strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14 (NLT) Wait patiently for the
LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently
for the LORD.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Gods Presence in the Waiting
Years ago, my husband was stuck in a
terrible job. The commute was long, the hours were
high, the pay was low, and he was treated poorly
by both customers and coworkers. It was
difficult to watch him come home late each night,
defeated and unable to find another job that would
meet the needs of our growing family. Further, we
felt torn between the desire for more involvement
in ministry and our depleted energy; time, and
resources.
We found tremendous encouragement in the
story of Joseph (Gen 37-50). Sold into slavery in
a foreign country by his own brothers, and
then falsely accused of improper behavior toward
his boss's wife, Joseph is a picture of a man in
one terrible plight after another. As he sat in
prison, forgotten by the cupbearer who was supposed
to help him, Joseph must have felt defeated and
stuck. What of the dreams God had given him
promising a prominent position? And what of the
promises made to Abraham's descendants that God would
make them into a great nation, bless them, and
make them a blessing to the nations (Gen
12:1-3)?
Of course, we have the privilege of
knowing Joseph's entire story - how he came to be
the second-in-command in Egypt and saved the
lives of so many from the famine. We know that he
and his brothers were fully reconciled. God not
only fulfilled Joseph's childhood prophetic
dreams, but also the Abrahamic covenant: Joseph
blessed the nations by saving them from starvation;
his father, Jacob, blessed Pharaoh (Gen 47:7,
10); and the family of 70 that went down to Egypt
grew into a great nation (Gen 46:3, 27). Joseph's
famous quote to his brothers at the end of Genesis
is a Christian favorite: "You meant evil
against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20).
But what about Joseph's experience before
his happy ending? Where was God when Joseph sat
in a well, bruised and bloodied and hearing his
brothers' evil scheming? Where was God when Joseph was
falsely accused and imprisoned, or when he stayed
forgotten in prison for years? These years make up a
significant portion of Joseph's life, and we cannot rush
past them. God allowed a lot of suffering and
discomfort for the fulfillment of all his promises. Can
we trust him when it seems he has left us in
terrible situations with no end in sight?
A major feature of the story is God's
quiet presence with Joseph. It causes Joseph to be
successful in what he does, and it stirs the heart of
the cupbearer to remember Joseph to Pharaoh. It
is God alone who gives Joseph the
interpretation of Pharaoh's dream, and God who gives Joseph
the wisdom for administration. Joseph is so
confident in God's faithful presence that he does not
assign blame to his brothers or feel bitter with
regret for all his wasted years.
Those years in that terrible job were
hard on our family for many reasons. But my
husband was able to share the gospel with men who
might not otherwise hear it, and he found he was
able to fulfill the Great Commission mandate
right where he was. Those years often felt like
prison - a terrible circumstance we could not
escape. But through Joseph's story, we became
confident that God's quiet presence was with us as we
waited.
Years later, we can see the good God
intended through the things he allowed to happen, and
we know he is trustworthy. by Aubry G. Smith in
Faithlife Bible Study magazine
COMMENTARY
I am a person of action, and when there
is a problem, I am ready to take action, but
sometimes I make the situation worse because I didn't
wait to get God's plan. Being aggressive has many
benefits, but it can also cause problems if we are
acting independently of God.
I am reminded today of the importance of
maintaining an attitude of waiting on God. I am not
suggesting inactivity but rather the highest form of
spiritual activity, that of trusting God in every area
of life. Wait on Him for supplies, for
strength, healing, wisdom, and opportunity. Wait on
God to reveal Himself to you and to show you His
amazing favor. God is waiting to be good to us, and
He looks for those who are waiting on Him
(Isaiah 30:18).
Waiting on God is mostly an attitude of
the heart. One that is fully aware that God is
everything and we are nothing without Him. We should
pray and refuse to take action without assurance
that God is leading. Go to Him as early as
possible each day, which is the moment you wake up.
He is always near, and you need no special
preparation to begin fellowshipping with Him. Always
remember that God loves you unconditionally and is
with you at all times.
Father God, I desire to form a habit of
waiting on YOU all throughout the day. Help me not
to rush ahead into activities and decisions
without acknowledging You. Thank You for Your
presence. [My Time with God by Joyce Meyer re Psa.
25:5]
The Lord is a God of action. Even when He
rested on the seventh day of creation, it wasn't
because He was tired and needed to recuperate.
Although He deliberately made a choice to stop His
creative activity, He never ceased working. While the
Lord is always controlling the universe, He is,
at the same time, intimately involved with
individual lives.
God has a plan for each one of us and
wants us to know what it is. Every time we take a
step of obedience, He sheds more light on our
path. But sometimes He asks us to pause awhile,
and we may not know why. We long for direction
in a particular matter, but our prayers just
aren't being answered, and we wonder, Why does He
delay?
When you aren't seeing any answers, it
doesn't mean that God is not working. He's still
actively involved in your life, but He works in ways
that are not always visible. He orchestrates
circumstances, changes people's hearts, and protects His
children from making hasty decisions that will have
disastrous consequences. Perhaps the Lord knows you're
not yet ready for the next leg of your spiritual
journey. Waiting times are opportunities for growth
in character, obedience, and faith. He may also
need time to train you for future
responsibilities and ministries.
When you intentionally choose to be
still, God unleashes His mighty power on your
behalf. He has planned good things for those who
wait, and I believe what He has in store for your
life will surpass all expectations. When He knows
you're ready to receive His blessings, they'll flow
into your lap. [In Touch Daily Devotional by
Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org re Isa. 64:1-4]
ILLUSTRATIONS
Once there was an old man who lived in a
tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by
all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even
the king coveted his treasure. A horse like
this had never been seen before - such was its
splendor, its majesty, its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the
steed, but the old man always refused. "This horse
is not a horse to me," he would tell them. "It
is a person. How could you sell a person? He
is a friend, not a possession. How could you
sell a friend?" The man was poor and the
temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was
not in the stable. All the village came to see
him. "You old fool," they scoffed, "we told you
that someone would steal your horse. We warned
you that you would be robbed. You are so poor.
How could you ever hope to protect such a
valuable animal? It would have been better to have
sold him. You could have gotten whatever price
you wanted. No amount would have been to high.
Now the horse is gone, and you've been cursed
with misfortune."
The old man responded, "Don't speak too
quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the
stable. That is all we know; the rest in judgment.
If I've been cursed or not, how can you know?
How can you judge?"
The people contested, "Don't make us out
to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but
great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact
that your horse is gone is a curse."
The old man spoke again. "All I know is
that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone.
The rest I don't know. Whether it be a curse or
a blessing, I can't say. All we can see is a
fragment. Who can say what will come next?"
The people of the village laughed. They
thought that the man was crazy. They had always
thought he was a fool; if he wasn't, he would have
sold the horse and lived off the money. But
instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still
cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest
and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in the
misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was,
indeed, a fool.
After fifteen days, the horse returned.
He hadn't been stolen; he had run away into the
forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a
dozen wild horses with him. Once again the
village people gathered around the woodcutter and
spoke. "Old man, you were right and we were wrong.
What we thought was a curse was a blessing.
Please forgive us."
The man responded, "Once again, you go
too far. Say only that the horse is back.
State only that a dozen horses returned with him,
but don't judge. How do you know if this is a
blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless
you know the whole story, now can you judge?
You read only one page of a book. Can you judge
the whole book? You read only one word of a
phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?
"Life is so vast, yet you judge all of
life with one page or one word. All you have is
a fragment! Don't say that this is a
blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I
know. I am not perturbed by what I don't."
"Maybe the old man is right," they said
to one another. So they said little. But down
deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a
blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one
horse. With a little bit of work, the animals
could be broken and trained and sold for much
money.
The old man had a son, an only son. The
young man began to break the wild horses. After a
few days, he fell from one of the horses and
broke both legs. Once again the villagers
gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.
"You were right," they said. "You proved
you were right. The dozen horses were not a
blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has
broken his legs, and now in your old age you have
no one to help you. Now you are poorer than
ever.
The old man spoke again. "You people are
obsessed with judging. Don't go so far. Say only
that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a
blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a
fragment. Life comes in fragments."
It so happened that a few weeks later the
country engaged in war against a neighboring
country. All the young men of the village were
required to join the army. Only the son of the old
man was excluded, because he was injured. Once
again the people gathered around the old man,
crying and screaming because their sons had been
taken. There was little chance that they would
return. The enemy was strong and the war would be a
losing struggle. They would never see their sons
again.
"You were right, old man," they wept.
"God knows you were right. This proves it. Your
son's accident was a blessing. His legs may be
broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are
gone forever."
The old man spoke again. "It is
impossible to talk with you. You always draw
conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had
to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows
if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise
enough to know. Only God knows." [In the Eye of
the Storm by Max Lucado.]
My wife is not the only person I've tried
to impress at the gym. For years, I've worked
out with my buddy I call Paco. (It's a rule that
a good friend has to have a nickname or he's
not a good friend.)
At the end of our workout, sometimes we
will do a "burn out," a set when we do light
weights to the point of exhaustion. So one day we
decided to close out the session by bench-pressing
an embarrassingly light weight. I went first
and started out with ease. One two three
four sixteen seventeen still
relatively easy, no sweat.
After about twenty-five reps, I hit the
wall. Suddenly it felt like I was trying to bench
press four hundred pounds instead of forty. Paco,
doing his job, cheered me on, "Come on, Groesch!
Don't quit! Get ten more! You can do it! It's all
you, man!"
Then he started counting off the final
ten, spotting me carefully. "One ... you got
this. Two Don't quit. Three keep going."
And that's when I gave in and let go of the bar.
And shockingly it kept moving. Paco kept lifting
the bar up and down for me, not even noticing
I'd stopped lifting. My spoiler was doing all
the work! When I reached the end of my strength,
he took over.
God is way better than my workout
partner. When we are weak and at our end, he sustains
us. His strength is made perfect in our
weakness.
Lord, sometimes I feel like I can't keep
going and don't know how I'll make it through my
day. Thank you for "spotting" me at those times
and filling me with your power. [Daily Power by
Craig Groeschel]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20171101-0922.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
