Isaiah 30:18 (NKJV) Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18 (NIV) Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18 (NLT) So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. Isaiah 30:18 (AMP) And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]! Isaiah 30:18 (MSG) But GOD's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you. GOD takes the time to do everything right--everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones. INTRODUCTION Are you trusting things that cannot help you while the Lord waits for you to come to Him for help (30:15,18)? Those who wait on the Lord for help will experience blessings, such as answered prayer (30:18-19), God's guidance (30:20-21), cleansing (30:22), fruitfulness (30:23-26), victory (30:27-33; 31:4-9), and a song (30:29). [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe] COMMENTARY PEARL Don't Leave God Waiting God longs to be close to you. If you're away from somebody you love for a long time, you can't wait to talk to them. If you have not been close to God, he can't wait for you to talk to him - because he loves you so much. And he's always available! He's got a 24/7 drop-in system. He's never offline. You can talk to him any moment of the day. Did you know that every day you go without prayer and spending time with God and his Word, God is waiting for you? Isaiah 30:18 says it like this: "So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion" (NLT). You were made to know God and have a relationship with him. God is waiting for you - not so he can condemn you but so he can show you his love and compassion. It's the whole reason you exist! Some parents know the unique pain of a child who can't talk for a physical or emotional reason. When you love them but can't have a conversation with them, that's a heartache. Other parents have a child who can talk but refuses to talk with them. They've been shut out of their child's life. When you long for a phone call that may never come, that's a heartache, too. That's the way God feels about you when you don't talk to him. Do you go days or weeks without sharing your heart, what you're feeling, and what you need - your doubts and fears, your highs and lows? When you go that long without talking to him, God is thinking, "I created you. I love you. I want a relationship with you. Why do you turn away from me?" Don't miss out on talking to the God who created you. You weren't put on this planet to mark things off your to-do list. You were put on this planet to be loved by God and to learn to love him back. You were chosen to be his child. You were formed for his family. You were created for companionship. God says, "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6 NLT). God is waiting for you to talk to him. Don't make him wait any longer! [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Isaiah 30:18 - Prepare for The King. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231205-0737.html Philippians 2:9-11 - JESUS The Name Above Every Name. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191207-1536.html Titus 2:13 - Christ Is Coming Again. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220926-0818.html 1 John 3:3 - Hope and Sanctification. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230204-0923.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/