March 18, 2022
Day 16
Waiting
Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh! Lord, listen to my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my cry for help. Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered. I wait for Yahweh; I wait and put my hope in His word. Psalm 130:1-5
We are not good at waiting. We like it now; we like it fast. We want God to move in our time and with our precision. But waiting on God serves a couple of purposes – it teaches us patience, and it also teaches us that He always comes through.
In Psalm 130 the Psalmist is crying out to God for help. While he does, he knows something – God always does what He says He will do. Now, there is a slight hitch to that. He will always do what He says He will do – not what you think He ought to do, or what you tell Him to do.
Notice this – God is to be revered – why? Because God is a forgiving God. If God counted our sins against us, we would all be lost. But we have learned something about God – He is a Redeemer. He is a Savior. He is a God who looked down to where we were and He came to us. If you believe that, why wouldn’t you think He is going to come through for you now? If He was so loving as to forgive you, is He not still that loving? It’s not about how many times you’ve failed Him or how bad things have gotten – it’s about Him – He is my Redeemer in whom I have put my trust.
In other words, if I can’t see His hand I still trust His heart.
Therefore, the Psalmist says, I wait for Yahweh; I wait and put my hope in His word.
I can trust Him. I can wait for His perfect timing. Meanwhile, I look into His word and I see there the encouragement to trust Him. I see His promises (which He has always kept).
Here is the interesting thig – no matter what you’re facing or how deep the trouble goes – God is already there and He’s waiting for you. We think we are waiting for Him, but as A. W. Tozer said, “God is always previous.”
Don’t hold back. Don’t doubt. Trust Him and wait for His answer. He has one – He has to power to help in your time of need. Wait for it.
Give Up
Give up telling God when to act. Don’t rush into grace – wait for it to come and do its work. That means you may have to slow down and not act. If you are waiting for direction – He will give it when you are ready to receive it. If you are waiting for help from God – He will act when His timing is right. Wait for it. Give up keeping the time for Him, but don’t give up on Him.
Take Up
Practice waiting by doing these two thing – 1. Daily confessing your dependence on Him. I am not acting on my own – I wait for You. I am not leading my life, but I am led by You. 2. Looking into the word. You can’t put your hope in His word if you don’t know it. When things get tough – spend a little extra time hearing from Him.
Look Up
Our prayer for today –
Lord, I need you, but I am willing to wait for your power to come. Teach me patience and endurance as I wait for you. Help me to see that you are the God who always keeps His word – and I can trust you. You redeemed me when I didn’t deserve it – and you will come now, too. I wait for you, Lord.
Amen
Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer