I posted about waiting on God, yesterday. A “His Words” post, which is comprised of exactly that – HIS WORDS. I have lived a good portion of the last couple of years in a waiting place, and while I’m no longer waiting on some of those answers, I still have a couple that linger. We all do, don’t we? Aren’t we always waiting on God for something?
Many of the scriptures that I pulled were familiar to me, as I’ve had them on speed dial during these last many months, so I decided to list most all of them in a different version of the Bible, to keep them fresh, and filled with new perspective. There was one in particular that stood out to me:
Trust in Jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ~ Psalm 37:3 ASV
Think about waiting for a minute. My take on it is that, after a while, waiting has a way of turning our focus to ourselves. We tend to feel forgotten, retreat inward, and throw a high-dollar pity party for one, with ice cream and cookie dough. Or, if we do invite anyone else, they just have to sit there (chained against their will) and watch us eat all the food.
Or maybe that’s just me.
Seriously, though, don’t we? Doesn’t it often teeter between angry fists at heaven, and fits of selfish tears?
After I read that verse, in this translation, I realized that it was really a formula for waiting; God’s formula to manage without fear of salmonella poisoning, or rapid weight gain.
Trust in God.
Do good.
Dwell in the land.
Feed on God’s faithfulness.
These are all active responses that have very little to do with us; instead, keeping our focus up and out.
When we are waiting, we will have little time for pity parties if we are busy recounting what God has done so we can easily trust what He will do.
When we are waiting, we will have little time for holing up in our own inner torture chambers if we are doing good for those around us, and dwelling, instead, in the Land of His promises.
And you know what else? It’s not surprising that this is the formula for waiting on God (or most anything else this life throws at you) because it falls right in line with what Christ said were the greatest commandments:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. ~ Matthew 22:36-39 NIV
TDDF.
While it may not be about Friday night, it sure provides a much better way to spend one, while you wait. Maybe throw a waiting party, invite your friends and family, and let them eat all the cookie dough.
Or, better yet, bake ’em up!
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 37:13-14 ESV
What a delightful surprise to find this post this morning. 🙂 The song I wrote about yesterday was written about the story of Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus, who got sick, died and was buried. Mary and Martha sent word for Jesus to come heal their brother and when Jesus didn’t come they were puzzled and very upset. When Jesus finally did come, four days later, it was too late in the sister’s minds for their brother was already dead. What they didn’t realize was that the timing was perfect and for the glory of God! Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, resulting in the song, “God May Be Late But He’s Always on Time.”