In Psalms 37, King David shares some practical insight into this situation of waiting (vv. 1-7). I'll let you read it for yourself, and see what you think:
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourselves over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourselves over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Ok, I admit it. I made some emphasis on certain words, but this is the true message of these verse - the true message that King David was trying to get across. I truly believe that King David said these words to motivate the people to wait, in a time of great prosperity for the kingdom of Israel. Right at the time when Israel's borders were expanding and growing, the King called on his people . . . to wait.
You know, this really and truly relates to our lives as Christians. As our "borders" are expanding well into new areas, and our lives are growing and prospering; God calls us to wait on Him. We should trust that the Lord has a plan for our lives. It even says in verse 3 to, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." When we truly trust in the Lord, in all the areas of our lives, the Lord promises to bless us with the "desires of our hearts." This promise is so much more than just the physical or relationship aspect of our hearts, because God, in His ultimate wisdom . . . knows us better than we know ourselves! Think about it! Why do we get one thing, when we "expect" to get something completely different? I truly and honestly believe, with all my heart, that God knows each of our hearts more intimately than our friends, parents, acquaintances, and peers ever could! God knows all and sees all, even beyond all the hype and circumstances that make us want something other than the things that we truly need.
Take a moment and look around you. Wherever you are, just look around you. Look for the things that you value most, the things that you own and really treasure. Now, picture those things in your mind, and think about whether you really need those things to survive or not - My guess is that you don't.
It's amazing to think that God created us to survive on the most basic of things, but, essentially, they are the most important things in our lives; although they may not receive the thanks and praise that they are due. This may seem a little like fourth grade, but . . . What do you need to survive?
The challenge that is laid on my own heart, as I write this, is to learn to wait on the Lord . . . with everything that I have. It isn't good enough just for me to say that I am waiting on the Lord, but to actually do it; if the saying is true . . . to, "put my money where my mouth is." It's one thing for me to say that I wait on the Lord, and another thing to go out and make decisions that affect my life, towards a future that meets the expectations that I want for my own life. The difference between a want and a need, is that you don't really need what you want. In all reality, you need very little. I'm not saying that it is a bad thing to want things, but I think we should check out motives about why we want something. To evaluate the reasons that we want it, and if they don't line up with Biblical truths . . . then we don't really need it.
Even in the area of waiting, it's easy to get caught up in the moment. I'm as guilty of this as much as anyone else. The thing that we must do, from here on out, is to begin learning a pattern of trusting and waiting and to develop a sense what we truly need.
This is my prayer, that you might exceed in the knowledge of Lord, even more so than I have.
You know, this really and truly relates to our lives as Christians. As our "borders" are expanding well into new areas, and our lives are growing and prospering; God calls us to wait on Him. We should trust that the Lord has a plan for our lives. It even says in verse 3 to, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." When we truly trust in the Lord, in all the areas of our lives, the Lord promises to bless us with the "desires of our hearts." This promise is so much more than just the physical or relationship aspect of our hearts, because God, in His ultimate wisdom . . . knows us better than we know ourselves! Think about it! Why do we get one thing, when we "expect" to get something completely different? I truly and honestly believe, with all my heart, that God knows each of our hearts more intimately than our friends, parents, acquaintances, and peers ever could! God knows all and sees all, even beyond all the hype and circumstances that make us want something other than the things that we truly need.
Take a moment and look around you. Wherever you are, just look around you. Look for the things that you value most, the things that you own and really treasure. Now, picture those things in your mind, and think about whether you really need those things to survive or not - My guess is that you don't.
It's amazing to think that God created us to survive on the most basic of things, but, essentially, they are the most important things in our lives; although they may not receive the thanks and praise that they are due. This may seem a little like fourth grade, but . . . What do you need to survive?
- Food
- Water
- Shelter and, most importantly,. . . . . .
- other people
The challenge that is laid on my own heart, as I write this, is to learn to wait on the Lord . . . with everything that I have. It isn't good enough just for me to say that I am waiting on the Lord, but to actually do it; if the saying is true . . . to, "put my money where my mouth is." It's one thing for me to say that I wait on the Lord, and another thing to go out and make decisions that affect my life, towards a future that meets the expectations that I want for my own life. The difference between a want and a need, is that you don't really need what you want. In all reality, you need very little. I'm not saying that it is a bad thing to want things, but I think we should check out motives about why we want something. To evaluate the reasons that we want it, and if they don't line up with Biblical truths . . . then we don't really need it.
Even in the area of waiting, it's easy to get caught up in the moment. I'm as guilty of this as much as anyone else. The thing that we must do, from here on out, is to begin learning a pattern of trusting and waiting and to develop a sense what we truly need.
This is my prayer, that you might exceed in the knowledge of Lord, even more so than I have.
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