Bible Reading: Psalm 26, 27, 28; Acts 22: 1-30.
Memory Verse: “Wait on the Lord : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 KJV.
Isaiah 40:31 KJV says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Waiting upon the Lord has so many tremendous blessings. Some of them include renewal of strength as shown in the passage quoted above. Also God will exalt you to inherit the land and see the end of the wicked ( Psalm 37:34), He will save you from all forms of situations (Proverb 20:22), He will have mercy on you (Psalm 123:2). And waiting upon God also strengthens you spiritually as stated in Psalm 27:14 (KJV), “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
But What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Waiting on the Lord could be likened to what a waiter does in a restaurant. He ushers you into the restaurant warmly, gets you a great place to sit, gives you the menu list, takes your order, gets the food and drinks for you and then waits for you to finish your meal and he packs your plates with smile while bringing you the bill for payment.
Similarly, Waiting on the Lord implies you ushering the Lord into your life with thanksgiving and preparing a good place in your heart for the Lord by praising and worshipping him. Then make your requests to him, and kwait for him to answer. Remember when the waiter serves you a meal, he waits for you to finish the meal while providing everything that you need to make you enjoy the meal. Similarly, while you are waiting for God to answer your prayers, you need to do a no of things that will make him look at your request favourably.
These include Acknowledging God’s sovereign control of all things. Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 (KJV) says, “Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? [14] In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.” Secondly, recognise that we are dependent upon God. Deuteronomy 32:39 (KJV) says, “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” Thirdly, Seek strength from the Lord. Psalm 33:20 (KJV), “Our soul waiteth for the Lord : he is our help and our shield.” Fourthly, Be patient and quiet. Psalm 62:5 (KJV), “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” Fifthly, Refrain from fear and worry: Psalm 56:3-4 (KJV), “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. [4] In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” Sixthly, Learn and obey God’s commands. (Psalm 25:4-5), seventhly, Trust God that He alone can save (Psalm 62:1-2), then, Pray continuously with thanksgiving (Colosians 4:2) and remember future blessings ( Isaiah 30:18) among others.
Action Point: Always wait on the Lord no matter how long your challenge has lasted.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero