Bible Reading: Psalm 25-27; Acts 20:17-38.
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthened thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” Psalm 27:14 (KJV)
Waiting connotes staying in the place of expectation for someone, a promise or an event. Waiting on the Lord is staying in the place of expectation for the fulfilment of His promises. Three things are prominent in waiting; patience, trust and courage which is strength of character. In our focal scripture, the Psalmist, who is a major recipient of God’s promise, can say with confidence that in your time of genuine and faithful waiting the Lord will strengthen your heart.
Truly, it takes trust and courage to stay in the place of waiting for the Lord. This is predicated on the fact that the one that promised is invisible and you may not hear Him audibly. God who promised the Children of Israel of a land that flows with milk and honey had to speak courage to Joshua concerning that promise. In Joshua 1:6(KJV) the Lord said to Joshua “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.” From this scripture we understand that waiting requires courage and strength of character to possess divine promises. In Isaiah 40:31(KJV) the he bible 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.” When we are waiting upon the Lord, it should be a time of strength renewal through His word, searching thoroughly through the scriptures for words of edification that strengthens our resolve to stay patiently in Him.
God is not man that wavers in his promises, what God said He will do He will surely bring forth. He is not limited by circumstances and limitation. In Matthew 24:35(KJV) Christ stated emphatically that “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” The promises of God are immutable and cannot be voided. Hence we can rely on it and in patiently wait for its fulfilment. Waiting on God takes strong faith and absolute trust in God to bring to pass what He has promised. An example of such trust and unwavering faith is found in Hebrews 11:11(KJV), “Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful who had promised.” The writer of Hebrews 10:36 (KJV) stated, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” The time of waiting upon the Lord is a time of digging deep into the word of God leading to your transformation. This is the mounting of wings and flying like the eagle.
My dear reader, the bible says that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1(KJV). The Word incarnated in the flesh and dwell among men. The bible says He was in the World, and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. It is the Word that is His promise, and the word will strengthen you to wait on His promise and that Word will fulfil the promise. Consequently I beseech you to accept Jesus Christ into your life, that His faithfulness will release His promises to you.
Prayer: Gracious and eternal Father I request of you to keep me strengthened as I wait upon your promises.
Pastor Joel Ezeugo