TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• It feels like I’ve blinked, and this week has disappeared. I say that often though. I remember, as a kid, days felt like they dragged on for a week. A week felt like a month. A month felt like a year. My mom used to tell me that it wouldn’t feel like that when I got older. Mom was right. (As she usually is!)
What is it about time? It’s such a subjective thing, though it is universally consistent. During vacation, time flies by, but the blur of the “relaxing” week quickly becomes a distant memory as people trudge back to work. The wedding day goes by in a blink though during the days spent planning and eagerly awaiting the “I do’s” — it seemed that time moved at a snail’s pace. For those who are grieving — time stands still as heartbreak overtakes them. And then there are those seasons of time. Those sleepless nights with a colicky baby that feel as though they will never end, and poof! You’re sending graduation announcements and wondering how in the world you got there! Yes; Time is a funny thing. And it never moves at the pace we want it to.
A few years ago, my word of the year was “timing,” and I spent the year pondering God’s timing. I wish I could tell you that I had a great understanding of it after a year of reflection, but I didn’t. And I still don’t. But what I did learn in that year, and have continued to learn since, is that His timing can be trusted.
Today, let’s go to Psalm 27:14 NKJV, which says, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
Here’s the issue most of us have with this passage — we don’t like waiting. Despite our ongoing battle with the march of time, and how it feels like we can never keep up (or it can never keep up, depending on our point of view) when it comes to waiting – we are all petulant two-year-olds who don’t like to wait. And especially when we throw in the passage from 2 Peter 3:8, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” But before you start moaning, “A thousand years!?!???!!!!!!?,” remember — the verse says it is AS a 1000 years. Not necessarily that it IS 1000 years. The point is, no matter what our wait, God is never late. He will show up precisely on time, every time.
So as we ponder God’s timing and we learn to wait, what do we do in the waiting? Our verse of the day tells us — we take courage and let God give us strength. Whether the day is dragging on or flying by — we lean on Him and embrace the truth that He will strengthen us. After all, as Paul so boldly declared in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Such words have given countless Christians encouragement as they wait on the timing of the Lord!
As we wrap this up today, I’m reminded of another important thing we can do in the waiting — worship. We can praise God. Thank Him for all the things He’s already done. Ponder fulfilled promises in Scripture. Sing praise music. Reflect on His goodness. And if you need inspiration, please look up “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller on YouTube. The words include, “I will serve You while I’m waiting / I will worship while I’m waiting.” This song is based on Psalm 37:7 (“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”) and Psalm 40:1 (“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.”). It’s a beautiful song about waiting on God’s timing.
Today, as you pray, thank God for never being late. Ask the Holy Spirit to temper your impatience and help you trust in God’s timing. Ask Him to strengthen you in the waiting and be sure that you worship Him in the process.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
