Today’s world is instant everything. No waiting. From fast food, microwaves, Keurig’s, iPhones, computers, the list is endless. Waiting takes patience; and patience seems to be a fruit of the Spirit we no longer deem important.
So what causes your toe-to-tap this morning? Tell the truth—shame the devil. The long line at McDonalds when you’re late? A spouse who can’t seem to get his/her act together? Lazy kids? A promotion at work? A neglected raise in your paycheck? A new house? A new car? Your children to grow up and attain the level of success you ask? Or a kajillion other must haves on your list of life’s most importants?
But look around. Are all these things the reason for success? Or are we missing the point—the eternal point? Dr. Tommy Nelson, ThD in Lewisville, Texas, writes:
“History goes this way: What one generation resists, the next will allow. What one generation allows, the next will embrace. And what one generation embraces, the next will enforce.”
Think about it. Where do you think America stands today along Dr. Nelson’s timeline?
Within the space of several paragraphs in the Psalms, inspired by the Spirit of God, David wrote these words:
“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee” (Psalm 39:7 NAS).
“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry…” (Psalm 40:1 NAS).
“I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8 NAS).
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1 NAS).
Everywhere we turn this morning there are problems. Problems beyond our ability to solve. Serious problems that no political party will or could solve. Americans have been asleep at the wheel and our nation has been pushed and is careening off a dangerous cliff, destined to crash in flames on the jagged rocks below.
Where is your hope anchored? Who is your delight? What does your heart pant for?
We’ve been so busy taking care of me and thee, we haven’t concentrated on Him. The Giver of life—the Author of Creation—the Lord God Almighty.
We’ve looked in every nook and cranny for the answer to social, economic, and political disasters—everywhere but to the place and to the One where true answers lie. Why? Because to search in that place we must stop our searching and wait. Wait on God.
I can see you shake your head and hear your thoughts, she doesn’t have a clue. Really? Man is the only being on this earth when danger and calamity rears its ugly head, we run faster. And faster. And faster. Even though we can’t see.
David tells us four times in the above Psalms what we are to do and what God will do in return. But this is a matter of the heart and requires each one of us to quietly submit, prayerfully contemplate, totally surrender, and thankfully worship. And we don’t know how to be quiet, contemplate, surrender, or worship.
To solve problems, you must determine the crux of the problem. And if we stop and truly think about this question, I’m sure none of us will like the answer. The crux of the problem is me—and you—and us. We think we’re smart enough to solve any problem. Right? Look at all man has accomplished in the history of the world. But isn’t that pride and arrogance and deception? And I’m the worst of the worst.
We’ve listened so long to Satan’s war drums; we no longer have the ability to discern deception or recognize danger. Our schools have taught our children there is no such thing as absolute truth, and we nod and rush them to the next sporting event to let them participate.
Ever pushing and shoving them and ourselves to the next thing. Rather than obeying what God said to King David, a man God identified as being “…a man after His own heart.”
God made us to win. To overcome. Not to just participate. Overcoming requires waiting before the God who made you and seeking His perfect plan for your life.
If it’s not too late, we must come to grips with the following questions:
- When is enough, enough?
- What am I working, waiting, longing for?
- Where is my hope?
- What will it take to humble my heart?
- Am I ready to wait on the Lord?
- Am I willing to do His will—not my own?
- Is His Law written in my heart?
- Does my soul pant for God like the deer pants for the water brook?
Are you, as a citizen of this once great nation, ready to sacrifice whatever it takes to bow your knee before the Lord God Almighty and ask Him to search your heart, to make His will known in your life, and then are you determined to obey what He tells you?
He is our only hope. His Spirit will bring revival—When the Church repents, waits for God, confesses our sins, and pants only for Him.
“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and will trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:2-3 NAS).
MOVING THE ANCIENT BOUNDARIES 
The last line says it all.
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So very well said, DiAne. This is an amazing message everyone needs to read and take to heart! j
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Hi Diane, Thanks for writing this. Sadly, as a nation we no longer trust in the Lord. He’s been taken out of so many important aspects of our lives.
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I’ve prayed for years that God would deliver me from deception. And I’ve watched horrified at the progression of America gulping down the lies of Satan. God’s promises are sure, “If we ask anything in accord with His will…” we can be assured He will answer. If Christians everywhere would simply ask Him to deliver them from deception I believe that answered prayer would usher in the spiritual awakening we’ve all prayed for. Thanks for reading and responding, Gail.
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Before Princess Diane’s death but during the destruction of her marriage to Prince Charles, someone wrote of her, “Instant gratification takes too long.” That sentence comes to my mind frequently as a reminder of where that attitude may lead.
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Wow, Lee. I’d never heard that comment. Does it ever fit. And it truly either leads to life or death, doesn’t it? Could you have ever imagined we’d live in times such as these? Guess we shouldn’t be surprised…God told us all about them. Reminds me of the book Kay Arthur wrote entitled “Israel My Glory.” The book is an allegory on the history of Israel. As I read about the time Christ appeared in their history I kept waiting for any mention…then it dawned…Israel didn’t recognize Him as Messiah. It was shocking to experience the trauma of His not being there. And it astounds me people intentionally live in that mentality today.
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Great reminder, DiAne. We often put way too much value on things that really don’t matter in light of eternity.
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So true. I believe we all have friends and relatives we’ve prayed and cried over. The revelation that “God will wipe all tears from their eyes…” has always struck a poignant note with me. I’ve experienced the death of a daughter and mom and dad, and tragic as those deaths were, I eventually stopped crying. I wondered why would we be crying so hard and so much it would take God to wipe our tears away? I believe the final horror of seeing those we’ve loved and prayed for being told “depart from me I never knew you…” would trigger a grief we cannot even imagine in this mortal body. And worse yet, seeing those we had the opportunity to tell about Jesus, and we failed to make the time or effort or investment in.
Thanks for reading and joining the conversation, Ernie.
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Thought-provoking post.
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I sure hope so, Carlene. Thank you for reading and commenting.
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Lots of truth. I also reminded of Isaiah 40:31 – 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.
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And if, as many suspect, we are at the end of this age, Ann, we must wait even more so. We will need that renewed strength. So many in the church say, “Oh, next thing is the Rapture. We won’t have to go through any bad stuff.” Really? If God did not spare the early church from severe times of trials and testing what makes us think He will spare us? Yes, the Rapture is coming, but things I’m afraid are going to become really nasty here before that occurs. And, if we wait on Him, “…we will mount up with wings as eagles…” running, not weary nor fainting during those troublesome times. Thank you for reminding all of us of these promises from our Lord God!
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Reblogged this on MOVING THE ANCIENT BOUNDARIES and commented:
It’s been almost a year since I wrote and published this post. And look what a year has brought. Yes, we have a new president. One who came to power only by the grace and mercy of our God. A man who, if we unite as one nation under God, may swing this nation back to faith in trust in our Creator. But the large, silent majority in this nation must rejoin the battle rather than snoozing through the P.C. stupor.
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