Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. [Psalm 27:14 (NLT)]
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. [Psalm 37:7 (NLT)]
When writing about Nehemiah recently, I thought about waiting. From the time he learned of Jerusalem’s broken-down walls until he spoke to the king, three months passed. Day in and day out, Nehemiah was at the king’s side but remained silent about his concern. Trusting that God would provide the opportune time, Nehemiah patiently waited at the king’s side until God provided the perfect moment when the king inquired about his cupbearer’s sadness. Had I been Nehemiah, would I have trusted God’s timing and kept silent for ninety days? What about you?
Although David was between ten and fifteen when Samuel anointed him Israel’s king, it was not until he was thirty that he became Judah’s king. He waited until he was thirty-seven before he finally reigned over a united Israel. Rather than spending years running from Saul, David had an opportunity to speed up things when he was hiding with his men in the back of a cave and Saul came in to relieve himself. Without Saul knowing, David got close enough to stab him but he didn’t. Instead, he cut off a piece of Saul’s robe. Although he’d been promised the throne, David knew he was not to gain it by assassinating his king. He patiently waited for God’s appointed time. When he penned the words about waiting for the Lord in Psalms 27, 37 and 40, David was speaking from experience. Had I been David, however, I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have taken that early opportunity to claim the crown. What about you?
After Elijah told Ahab that God had determined there would be a drought until the prophet gave the word, he fled. The Lord told his prophet to hide by the Kerith Brook where he could drink from the brook and be fed by ravens. Because of the drought, the brook gradually dwindled into a rill and then a trickle until it was nothing but a dry gully. Nevertheless, as Elijah watched the water disappear, he faithfully remained there until God sent him to Zarephath. Had I been Elijah, would I have waited there patiently as I watched the brook turn to mud? I suspect I would have panicked and gone searching for water. What about you?
Joseph was just 17 when he was given two dreams about his family bowing down in submission to him, but at least twenty years passed before they actually did bow before him. Thirteen of those years, Joseph spent as a slave or a prisoner. Nevertheless, even though it looked like his vision would never materialize, he continued to trust in the Lord and interpret dreams, even while sitting in a prison cell and forgotten by Pharaoh’s cup-bearer. Had I been Joseph, I might have thrown myself a pity party and stopped believing those dreams. What about you?
Through no fault of his own, Joshua had to wait until an entire generation died before entering the Promised Land. Had I been Joshua, would I have trusted God that I would live long enough to see Canaan or gone ahead with Caleb? What about Simeon and Anna who waited decades for the Messiah? After so many years of disappointment, would I have grown weary of the fruitless wait and not gone to the Temple that day? What about you?
Although our timing and God’s timing are rarely the same, He always is right on time! He has complete control over the events in our lives and orders them according to His plan—even if that means we must delay getting a project started, hide in a cave, grow thirsty by a dwindling stream, sit in a prison cell, delay nearly forty years, or wait a lifetime to see the Messiah! Although these Biblical heroes all exhibited patience, they couldn’t have done so without faith! Rather than allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by their disappointment, distress, or challenging circumstances, they had unwavering confidence in God’s promises, love, and divine plan.
Trusting even when it appears you have been forsaken, praying when it seems your words are simply entering a vast expanse where no one hears and no voice answers…waiting patiently while seemingly starving to death, with your only fear being your faith might fail…this is genuine faith indeed. [George MacDonald]
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell of the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Nearly fifty years after Jerusalem was destroyed, the first of the exiled Jews returned to the ruined city. Although his brother Hanani returned to Judah, Nehemiah, who served Persia’s King Artaxerxes as cup-bearer, didn’t. While his job included ensuring the safety of the king’s food and drink, Nehemiah was more bodyguard than waiter. In constant contact with the king, he served as both confidant and companion to Artaxerxes. He carried the king’s signet ring and possibly served as his chief financial officer.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul refutes the message of those who preached that adherence to Jewish laws was required of all believers. His are harsh judgmental words from a man who never even walked with Jesus on earth. Why was Paul’s Gospel the definitive one rather than the one the Galatians heard preached by the Judaizers? For the first two chapters of his letter, Paul explains the source of his apostolic authority.
Effortlessly skimming over the water, the bird occasionally dipped its bill into the water before gracefully rising, circling the pond, and returning to skim along the water again. Even though I’d never seen one inland, the bird’s large bill, distinctive black and white coloring, and unique flight identified it as a black skimmer. Although skimmers usually spend their lives around sandy beaches and coastal islands, sometimes they feed in inland lakes during nesting season and I was thrilled to watch several skimming over our lake just before sunrise.
When researching another devotion, I learned that a Jeopardy contestant missed this $1,000 clue: “It’s the ascension heavenward by true Christians both living & dead at Christ’s second coming.” Although the answer was the Rapture, the contestant, an Episcopal priest, remained silent. He later explained that he didn’t believe in the Rapture or hold to a literal reading of Revelation, adding that the literal reading of Revelation is a “a product of the modern era.” His words gave me pause.
Because the nearby bird sanctuary/swamp gets its water from rainfall, the size of its lakes fluctuates substantially with the seasons. During the dry seasons of winter and spring, the swamp’s lakes gradually recede until the summer rains begin. When this annual dry-down occurs in springtime, the wading birds congregate in the shallow lakes. With the fish having no place to hide the shallow water, it’s as easy as catching fish in a rain barrel for the birds!
