O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? . . . Then the Lord answered me and said: . . . "At the end [the vision] will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come" (Habakkuk 1:2, 2:2-3).
THEME
WAITING ON GOD
"God, I hate being patient. I'm not a patient person. I want things to happen. I have a big project under way, and I'd like to have it be successful . . . now. There are a lot of things I need to know about life, and I'd like to know them . . . now. I'd like to have my letters answered, my questions answered. . . . Why do I always have to wait?" wrote Gladis DePree, author and world traveler.
The Old Testament prophets continually played the waiting game, wondering at times whether God would fulfill His Word. Habakkuk's frustration with God was representative of the prophetic dilemma--their own fire-and-brimstone preaching versus God's seemingly slow-train-to-nowhere actions. After the prophets recovered from the doldrums, they found that God did not have a deaf ear. He was simply teaching His messengers the value of waiting.
While waiting, people think about both God and themselves and find out again who they are and what they believe. In New Testament times, God promised Simeon that he would see the Savior. Simeon waited for the Messiah most of his life and evidently was near death when God rewarded his patient hope. Luke tells the touching story of Simeon carrying Jesus in his arms and praising God (Luke 2:28-32).
The waiting rooms of life are not always pleasant places, but the Great Physician eventually walks through the door with a message of hope.
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AUG 19
HABAKKUK 1:12-2:4
They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel
(Psalm 106:13).
A friend found it difficult to be patient during a long hospital stay. She was a Christian, but she feared that some sins from her past were too bad to be forgiven. I assured her that when she confessed them to God He forgave her. And her doctors reassured her that her depression would lift and she would get better. Still she found it difficult to wait for the light to break through.
Habakkuk was perplexed and impatient too. First he complained to God about the evils of the Israelites (1:2-4). The Lord responded by saying that He would use the Babylonians to scourge them (1:5-11). Then the prophet raised a new problem--Babylon was more wicked than Israel (1:12-17). Though frustrated, Habakkuk didn't act rashly. Instead, he showed reverence for God by declaring that he would wait for Him to make things clear. When God spoke to Habakkuk again, He assured the prophet that He would give him the answer. He commanded him to write it clearly so that he could proclaim it speedily. But He also told Habakkuk that he would have to wait awhile before seeing all the wrongs made right. This delay was a trying experience for Habakkuk, but the answer eventually came, and at just the right time.
When waiting for God to work, we must exercise patience and steadfast faith, leaving matters in His hands. God will reward us for our patience--but not too soon nor too late.
--H.V.L.
Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of wait.<r>
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AUG 20
PSALM 62
My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him (Psalm 62:5).
The twentieth century is the age of the instant. We can make coffee, cook a meal, and even telephone overseas in less than a minute. We have become accustomed to immediate results. Perhaps that's why we often find it difficult to wait on the Lord. We want instant spiritual growth. We need to understand, though, that maturity comes as the years progress, not through some on-the-spot formula that gives it to us all at once.
A pastor from Detroit, W. G. Coltman, told of a woman who came to him for counsel about some serious marital problems. After weighing the situation carefully, he said to her, "There are two roads open before you. One is to take matters in your own hands and force the issue. . . . That will bring a speedier solution, but it will mean a broken home. The other road is that of God's ordering, of waiting upon Him and for Him. He may make you wait for some time before He works your problem out. Your patience may be severely tried, but in the end you will have a permanent and satisfactory solution." She heeded his words and began to trust the Lord. As a result, her faith was strengthened as she saw God intervene in the difficulties of her home.
To "wait" does not imply passive submission, but an attitude of patience. It expresses dependence upon God and brings quietness to the soul. When we face insurmountable problems and feel that we are on the precipice of panic, we can remember that our heavenly Father "acts for the one who waits for Him" (Isa 64:4).
--P.R.V.
We conquer by continuing.
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AUG 21
ISAIAH 40:25-31
Those who wait on the Lord . . . shall run and not be weary
(Isaiah 40:31).
Lagging behind spiritually? Speed up! Still behind? Try harder! Go faster! Get more involved in church activities. Push yourself--run--keep on the go. You've got too much invested to slow down. To stop now would be to lose the ground you've gained, right? Wrong! The Bible says that being effective for the Lord comes from knowing how to slow down and wait on the Lord.
Astronaut Michael Collins described the problem of trying to link two orbiting space vehicles. When two airplanes rendezvous for an in-flight refueling, the plane behind simply increases speed until it catches the other aircraft. In outer space, however, the situation is quite different. Acceleration puts the trailing spacecraft into a higher orbit, causing it to move away and widen the gap. Therefore, the ship's commander must act against all natural instincts and slow down, dropping his craft into a lower orbit, which enables him to catch up, maneuver into position, and make contact at precisely the right moment.
So it is with the busy child of God. Taking on more activities can mean losing ground as a result of lost time with the Lord. To get ahead, we must slow down and wait on the Lord. As we do, we will have time to pray, to read God's Word, and to rearrange our priorities.
When we're behind, the only way to catch up is to slow down and wait for the will and work of God.
--M.R.D.II
Unless we come apart and rest awhile, we may just plain come apart. --Havner
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AUG 22
ISAIAH 40:27-31
Do you not know that . . . one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it (1 Corinthians 9:24).
A computer study of five thousand racehorses has revealed a way to predict whether or not a young horse will develop into a good runner. According to an article in USA TODAY, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used computers and high-speed cameras to find out how a good horse runs. He discovered that the legs of a fast horse operate much like the spokes of a wheel. Each leg touches down only as the leg before it pushes off, resulting in peak efficiency. Later studies disclosed that a horse's manner of walking changes little after the first few months. Therefore, motion analysis when a horse is young can predict how well it will run when it matures.
In the Old Testament, Isaiah talked about running well in the course of life. He said that the people who run the best are the ones who learn to wait on the Lord. They don't waste energy trying to do things on their own. They make the Lord their strength and hope.
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul compares the Christian life to a race. He said that those who run well are characterized by efficiency of effort. For the Christian, this means running with control and self-discipline (1 Co 9:24-27). The author of Hebrews said that a good runner gets rid of anything that adds extra weight (Heb 12:1).
To earn an imperishable crown we must wait on the Lord, practice self-control, and lay aside sinful burdens. These are the secrets of running well.
--M.R.D.II
Those who wait on the Lord will run without the weight of sin.
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AUG 23
ISAIAH 30:15-18
"In quietness and confidence shall be your strength"
(Isaiah 30:15).
In THE UTTERMOST STAR, author F. W. Boreham told about a farewell service for a minister who had pastored a church for twenty years. Several preachers attended, and each eloquently extolled the pastor's virtues. Boreham commented that he had forgotten everything said that day except for a simple statement made by a man who was not even scheduled to speak. The man had asked permission to say a word, and in a single sentence had paid his pastor this compliment: "I have seen him nearly every day of my life for twenty years, and I've never seen him in a hurry!" After the service, the minister said he considered that tribute to be the most gratifying. He took it as an indication that over the years he had truly learned to wait patiently upon the Lord--he had discovered the secret of Isaiah 30:15.
For many people, staying calm, cool, and collected under pressure is partly a matter of natural temperament or self-discipline. But Christians, whether easygoing or highstrung, derive inner strength from quiet waiting upon God. Martin Luther once claimed that he was so busy he couldn't get anything done unless he spent at least three hours a day in prayer. Too often we reverse the order. We get flustered and upset or we do things hastily because we fail to take the time to be alone with the Lord.
We can learn a lesson from that pastor. By waiting on the Lord, we can learn to be calm, cool, and collected in every situation.
--R.W.D.
We must never take on more work than we have time to pray about.
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AUG 24
PSALM 62
My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him (Psalm 62:5).
I hate getting caught in slow-moving traffic on an interstate. It's especially frustrating when I want to get somewhere in a hurry. But what's really annoying is when I get hemmed in with a solid line of cars in both the right- and left-hand lanes, a huge semi just ahead of me, and another one behind. Sandwiched between two of these monsters, all I can do is read how much the carrier ahead of me pays in road taxes each year. I do not feel sympathetic.
I was in that kind of situation recently. As my patience ran low, my adrenalin ran high; and as my body and car idled, my brain went into action. This is a small drama of the Christian life, I thought. Sometimes in our walk with the Lord we get hemmed in by uncontrollable circumstances. We grind to a halt, move only occasionally, and then not very far. Impatience and anger compound the problem. If only we could see what's up ahead.
That must be how the psalmist felt when writing Psalm 62. But he reminded himself of his secure relationship with God and that the way would become clear.
In my Christian experience, as in interstate traffic, the "lanes" do open up eventually. We must choose not to fight life's traffic jams, but rather to see them as excellent opportunities to learn how to wait silently for God. He has never been known to disappoint those whose expectation is from Him.
--D.J.D.
Patience means awaiting God's time without doubting God's love.
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AUG 25
PSALM 37:1-11
Trust in the Lord, and do good; . . . wait patiently for Him
(Psalm 37:3, 7).
The Scriptures encourage us to rest in the Lord, and this reliance is to be accompanied by right thoughts and actions. Regardless of the circumstances stacked against us, we must believe that in time He will honor us for following His pattern for living. Patient perseverance should characterize the life of every believer trying to do God's will.
John Wooden, head basketball coach at UCLA for many years, made his teams play patiently. In his book THEY CALL ME COACH, he said, "In game play, it has always been my philosophy that patience will win out. By that, I mean patience to follow our game plan. If we do believe in it, we will wear the opposition down and will get to them. If we break away from our style, however, and play their style, we're in trouble. And if we let our emotions command the game rather than our reason, we will not function effectively. I constantly caution our team, 'Play your game. . . . Eventually, if you play your game, stick to your style, class will tell in the end! This does not mean that we will always outscore our opponent, but it does ensure that we will not beat ourselves.'"
In Psalm 37, God is saying, in effect, "Do what's right and trust Me. Regardless of how badly you may seem to be losing, just do My will and leave the outcome to Me. I'll make sure that eventually you'll be the winner." Such a strategy will not only keep us from beating ourselves, it will lead to glorious victory.
--M.R.D.II
God seldom does great things in a hurry; wait patiently for Him.
