"WAITING"
To order your copy of "Foxe's Book Of Martyrs", please visit our products page.
The word "waiting" is such a
simple word but has very big meaning and is often times difficult to do.
How your state of mind is will decide how you choose to wait.
Question: What does waiting mean?
Answer: Waiting means to expect, look for, hope, stand still,
stand fast, be silent, to stay, to watch, to look out.
Question: What are the ways that we can wait?
Answer: Impatiently or patiently, earnestly or carelessly,
with positive hope or with negative consequences. There are many ways to wait
and many opposites.
We are not talking
about the type of waiting in just sitting around doing nothing or just being
idle. The type of waiting we want to cover here is a patient waiting that is
looking for hope, expecting something to eventually happen so it may be silent
but stands fast in its faith.
Let’s look at what the scriptures tell us about waiting.
Psalms 27:14 – Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart, wait, I say, on the Lord.
If we wait on God…
wait for Him to do and not run ahead of Him, but instead to be positive in our
stand for Him…He will strengthen our hearts.
Psalms 37:9 – For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait
upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
Let’s look at the
word “Lord”. Lord is someone who has authority, control, or power over others;
a master, chief, or ruler.
So, if we wait upon
the Lord, follow Him as our Lord who we give complete authority, control, and
power over us… our master… our chief… our ruler, and we allow Him to be the
guide and the God of our lives, we will not be disappointed but will be with
Him and inherit the earth made new.
Psalms 40:1 – I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined
unto me, and heard my cry.
When we cry to the
Lord and wait patiently for an answer, He listens to our plea and answers our
prayer.
Proverbs 20:22 – Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on
the Lord, and He shall save thee.
If someone is mean
and says evil against you or does evil to you, wait on God, return not evil for
evil because God said that He’d take vengeance so we don’t need to because His
vengeance is of the utmost just. If we wait on God to take care of
business, He will save us.
Question: Does that mean if my life is in danger that I just sit
by and not do anything to save myself?
Answer: Of course not! God gives us common sense and the ability
to save others and ourselves. That is one reason why we have the fight or
flight response automatically initiated in our body to tell us whether to stand
up and fight or to flee for our lives.
Sometimes, He will
also send help via angels, miracles, people, situations, and circumstances.
Remember Peter when he was jailed and chained? He slept between 2 soldiers,
bound with 2 chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. God’s
angel woke him up, tapped him on the side, told him to get up quickly, told him
to get dressed and put on his shoes and had Peter follow him. The soldiers all
were asleep… more than likely in a sleep from the Divine. Peter’s chains fell
off of his hands and feet and he walked past the first ward, then the second
ward, then the iron gate that led to his freedom. The gates, by the way, opened
on their own accord. If God can do that for Peter, He can do that for you too
no matter what situation you are in! You can read this story in Acts 12.
Lamentations 3:25 – The Lord is good unto them that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh Him.
Matthew 6:33 tell
us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things
will be added unto us.
Question: What things are they talking about?
Answer: As we read Matthew 6:19-33, it explains in dealing with
our needs. There is no doubt that He knows how to be good to those that are His
and that wait for Him.
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.
If you read from
Isaiah 40:28 through 31, you will see how it is exalting God in who He is and
the power of creation that He has. It talks about there is no searching of His
understanding. It talks about how He gives power to the faint and might to the
weak. Then, vs. 31 talks about if we wait… wait on the Lord, our strength will
be changed, increased, improved, stronger. We will have more power.
I read a book
called the “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs”. It is a very solemn book. I found it to
touch my spirit and put me to tears. However, I read where even children,
who were barely old enough to understand who Christ is, stood up for Him and
died horrible torturous deaths and even through the torture, they were strengthened
and refused to give up their love of the Saviour.
That is what
waiting upon God will do; it will give you strength to stand in the time when
you think that all your strength is gone!
To order your copy of "Foxe's Book Of Martyrs", please visit our products page.