Monday
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! - Psalm 27:14 ESV
What Does it Mean to Wait for the Lord?
Dr. Seuss has a poem entitled, “The Waiting Place.” It reads like this:
“Waiting for a train to go,
Or a bus to come, or a plane to go,
Or the mail to come, or the rain to go,
Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow,
Or waiting around for a yes or a no,
Or waiting for their hair to grow,
Everyone is just waiting.”
No one likes to wait, but everyone has to wait at times. King David reminds us in Psalm 27:14 that learning to wait on God is one of the most important things a believer ever learns to do. Pastor Gotthardt taught us the word “wait” in verse 14 means “to bind together, look patiently, tarry or wait, hope or eagerly expect.” This is the sum of all the instructions in Psalm 27. The object is to lead us to trust in the Lord, to rely on Him, and to come to Him in trouble and danger.
Reflection
What is God asking you to wait on currently? What did Pastor Paul share that helped you in your waiting?
Praise/Prayer
Praise God that waiting for Him can be grounded in the hope that He is at work in your life. Ask God to grow your trust in Him during your seasons of waiting.
What Does it Mean to Wait for the Lord?
Dr. Seuss has a poem entitled, “The Waiting Place.” It reads like this:
“Waiting for a train to go,
Or a bus to come, or a plane to go,
Or the mail to come, or the rain to go,
Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow,
Or waiting around for a yes or a no,
Or waiting for their hair to grow,
Everyone is just waiting.”
No one likes to wait, but everyone has to wait at times. King David reminds us in Psalm 27:14 that learning to wait on God is one of the most important things a believer ever learns to do. Pastor Gotthardt taught us the word “wait” in verse 14 means “to bind together, look patiently, tarry or wait, hope or eagerly expect.” This is the sum of all the instructions in Psalm 27. The object is to lead us to trust in the Lord, to rely on Him, and to come to Him in trouble and danger.
Reflection
What is God asking you to wait on currently? What did Pastor Paul share that helped you in your waiting?
Praise/Prayer
Praise God that waiting for Him can be grounded in the hope that He is at work in your life. Ask God to grow your trust in Him during your seasons of waiting.
Tuesday
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! - Psalm 27:14 ESV
How Are We to Wait for the Lord?
One day a small boy was trying to lift a heavy stone, but he couldn’t budge it. His father, passing by, stopped to watch his efforts. Finally, he said to his son: “Are you using all your strength?’ “Yes, I am,” the boy cried, exasperated. “No,” the father said calmly, “You’re not. You have not asked me to help you.” The child needed to learn to depend upon his father, as an added source of strength.
We wait on God by relying on God’s strength. David tells us to “be strong” while we wait. Pastor Gotthardt shared the basic pattern for waiting in Psalm 27. We are to…Reflect upon God’s trustworthiness in the past; Bring all our needs to Him in prayer; Remember that it takes strength and courage to wait on God; We should not take matters into our own hands; and wait with an attitude of hope and confident expectation.
Reflection
Do you feel like you’ve been trying to lift your burdens by yourself lately? Which part of the basic pattern for waiting did you need to hear the most?
Praise/Prayer
Thank God that you don’t have to carry your burdens alone while you wait on Him. Ask God to help you apply the principle of waiting to any area where you are struggling to wait.
How Are We to Wait for the Lord?
One day a small boy was trying to lift a heavy stone, but he couldn’t budge it. His father, passing by, stopped to watch his efforts. Finally, he said to his son: “Are you using all your strength?’ “Yes, I am,” the boy cried, exasperated. “No,” the father said calmly, “You’re not. You have not asked me to help you.” The child needed to learn to depend upon his father, as an added source of strength.
We wait on God by relying on God’s strength. David tells us to “be strong” while we wait. Pastor Gotthardt shared the basic pattern for waiting in Psalm 27. We are to…Reflect upon God’s trustworthiness in the past; Bring all our needs to Him in prayer; Remember that it takes strength and courage to wait on God; We should not take matters into our own hands; and wait with an attitude of hope and confident expectation.
Reflection
Do you feel like you’ve been trying to lift your burdens by yourself lately? Which part of the basic pattern for waiting did you need to hear the most?
Praise/Prayer
Thank God that you don’t have to carry your burdens alone while you wait on Him. Ask God to help you apply the principle of waiting to any area where you are struggling to wait.
Wednesday
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! - Psalm 27:14 ESV
Why Should We Wait for the Lord?
Warren Wiersbe makes the observation, “The ability to calm your soul and wait before God is one of the most difficult things in the Christian life. Our old nature is restless...the world around us is frantically in a hurry. But a restless heart usually leads to a reckless life.” (Men’s Life)
The reason we should wait on the Lord is because not waiting leads to recklessness. David reminds us that God is “the Lord.” That means He is in charge and His ways are better than our ways. The key truth of Sunday’s sermon was: “God prepares us through the waiting to better embrace His will on the other side.” When we rush ahead of God we rush ahead of His will for our lives.
Reflection
When do you remember rushing ahead of God and it led to a bigger mess? Do you feel like you are in the center of God’s will for you currently?
Praise/Prayer
Thank God for His perfect will for your life. Ask God to show you any areas where you have gotten ahead of His timing for you.
Why Should We Wait for the Lord?
Warren Wiersbe makes the observation, “The ability to calm your soul and wait before God is one of the most difficult things in the Christian life. Our old nature is restless...the world around us is frantically in a hurry. But a restless heart usually leads to a reckless life.” (Men’s Life)
The reason we should wait on the Lord is because not waiting leads to recklessness. David reminds us that God is “the Lord.” That means He is in charge and His ways are better than our ways. The key truth of Sunday’s sermon was: “God prepares us through the waiting to better embrace His will on the other side.” When we rush ahead of God we rush ahead of His will for our lives.
Reflection
When do you remember rushing ahead of God and it led to a bigger mess? Do you feel like you are in the center of God’s will for you currently?
Praise/Prayer
Thank God for His perfect will for your life. Ask God to show you any areas where you have gotten ahead of His timing for you.
Thursday
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! - Psalm 27:14 ESV
How Long Are We to Wait for the Lord?
A husband read an article to his wife about how women use 30,000 words a day to a man’s 15,000. The wife replied, “That’s because we have to repeat everything to men.” The husband turned to his wife and said, “What?” (Source Unknown)
David repeats “wait for the Lord” in Psalm 27:14 for emphasis. He is reminding us to wait as long as it takes. Waiting for God’s best is always better than what we can do on our own right now. David was repeating a lesson he learned from His own experience. David waited as a shepherd and as a servant to Saul until God said it was time for him to become king.
Reflection
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, thank God for the times He was patient with you when you didn’t hear and obey Him the first time.
Praise/Prayer
Praise God that whenever He wants you to wait it is always because He has something better for you down the road. Ask God to help you hear and obey Him the first time when He gives you direction for your life.
How Long Are We to Wait for the Lord?
A husband read an article to his wife about how women use 30,000 words a day to a man’s 15,000. The wife replied, “That’s because we have to repeat everything to men.” The husband turned to his wife and said, “What?” (Source Unknown)
David repeats “wait for the Lord” in Psalm 27:14 for emphasis. He is reminding us to wait as long as it takes. Waiting for God’s best is always better than what we can do on our own right now. David was repeating a lesson he learned from His own experience. David waited as a shepherd and as a servant to Saul until God said it was time for him to become king.
Reflection
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, thank God for the times He was patient with you when you didn’t hear and obey Him the first time.
Praise/Prayer
Praise God that whenever He wants you to wait it is always because He has something better for you down the road. Ask God to help you hear and obey Him the first time when He gives you direction for your life.
Friday
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! - Psalm 27:14 ESV
What Should We Remember When Waiting for the Lord?
Amy Carmichael, missionary to India wrote, “Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace…If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness, you know what His will is.”
Amy reminded us to “stay our soul on God” while we wait. We must remember that He’s God. Dr. Gotthard gave us several statements to shape our perspective while we wait: “He who waits on God loses no time.” – Vance Havner; Taking matters into our own hands can have devastating consequences for years to come; God’s best often takes time; God is not in a hurry; He works from and for eternity; God uses the waiting to prepare us for the answer; Everything has an appointed time; part of wisdom is waiting until God is ready; The enemy will use the waiting to fill our minds with lies; we must use the waiting to renew our minds with truth; and if the answer has not yet come, it’s because the answer is not yet needed.
Reflection
Which of the statements on waiting did you need to hear the most? How have you applied the statement this week?
Praise/Prayer
Praise God for the peace He gives you when you fix your soul and mind on Him. Ask God to give you His perspective on anything He is telling you to wait on.
What Should We Remember When Waiting for the Lord?
Amy Carmichael, missionary to India wrote, “Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace…If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness, you know what His will is.”
Amy reminded us to “stay our soul on God” while we wait. We must remember that He’s God. Dr. Gotthard gave us several statements to shape our perspective while we wait: “He who waits on God loses no time.” – Vance Havner; Taking matters into our own hands can have devastating consequences for years to come; God’s best often takes time; God is not in a hurry; He works from and for eternity; God uses the waiting to prepare us for the answer; Everything has an appointed time; part of wisdom is waiting until God is ready; The enemy will use the waiting to fill our minds with lies; we must use the waiting to renew our minds with truth; and if the answer has not yet come, it’s because the answer is not yet needed.
Reflection
Which of the statements on waiting did you need to hear the most? How have you applied the statement this week?
Praise/Prayer
Praise God for the peace He gives you when you fix your soul and mind on Him. Ask God to give you His perspective on anything He is telling you to wait on.
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