Tag: weary

Waiting in Faith

“but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.”

Psalms 119:121   I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.  Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me.  My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.  Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.  I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!  It is time for the LORD to act, for your law has been broken.  Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.  Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.

Psalms 119:81-82    My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.  My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?”

Psalms 69:3     I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.

Psalms 130:6     my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Psalms 143:7     Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.

Lamentations 4:17    Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save.

Psalms 63:6     when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

Psalms 119:147    I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.

Lamentations 2:19   “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!

Psalms 62:8    Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

“He looked to God alone, he looked eagerly, he looked long, he looked till his eyes ached. The mercy is, that if our eyes fail, God does not fail, nor do his eyes fail.” (Spurgeon)

This waiting expectation shows us that faith came before experience. The Psalmist was willing to have faith until the experience came, and would wait for God’s salvation, and wait as long as it took.

The Psalmist wanted understanding; but not so much to know the future or some hidden secrets of his soul or that of someone else. He wanted this understanding so that he would know the testimonies of God better.

There is much that confuses us, but none more than the interference of waiting, in faith, for God’s plan and purpose.  Waiting is good, for it keeps our heart, mind and soul desiring and seeking to see God’s provision.  Waiting takes faith.

In our waiting satan will throw many temptations of action our way – none of which, if acted upon, are going to be in line with God’s will for us.  Our actions, apart from those being God directed,  in a time of waiting will never satisfy or fulfill the need we seek

Though it does not seem like it, waiting is action – Action of the heart and mind committed and purposed to see, hear and understand the will of God.

In waiting faith we grow anticipation of God’s action.  The best place to be while waiting, is in His word feeding on His promises, grace, mercy, strength, power, and steadfast love.  It is in our waiting that we hear more clearly the whispers of His quiet small voice leading and confirming action to come.

Not my will Lord God, but yours.  Your plans are perfect for my life.  Your timing is faultless.

Not only in this age but also in the one to come

Psalms 113:7  He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

Psalms 22:15    my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

Psalms 69:3    I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God

Psalms 32:3-4    For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Proverbs 17:22    A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Isaiah 26:19     Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

Daniel 12:2-3   And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Ephesians 1:20-21     that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

There are two points that are absolute. 1. The dead shall rise and awake   2. some to everlasting life and/or everlasting shame.  Christ died for the sins of very single person and yet there is a forgiveness to some and not to others.

John 3:16  📝  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Those who cling to, trust in, rely on Jesus Christ will show humble service, a heart deep deep desire to honor, follow and obey Him.  At the time of awakening from death these will sing for joy and everlasting life.  Others will awake to shame and everlasting destruction and torment.  They have chosen to reject the gift of salvation, forgiveness, redemption, grace, mercy and love through Christ.  They choose to life for self, never yielding to the call from God to repent.

Sinking

Psalms 69:1   Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.  I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.   I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.  O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.

Lamentations 3:54     water closed over my head; I said, ‘I am lost.’

Psalms 69:14  Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.  Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.

Jonah 2:3  For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me.  Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

Isaiah 43:2   When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Can you hear the cry in David’s words.  The anguish and heart ache.  Yet in this notice his want to continually honor God.  “Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,”  Through the trails he faced he did not want others to bare shame or dishonor because of him.  David trusted God with his whole heart, mind and soul.  It would have been easier to think only about himself.   On this side of eternity we will face many things beyond our control and at the consequence of others actions.  We will also face things as a consequence of our own actions.  Coming to God, crying out to Him, is our hope, our refuge, our fortress, our power and strength to face what is before us.  We stand on His promises and we wait for His perfect purpose and timing.  Commit to spending time in His word for the purpose of knowing Him and how to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Content in all things

“but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”

Psalms 68:28   Summon your power, O God, the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.

Psalms 68:32  O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

Psalms 42:8     By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalms 71:3   Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

Psalms 138:8   The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Being content in the hands of God is both hard and easy.  It depends on our choice to have faith in Him, to wait on Him, to trust in Him, and to believe in Him and His purpose for our lives.  We must believe He is sovereign and in control of all there is.  And then patiently wait for His mighty and awesome timing.  Sometimes it is immediate and other times it is not.  In our culture our access is almost unlimited to anything we are seeking.  I wonder if this doesn’t play a part in our lack of seeking God and His purpose.  When problems arise we run ahead on our own without giving second thought to Him. Other times we are so blessed we even forget that these blessings come from Him.  I recently heard a man tell of great success he was having in training dogs.  He said at one point he just thought it was too easy.  Then God showed him it was not easy and gave him a time of trials in this training.   He said he was humbled by God and knows all success is at the hands of God.  If we listen, God will speak to our heart and lead us on paths where we continually see His sovereignty.  Commit to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Fortress of Faith

“Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.  Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”

Psalms 59:16  But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.

Psalms 21:13   Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Psalms 106:8   Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.

Psalms 145:11   They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,

Exodus 15:6    Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.

Psalms 31:7    I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul,

Psalms 86:13    For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Psalms 89:1    I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

Psalms 30:5    For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalms 61:2  from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,  for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

2 Corinthians 1:10     He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

Psalms 77:2    In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.

Psalms 138:7   Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

These verses just lift your soul don’t they?  It is very easy to be overcome with the trouble at hand.  Even if we have a relationship with God it seems the only way to know how strong our faith is, is when we have exhausted all of our personal power and strength, and have no where else to turn.  Things outside of our control can and do affect us.  Try as hard as we can we simply do not have power to control much of it.  However God has control of it all.  He has a purpose and plan for each of us.  His plan never fails.  His plan and purpose is perfect.  He can do all things.  And above all of this He loves us and will lead us.  It is easy to say all of this but in the time of trouble our heart and mind find it hard to let go and say “God is in control and I am content”.  These times will show the weakness of the fortress of our faith.  This is life and our walk with God.  Precept upon precept, line upon line, we grow in our faith, understanding, and knowledge of God.  Peter put it this way: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” We all have room to grow – let it start with praise and commitment to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God.

Prayer to Praise

“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.”

“For he has delivered me from every trouble”

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Psalms 54:1   O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.  O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

Psalms 26:1  Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Psalms 43:1  Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!  For you are the God in whom I take refuge;

Psalms 55:1-2   Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!  Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

Psalms 28:7    The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalms 140:7    O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.

Exodus 15:2    The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Isaiah 40:31   but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Zechariah 10:12    I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD.

Ephesians 6:10   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

We all come up against trials and troubles throughout this life.  We can take note of David and how he brought these trials before God, almost like a complaint, but he always ends in praise proclaiming God’s love, mercy, might, strength and his faith in it.  Acknowledging our trials and troubles to God, our heavenly Father, should be natural.  Likewise we should have continual praise for Him and proclaiming our faith in His power, might, sovereignty, strength, love, mercy, and grace.  Try this for a week.  Read His word for 5 minutes each day and highlight His promises.  These promises are your building blocks for praise because not only do we see what He has done but what He is doing and will do.  Take your problems to Him and lay them in His hands.  Trust in His promises to never leave you or forsake you, to have steadfast love for you, to be your strength, your rock, your power, your refuge, your joy, your peace, and your hope.  In Him you will find rest and reason for hope.

how long must I wait

” but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Psalms 27:13  I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Psalms 42:5   Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Psalms 56:3  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

2 Corinthians 4:13  Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak,  knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

Psalms 130:5   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

Isaiah 8:17  I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

Romans 8:25  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Lamentations 3:26   It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

1 Corinthians 16:13   Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Psalms 31:24  Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

Isaiah 40:31  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Waiting for God is not easy when our culture seems to have instant access, instant supply, instant satisfaction.  Faith trusts in God, relies on God, clings to God, and waits for God’s timing, plan, and purpose.  What part of trusting God puts time limits on His steadfast love?  What part of relying on God puts time limits on His perfect plan for our lives? What part of clinging to Him sets time limits on when God responds?  What part of waiting in faith puts time limits on when God will act?  Abraham was promised he would be the father of many nations when he was 75 years old and did not see this fulfilled for 25 years.  Would we wait 25 years?  Abraham was then asked to sacrifice his first born.  Though he did not do it because god stopped him, his faith was never wavering in trusting God, clinging to God, relying on God.  We do well to wait and trust.  God is our hope, strength and peace.