REST IN HIS LOVE; WAIT PAITIENTLY FOR HIS ANSWERS

 

Psalm 37:4-7 NIV

 

Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

 

So often we read the promises in Scripture and ignore the conditions attached to each of these promises.  Like this one.  I like the part that says, "He shall give you the desires of your heart", don't you?  That's the part that feels good, isn't it?  Wow!  God's going to give me the desires of my heart!  I like that!

 

But there are three other parts of this passage we must pay attention to �?delighting ourselves in the Lord, committing our way to the Lord, and waiting patiently for Him.  Delighting ourselves in the Lord and committing our way to the Lord.  We say we've done that when we go to church every Sunday, read our Bibles occasionally, and don't do anything overtly evil.  But when the Lord says “delight,�?He means delight.  And when He says "commit", He means commit.  He means every area of your life�?every area.  He wants each of us to be totally sold out, heart and soul and mind, to Him.  He wants every moment of our lives dedicated to His service and to His way.  Not just Sundays.  Not just part of the time.  Not just 90% of the time.  Not just 90% of us.  He wants all of us!

 

Okay.  So you've reached that place in your life.  You've dedicated your entire life �?heart, soul and mind �?to Jesus.  You try it for a few weeks... and nothing happens.  Those special things on your prayer list don't come through.  You examine your list �?and it looks like it fits right in with what ought to be the Lord's will �?nothing appears selfish or self-centered.  You've got your motivation right.  You're seeking to glorify God with your life.  But still, nothing happens.

 

How long did David have to wait to receive God's answers to his prayers?  Read the Psalms and see how many times David asked, "How long, Oh, Lord?" and you'll get a good picture.  How long did Abraham have to wait for Isaac?  How long did the Children of Israel have to wait for the Promised Land?  How long did the world have to wait for Jesus?

 

God keeps His promises.  But God does not wear a watch.  And He is not on our timetable.  He is on His own schedule, and we must rest in His love and wait patiently for Him to answer.  He has a reason for what looks to us like delay.  So take this 27^th step in learning to live by faith and delight, commit and wait patiently.  He wants to bless us beyond our imagining, remember?

By Bonnie Ricks. Dogwood Ministry