The Waiting is the Hardest Part

"Now there was
a man in Jerusalem
called Simeon,
who was righteous
and devout.
He was waiting
for the Consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit
was upon him.
It had been revealed to him
that he would not die
before he had seen
the Lord's Christ."
(Luke 2:25-26 )
Oh, beloved, I am so excited! Today is Christmas Eve, and I feel like a little girl with butterflies in my tummy and joy in my heart. Yet, my anticipation is not for gifts but for the Gift. Not for presents but for the Presence. Not for fun but for the One.

It strikes me especially this year that we celebrate our Lord's birth on a day and in a season when He was not actually born, but that's another post for another day. Regardless, we celebrate. And we appreciate. And we anticipate.

We celebrate ... His birth.

We appreciate ... His sacrifice.

We anticipate ... His return.

And, it is in anticipation of His return that my stomach dances, my heart sings, and my flesh tingles. The waiting is the hardest part, but wait I must. Not passively but actively. Not dejectedly but expectantly.

"In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation."
(Psalm 5:3)

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
(Psalm 27:13-14)

"We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His Holy Name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You."
(Psalm 33:20-22)

"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."
(Psalm 37:7)

"Wait for the LORD and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it."
(Psalm 37:34)

"I wait for You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God."
(Psalm 38:15)

"I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry."
(Psalm 40:1)

"I wait for Your salvation, O LORD, and I follow Your commands."
(Psalm 119:166)

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning ... O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption."
(Psalm 130:5-7)

"Blessed is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My doors, waiting at My doorway. For whoever finds Me finds life and receives favor from the LORD."
(Proverbs 8:34-35)

"... Wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you."
(Proverbs 20:22)

"I will wait for the LORD, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him."
(Isaiah 8:17)

"Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for You in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for You. When Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD. O LORD, Your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it ..."
(Isaiah 26:8-11)

"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!"
(Isaiah 30:18)

"Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, Who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways ... "
(Isaiah 64:4-5)

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new each morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."
(Lamentations 3:22-26)

"But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always."
(Hosea 12:6)

"The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind."
(Micah 5:7)

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me."
(Micah 7:7)

"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."
(Habakkuk 2:3)

"... Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to com on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights."
(Habakkuk 3:16-19)

" 'Therefore wait for Me,' declares the LORD, 'for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.' "
(Zephaniah 3:8)

" 'Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had know at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.' "
(Luke 12:35-40)

" 'The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.' "
(John 3:29)

"... 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from His mouth. You will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.' "
(Acts 22:14-16)

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
(Romans 8:19-25)

"Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed."
(1 Corinthians 1:7)

"Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God."
(1 Corinthians 4:5)

"... They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, Who rescues us from the coming wrath."
(1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men ... while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good."
(Titus 2:11-14)

"And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised."
(Hebrews 6:15)

"... Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him."
(Hebrews 9:28)

"But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
(Hebrews 10:12-14)

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near."
(James 5:7-8)

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through Whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him."
(1 Peter 3:18-22)

"Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."
(Jude 1:21)

"When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed."
(Revelation 6:9-11)

In the commercialized craze of the season, let us still ourselves as we wait at the manger. But let us never stop at celebrating only the infant Jesus. For the baby will soon return as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Our glorious Savior will soon visibly rule with unmistakable, undeniable, and eternal justice and righteousness. And the waiting will be over.

As you celebrate His first coming and anticipate His second, may your Christmas be richly blessed with the love, hope, joy, and peace found only in Christ Jesus.

Precious Father, oh, how I thank You for the gift of Your Son! Oh, how I wait for Him! Lord, the waiting is hard, and some days I feel as though I can not wait another minute. Yet, as I wait, and until He returns, I stand firm in Your power and authority, completing the task that You've given me and all who belong to You: to proclaim the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. I remember how He Himself waited for more than thirty years to fulfill the reason for which He was born, and I stand amazed that even we wait for Him, He is waiting for us and preparing a place for us in our eternal home (reference John 14:2). Father, I pray that the secular is superceded by the spiritual during this Christmas season and that the world will be on notice to acknowledge Your Gift and to anticipate His return. "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Price of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:6-7). It is with celebration, with appreciation, and in anticipation that I pray in His Holy Name. Amen.

" 'My righteousness
draws near speedily,
My salvation
is on the way,
and My arm
will bring justice
to the nations.
The islands
will look to Me
and wait in hope
for My arm.
Lift up your eyes
to the heavens,
look at
the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish
like smoke,
the earth will wear out
like a garment
and its inhabitants
die like flies.
But My salvation
will last forever,
My righteousness
will never fail.' "
(Isaiah 51:5-6)

For further reflection on this topic, see also ...

• "Homeward Bound: I'll Be Home for Christmas
  (if Only in My Dreams)

How can I encourage and pray for you today? Please let me know by clicking on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer. Feel free to leave your praises and insights as well!
Copyright 2008. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.

Forsaking My Pace & Taking His Grace

" '... yet you have not returned to Me ...' "
(Amos 4:6, 8, 9, 10, 11)
It's been five days since I've written a post. Every day, I thought about it, but I had nothing to say. What can I communicate on my own? I dare not write anything out of my own strength; I dare not write anything that's my own "good" idea.

When you're empty, you are incapable of giving, and you must restore and refresh yourself at the feet of the Lord--in prayer, in devotion, in meditation, in worship, in His Word. Taking a vacation doesn't do it. Vegging out in front of the television doesn't do it. Reading about the experiences of others doesn't do it.

My weekend was packed full of "good" things. Most were family-centered and church-centered. We are usually very careful to guard our time, but, this particular weekend, our time management was out of control. Yesterday, and even today, we are still paying for it. Physically, I am still tired. Mentally, I feel a little dull. Spiritually, I am crying out for renewal.

It seems ironic that, in a weekend that centered mostly around group Bible studies and church activities, one could feel spiritually dry. It's not at all due to the quality or content of the activities in which we chose to participate, but it's due to the fact that my personal devotion time with the Lord suffered in the process.

You know what I mean. Rarely do I ever just hop in the car and show up somewhere. There is always a dish to prepare, a project to complete, or a homework assignment involved. If the gathering is at our own home, there is preparatory shopping and cleaning. And, all of that leaves precious little time for my Lord.

It's an important reminder to filter everything through the Lord--to sift every decision through His Holy sieve ... and to winnow whatever doesn't make the cut.

My first responsibility as a child of God is to Him. My second responsibility as a wife and mother is to my husband and child. Everything and everyone else has to take a number.

Sometimes, I feel burdened by the needs and requests of others. I think about Jesus in Matthew 14:13-14: "... Jesus ... withdrew ... privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns." Even for Jesus, it was difficult, at least during His public ministry, to find time alone with His Father, but He intentionally set it aside: "After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray ..." (Matthew 14:23; see also Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12). Of course, in the time of His greatest need, He prayed alone in Gethsemane (reference Matthew 26:36-45, Mark 14:32-42).

Jesus also intentionally sought out places of renewal and refreshment among His closest friends, particularly in Bethany. (Reference Matthew 21:17, 26:6; Mark 11:11, 14:3; Luke 10:38).

I need to seek out the Lord continually throughout the day, but it's particularly important for me to begin my day before Him.

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. ... Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground."

(Psalm 143:8, 10)

"Sow your seed in the morning ..."

(Ecclesiastes 11:6)

"O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning ..."

(Isaiah 33:2)

"... 'Administer justice every morning ...' "

(Jeremiah 21:12)

"... His compassions never fail. They are new every morning ..."

(Lamentations 3:22-23)

"... weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."

(Psalm 30:5)

When my morning begins in Him, the rest of my day falls into place. Whatever He deems necessary is accomplished; whatever He deems unnecessary loses urgency. This weekend, I did not begin my days in Him. I squeezed Him in amidst our errands and activities, but He was an afterthought. Instead of being a luxurious blessing, time with Him was just something else to check off my "To-Do" list. How wretched.

I arose relatively early every day (around 6 am), but my mind was filled with all that I had to do to make it through the activities scheduled for each day. Had I arisen even 30 minutes earlier, I could have intentionally carved out more time with my Father ... and He might have winnowed my weekend plans for me. Instead, I trudged on in my own strength, taking what was good while forsaking what was best.

Consider this lame excuse: "Well, if I get up earlier, I won't have quiet time anyway, because I'll wake the dogs, and then I'll have to take them out. Then, I'll have to feed them ... and the guinea pig. And, by the time I sit down with my Bible, the rest of the family will be awake anyway."

What a doofus! Can the Lord not redeem my time and my choice to make Him my first priority? Of course He can! Praise Him for loving me even as I wallow around in my filthy rags (reference Isaiah 64:6).

Well, this is not at all what I intended to write today. The reflection verse from Amos was supposed to go in an entirely different direction, but, that's the joy of writing in the Holy Spirit. He says what He wants to say, and, although He's preaching to me today, I hope it is beneficial to you, as well.

Perhaps tomorrow, we'll explore Amos. Today, let's make our way to the feet of Jesus.

Precious Father, I love You so much! Thank you for loving me, too, even when I continually fail ... even when I must disappoint you. Forgive me for putting anything and anyone above You. I pray to return to You today, and every day ... every morning, every afternoon, every evening, every minute of the day. I surrender my schedule, my ideas, my commitments, and my opportunities to you, precious Lord. Please continually convict me of Your priorities for me, for anything else is meaningless ... a chasing after the wind (reference all of Ecclesiastes!). I pray in the name Jesus, my Lord, my Savior, and my number one Priority. Amen.

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven ...

Guard your steps when you go
to the house of God.
Go near to listen
rather than to offer
the sacrifice of fools ...

Anyone who is among the living
has hope ...

A fool's work wearies him ...

Fear God and keep His commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man."
(Ecclesiastes 3:1, 5:1, 9:4, 10:15, 12:13)
How can we encourage and pray for you today? Please let us know by clicking on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer. Feel free to leave your praises and insights as well!

If this topic sparked your interest, see also ...

• "Laboring in the Lord"
• "Cling to the King"
• "Feast or Famine?"
• "Dying to Live"

Copyright 2008. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.

Cling to the King!

"O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare
Your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice,
or I would bring it;
You do not take pleasure
in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, You will not despise."
(Psalm 51:15-17)
Yesterday, we meditated upon the pleasing aroma of Christ. Beloved, nothing pleases the Lord more than a humble heart, which clings to Him in whole-hearted love and Christ-centered dependence.

We have nothing to offer the Lord, but He has everything to offer us. He does not desire our "sacrifices"; He desires our hearts.

He desires that ...

... when earthly troubles threaten, we will cling to Him in trusting dependence.

... when temporal persecutions wound, we will cling to Him in hopeful expectation.

... when tempting distractions arise, we will cling to Him in stubborn devotion.

... when fleshly sins erupt, we will cling to Him in earnest repentance.

Realizing that I just typed "cling" four times in a row, I stopped to research the word's definition:

1. To hold fast or adhere to something, as by grasping, sticking, embracing, or entwining

2. To remain close; resist separation

3. To remain emotionally attached; hold on

4. To continue to do or believe in

5. To be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation

6. To clutch, grip, embrace, grasp, hug, hold on to, clasp

7. To adhere to, maintain, stand by, cherish, abide by, be true to, be loyal to, be faithful to, cleave to

Interestingly, in the noun form, the definition of "cling" is:

1. A fruit whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit

2. An edible reproductive body of a seed plant especially one having sweet flesh

The definition of the noun form draws me to John 15, but, for today, it's the seven definitions of "cling" as a verb, which really strike me. Let's take a look at some passages in God's Word:

"I hate those who cling
to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD."
(Psalm 31:6)

In this Scripture, King David's "hate" literally means "to refuse to be associated with". "Cling to" literally means "to watch expectantly for the help of".

My NIV Bible notes say this about Psalm 31:

"A prayer for deliverance when confronted by a conspiracy so powerful and open that all David's friends abandoned him. According to Luke 23:46, Jesus on the cross applied Psalm 31:5 ("Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of Truth.") to His own circumstances. ... No psalm expresses a more sturdy trust in the Lord when powerful human forces threaten. The heart of the prayer itself is found in verses 9-18 ... Verse 13, at the center of the psalm, expresses most clearly the prayer's occasion. ... (See also) Psalm 27."

(Wow! I love it when the Holy Spirit takes over and just says what He wants to say. This post is completely different--and so much better!-- than where I thought I was going with it.)

When David was in the Judean desert, threatened by deadly enemies, He continued to cling to the One True God: "Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." (Psalm 63:7-8).

As king, David pledged to reign in justice and righteousness, recognizing the Lord as the sovereign ruler of all, and he repudiated evil deeds and evil doers: "I will set before my eyes no vile things. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me." (Psalm 101:3).

As a flawed human being, however, even David, to whom God referred as "a man after His own heart" (reference 1 Samuel 13:14), sinned against the Lord in lust, adultery, and even murder (reference 2 Samuel 11). Here's an important distinction, however: David recognized his sin, regretted it, and earnestly repented of it. (Reference the beginning reflection Scripture and all of Psalm 51.)

(God is SO good! I was beginning to wonder what the beginning of this post had to do with the end of it ... and He just brought it full circle! It's amazing what God can do when I just relinquish my own human endeavors and "cling" to Him!) :-)

Beloved, this temporal life is but a shadow of the things that are to come; "the reality, however, is found in Christ" (Colossians 2:17). This current earth is a battleground and a testing ground, but it is not solid ground. So, precious ones, let us cling, with humble and hopeful hearts, only to that which supports us--Christ Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone (reference Ephesians 2:20), the Lord of lords, and the King of kings (reference Revelation 11:15).

Precious Father, thank You that in this world of ever-shifting sand, Christ is the solid rock to which I cling! Lord, continue to create within me a pure heart and a steadfast spirit (reference Psalm 51:10). Let me not "cling to deceit" (reference Jeremiah 8:5); let me not "cling to worthless idols" (reference Jonah 2:8), but let me "cling to what is good" (reference Romans 12:9). Let me cling to You. I pray in the name of Jesus, my only sure Foundation. Amen.

" 'Because your heart was responsive
and you humbled yourself before the LORD ...
I have heard you ...' "
(2 Kings 22:19,
2 Chronicles 34:27)
How can we encourage and pray for you today? Please let us know by clicking on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer. Feel free to leave your praises and insights as well!

Copyright 2008. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.