Psalm 92:1-2 It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O
Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by
night,
Waiting is something I’ve had a
lifelong process of learning to do. One of the ways I’ve learned to be patient
is to measure time and to allocate it more appropriately. When I have a
realistic understanding of what I expect to accomplish and how long it will
take, I can then figure out how all of the pieces will fit into my day. This
can both be a strength and a weakness. For years I wore a watch with hands on
it (analog) because I could look at its face and see my day in it. Switching to
a digital clock, like is on my phone, was a difficult thing to do. With the
dial I saw more of the fullness of the day, and with the digital display I
merely saw what time it was right then. As a strength I could see that there
was more time than just the present, and many things could be adjusted based
upon priorities and urgency. As a weakness, I had very real picture of how much
less of it there was as specific deadlines approached, and this sometimes
resulted in a pressure to either drop or squeeze.
On the other side of the coin, spending
a long season of searching what God would have me do next in service for Him
has been an even more difficult thing to do as there is more time available
than I tend to fill. And when there is too much time for me, then I am tempted
to not make the best use of it and in a real sense – waste it.
In both life cases there is the
question of how I go about having an un-pressed time with God. When I was very
busy the temptation was to struggle with blocking out the things pressing in.
And the way I found of doing this was to remind myself that those things have
their own time, but this was my time with God. And in having more unstructured
time the temptation is to push it off as there is open time later. Even here, I
have found it important to change my location and to persist in a set aside
time where other things are blocked out.
The bottom line for me, as I
suspect it is for most of us, is that there are many excuses we can use for not
spending time quietly with God, reading through His Word, talking to Him and
waiting on Him to speak to us. Today Sarah encourages us to wait patiently with
God while He blesses us. And the blessing she is speaking of is knowing that He
exists, that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and that He
will truly strengthen us no matter what we are facing outside of that time. Like
a quiet place in a storm, is our time with God as He prepares us to step out
into whatever lies ahead of us for the rest of our day. When we do this in the
morning we can move forward in a prepared confidence throughout our day, and
when we do this in the evening we can lie down knowing His peace. When we give
Him the small moments during the day we find ourselves continually renewed.
Psalm 16:7-11 I
will bless the Lord who has
counseled me; indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my
flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor
will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of
life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are
pleasures forever.
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah
Young (6/21)
Wait patiently with Me while I
bless you. Don’t rush into My Presence with time-consciousness gnawing at your
mind. I dwell in timelessness: I am, I was, I will always be. For you, time is
a protection; you’re a frail creature who can handle only twenty-four-hour
segments of life. Time can also be a tyrant, ticking away relentlessly in your
mind. Learn to master time, or it will be your master.
Though you are a time-bound
creature, seek to meet Me in timelessness. As you focus on My Presence, the
demands of time and tasks will diminish. I will bless you and keep you, making
My Face shine upon you graciously, giving you Peace.
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
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8
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