“Do not delay, O my God”

Read Psalm 40, 70, 71 

We are living in unprecedented times right now and it seems that everyone is waiting on something. Waiting seems to be more or less the theme of our devotionals recently but it seems that so many people are dealing with waiting right now. People have lost so much from the current pandemic and situation in our nation and world. We see godlessness running rampant in certain high places in our country, the pandemic has left people jobless, people are committing suicide because there is no hope (it seems), people are waiting for things to go back to “normal”, amongst many other things! There is a popular saying that goes like this- “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” However, this saying simply misses the point. Rather, when the going gets tough, the tough need to fall at Jesus feet. Humility is very important. We need Jesus constantly! 

Are you waiting on a miracle right now? Are you waiting for God to come through on a promise He gave you or a desire of your heart? Whatever it may be, if the Lord has willed it, it shall come to pass. Remember this, nothing can stop God’s Hand for those that seek Him first and serve Him. Furthermore to that point, nothing can stop the Hand of the Lord when He speaks specifically over your life and situation. Trust His promises. No covid or pandemic, government official that seems to deal unfair regulation after unfair regulation, nor any demonic power on earth or below, can ever stop the Hand of the Lord. Trust Him. Pour it out to Him in your time alone with Him. Seek Him first. 

The Word says in Isaiah 49:23 at the end of the verse “..For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”  Wait for the Lord and trust Him with your life. God will vindicate you! You will not be ashamed. Seek Him first as indicated in Matthew 6 and all these things will be added in due time. It’s good to wait because in the waiting we grow. We become closer to Jesus, our faith grows, and we become molded more into His image. In the Bible we see David who constantly poured himself out to the Lord and waited on Him. David trusted in the Lord. He drew close to God.

Are you ready? Are you ready for God to bless you and come through for you? Remember, if the Lord wills it, nothing can stop it. The world may say one thing right now, because of the circumstances in our nation and world, BUT GOD says another. He isn’t controlled by anything. He is King and He reigns and there is no other that can take His place. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is all powerful. He sent His Son Jesus to pave the way for eternal life and that at the mention of His Name every knee will bow. There is nothing too difficult for the Lord! Seek Him first! Do not delay, O my God! 

May His Name Be Praised! 

Hold On

Read: Romans 8:28, Psalm 27, Psalm 37:4, Matthew 6:25-34

Are you believing God for something and waiting on Him? Maybe, it’s for a spouse, a job, a restored relationship, family members to come to salvation, a promise fulfilled by the Lord, etc. Maybe you are waiting on God for Him to bless your new business venture that He laid on your heart to do. Maybe you are believing God for that promotion at your job so you can have extra income to support your family. We want to encourage you to simply “hold on” during this season if you are in a position of waiting. God knows what He is doing. Delay is not always denial. As we seek the Lord and spend time at the feet of Jesus, our desires begin to line up with His will. When our desires line up with His will, then we can expect that He will give us the desires of our heart. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”(NASB1995) Therefore, continue to seek Him first and your desires will start lining up with the Lord’s will. 

Waiting is hard. We tend to jump at things as humans and get impatient. It’s normal. Many times we think what is right in front of us is what God wants or what we need,  while behind the scenes God is working something so much better. We encourage you to hold on for God’s best. 

God knows what He is doing. He sees well beyond your vantage point. He sees it all taking place years down the road. We encourage you to push past the feelings and simply know the truth of God’s Word in Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB1995)  We may tend to think, “Well, God will work it all out either way.” Be very careful because the enemy likes to twist Scripture. If we are not careful, we can justify our actions in jumping too quickly at something that we knew deep down wasn’t God’s best for us. Just wait. Yes, God is working it all out for your good and is always faithful. However, when we jump and try to do it ourselves, we deal with consequences and sometimes suffering because of it. It is better to wait on God first and foremost. Nevertheless, we all make mistakes. Not that this is an excuse to jump at things and go ahead of God’s timetable, but the Word says we all have fallen short (Ref. Romans 3:23). We as humans are in constant need of Jesus. Our encouragement to you is to stay faithful. Continue reading your Bible daily, praying, worshipping, witnessing to others, making disciples for Jesus, and building others up. Keep going. Serve in your local church. Keep it up. 

It is very easy to write these words of encouragement, but it is very hard to act them out. We understand that waiting is very hard, even heart wrenching at times. They say character is proven when no one is watching (although God is always watching). So I guess the better saying is character is proven when it’s just you and the Lord. How will you pour it out to God and for God? Your life is a vapor, so make it count. Do what’s in front of you every day. Stay faithful in your job. Stay faithful to your family, friends, and your church. God sees it all. Be faithful in the quiet time alone with God to seek His face. Soon enough, those knockoff brand items that look like the real thing will be clear for you to see that it was the enemy in disguise the whole time. Remember, the enemy will use anything and everything to get you off track. We must always be on guard. Seek the Lord, and stay faithful in your relationship with Him and your responsibilities in life. Honor God with all of your being and watch God’s best show up at the perfect time. God is never late. Hold on!! 

Psalm 27:13-14: “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” (NASB1995)

May His Name Be Praised!

Wait for the Lord

Scripture Reading:  We encourage you to take time to read the Scriptures referenced throughout.  We also encourage you to read Psalm 27.

Waiting is not a term anyone in the flesh likes.  It’s one of the hardest things to do because it requires patience and allowing God to do what He does.  It’s common that we as humans try to “manipulate” the waiting periods we are going through. Have you ever heard the phrase “God helps those who help themselves?” This is an unbiblical saying and should be disregarded. The truth of God’s Word is that God helps those who cry out to Him. God helps His children because He loves us. The Word says in Psalm 121:1-2- “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (ESV). There are many examples in Scripture that show that “helping” (or manipulating the situation) ourselves in the midst of needing God’s help while waiting on Him didn’t work out so well. Look at Abraham (formerly known as Abram). God promised to make of him a “great nation” (ref. Genesis 12:2). He promised him a son to be his heir (ref. Geneses 15:4) Later on, his wife told him to go lay with Hagar and he listened to her, since after all, they hadn’t had a child yet.  From this, Ishmael, the “wild donkey” of a man was born (ref. Genesis 16:12). God’s covenant was with Isaac and it was through Isaac that God would make Abraham a great nation, not Ishmael.  However, God made a great nation of Ishmael as he heard Abraham’s plea (ref. Genesis 17:18-20 & 21:13).  Consequently, the tension between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac remains to this day.  Simply put, waiting on God requires our surrender to His will, His way, and His timing. 

However, there are times where we do need to take action and do certain things. For example, you may be waiting on a job, but you still apply for jobs, rather than just doing nothing. However, nothing is set in stone. We must have a discerning spirit to distinguish what to do. You may feel led from the Lord to do absolutely nothing and just wait. This too is very possible! Nonetheless, as a whole, thinking God will help you when you help yourself is unbiblical. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him (ref. Isaiah 64:4). God will direct your steps and show you what to do. That’s why in this ministry that God has given us, we stress highly to others the importance of a personal deep relationship with God. The more you get to know Him, the more you will be able to hear and distinguish His voice. 

Waiting can be extremely tiresome and hard. Look at David in the Bible. He went through so many battles along the way. He was anointed to be king of Israel at a young age and it was many years until he obtained the promise where at age thirty he was crowned king. Many scholars today believe it was around 15 years of waiting from the time David was anointed to be king by Samuel until he was crowned king at 30. The Bible doesn’t tell us specifically David’s age when he was anointed.  Nevertheless, he waited a very long time. When David became king, he reigned at Hebron over Judah seven years and six months and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Judah and Israel 33 years (ref. 2 Samuel 5: 1-5). For forty total years, he reigned after such a lengthy waiting period. God blessed David. His Word never comes back void. David hid in caves, ran for his life,  and dealt with much opposition. Nevertheless, God came through on the promise and the anointing He had on David’s life (ref. 1 Samuel 16: 1-13). 

At the end of the day, there is no formula to make God move faster. He changes situations when He says so. If He promised you something specific with a timetable, then you can be certain it will come to pass. If He promised you something according to His physical Word, then you can be sure it will come to pass. His timing is only perfect.  For example, if you desire marriage, and do not have the gift of singleness, you can fully trust God to provide for you a mate. Delight yourself in the Lord, put Him as number one, and all these things will be added (ref. Psalm 37: 4 & Matthew 6:33). Nonetheless, our attitude must always be of God’s will above our own, regardless of the outcome. His Ways are not our ways (ref. Isaiah 55:8) and our desires must align with His. Seek the Lord, and He will show you!

Finally, brothers and sisters, we encourage you to wait for the Lord. Continually serve Him during the waiting and be patient. It will come, and when it does, it will be the best it could have ever been. Remember, faith is the conduit by which we obtain promises of God (ref Hebrews 11).  Waiting for the Lord is certainly an act of faith because you believe God will come through. Yes, it’s very hard and very difficult, but God never fails. He is undefeated, never late, and always on time. Take heart. Be strong in the Lord. Wait for Him. 

May His Name Be Praised

"Manna" in the Waiting

Do you ever go through seasons of waiting? I think most of us can answer this with a resounding “YES”!  It probably isn’t very exciting to say though. I don’t think anyone in the flesh loves waiting. It’s not easy and can be very trying. However, do you ever notice the “manna” that God provides in the waiting? Yes, using the term “manna” from Exodus 16 which was the bread that the Lord provided to the Israelites for forty years until they came to a “habitable land” such as the border of the land of Canaan. (Ref Exodus 16:35). 

The Israelites were grumbling during the waiting period and were hungry. God provided for them while they were waiting to reach the promised land. God always provided along the journey. This is the same today as God is always providing for us along the way. Furthermore, He has already provided for us the best- His Son. The Word says in John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’ (NKJV). Jesus is the bread of life. The Israelites eating the manna didn’t give them eternal life. Neither does the manna the Lord provides for us in our waiting. Remember, and never lose sight of this- Jesus is the base of everything, He is the bread of life and the one whom through which we are saved from the penalty of sin and death. He is the cornerstone. That is why we pray “in Jesus Name”, because it holds power and authority. 

Whatever the need or promise, God can and will meet it. You may be in need of a better paying job to support your family and in the meantime God may provide for you financially through other means before that job comes to fruition. Maybe the Lord has promised something to you and it hasn’t come to pass yet. God is not a liar, He will come through. He will provide along the journey until the waiting meets the promise.  God is always providing. Sometimes we don’t even realize it if we are not in as desperate of a situation as the Israelites were. Nonetheless, God will sustain you along the journey and waiting period you are going through. Seek His face. The Lord will never leave you or forsake you (Ref Hebrews 13:5). Be content where you are and know that God is always providing for you and that He has already given you the bread of life in His Son. If you need God to move in your life then cry out to God (always cry out to Him in every situation). He is faithful and a Good Good Father! 

Remember, the Israelites had just enough manna for the day. They had to trust God again to provide the following day (except for the seventh day as they were provided for on the 6th day for two days worth because of the Sabbath). Many times it appears that God will do the same thing with us- He provides one thing and then we have to trust again. It is certainly a faith walk but if we trust the Lord fully we will be at peace.

Seek God today and see that He is always providing “manna” in the waiting. Remember that His Son is the bread of life and He is always there for you. Finally, Psalm 27: 13-14 says “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.  Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” (NASB). 

May God Be Praised