No matter where you are as you read this… The King is in the room. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and acknowledge the wonder of that.
The God who created order for the universe to exist, who placed the stars, and sustains every living thing down to the cellular level is here with you. He wants to know you and BE KNOWN by you. So how could we rush through that? Sadly, it’s so easy to get stuck in 4th gear because that’s how we operate for 80% of our day.
Just stop. Wait for a few seconds. Do you have capacity to idle right now and just BE? The very device you’re using to read this is also the home for your To Do lists, unanswered messages, half-done papers or projects, future trips to plan, shopping lists, calendar events to prepare for…and on and on it goes.
Holy Spirit, help me to slow to an idle. I don’t want to miss You. I need Your presence in my life and Your voice as my Guide. I’m here. Teach me to wait.
Lamentations 3:19-26 (New International Version)
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every 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.
We live in a pretty consistent state of tug-of-war. We are always navigating a tension between “this” and “that”. But that is not solely the product of our fickle nature. It’s not only the overloaded schedules. There is divine purpose in the tension. Scripture warns us about the lifelong battle between the flesh and the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-18) Our human nature focuses on the temporary things of this life, while our soul longs for eternity with Jesus. (Philippians 1:21-23) Like we talked about at the Women’s Night of Worship… we are wired to discover our divine purpose, pursue our calling, and strive to find meaning in life! Yet God intentionally issued a repeated call through scripture to WAIT ON HIM. Waiting and striving don’t FEEL like they work together.
There – in the tension – is a unique opportunity to experience a supernatural touch from God. The pace of life can weary the soul. The writer of Lamentations acknowledges the tension in remembering affliction, wandering and bitterness. The tug-of-war takes its toll and that is why God calls us to wait on Him and REMEMBER! I remember the tension and affliction, but when I slow down to wait on Him, He shows up in a miraculous way. He reminds me how his compassion sustained me through failure. His mercy was new this morning and I can begin again. He is my portion and therefore will always be more than enough, and more than I deserve.
