Learning to Wait 3-9-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Welcome into my heart and welcome into my day. You are Lord of heaven, Lord of earth, and Lord of my life. ... "I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40.1-3). There is power in waiting. Oh, how it cuts against our grain, crucifies our flesh, and humbles our pride. Yet it is when we are waiting patiently for You, that You turn to us and bend down to us and hear our cry. When we wait on You, we finally come to the end of ourselves -- trying to force our way through, trying to make something happen, trying to control and manipulate our circumstances, ourselves and everybody else. Waiting weakens our will, so that our will can be submitted to Your will. Then we are no longer resisting You and You are no longer resisting us. "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4.6). As we learn to humble ourselves in the waiting, we learn the power of calling upon Your name rather than our own, drawing upon Your strength rather than our own. Then You draw near and come in power. You reach down into our desolate pit of despair, lift us up our of the miry bog of the mess we've made, set our feet upon the Rock of our Salvation, and direct our steps in the paths of Your will and Your ways. How could we keep from singing as the songs of praise and songs of deliverance rise up in our souls? The new song in our mouths becomes one of praise instead of despair, hope instead of doubt, and victory instead of defeat. Our lives become a witness to others that many will see and take note and put their trust in the Lord -- all because we learned to wait. There is power in waiting, because while we're waiting, You are moving heaven and earth to deliver those who put their trust in You. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!