“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalms 27:14)
Solomon in all of his God-given wisdom said there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) But man is always anxious for something. When we’re young, we can’t wait to grow up. When we plant, we can’t wait for the harvest. When we’re sick, we can’t wait for the healing. When we have an idea, we can’t wait to broadcast it. When there’s trouble, we can’t wait for a solution. And being impatient can cause us to act at the wrong time. “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.” (Proverbs 14:29) The word “exaleth” used means to bring up, to presumptuously offer up or to promote foolishness. Acting and speaking at the wrong time will only produce foolishness.
“Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.” (Proverbs 19:2) This Scripture tells us that acting or speaking in haste is sin. A person that acts in haste hasn’t consulted with the Lord. He’s taken things into his own hands and has depended on his limited knowledge. As Solomon stated, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) And we don’t know the season nor the purpose under heaven if we haven’t spoken to the Lord about the thing. We are not our own boss, but we act as if we were.
David the author of this psalm, knew what it was to wait. He’d been anointed to be the king of Israel as a youth, anywhere from 16 to 19 years old. In the meantime, he served Saul, was persecuted by Saul and fought battles for Israel. He didn’t take the throne until he was thirty years old. “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” (2Samuel 5:4) All those years, he knew that he would rule Israel, but he never took matters into his own hands, nor did he exalt himself as the next king. He waited on the Lord.
One great example of taking matters into our own hands is King Saul. The Philistines had gathered to fight Israel. “And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.” (1Samuel 28:5) Saul doubted that God would help him win the battle. Doubt causes fear and fear haste. “And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.” (1Samuel 28:6) We can feel the desperation Saul was in. He wanted an immediate answer from the Lord and it didn’t come. He turned to his dreams, but they didn’t provide a clear answer. He tried the Urim. The Urim and the Thummim were gems that the high priest used to determine God’s Will. But this also failed to give him a clear direction. Saul’s impatience caused him to sin. “Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.” (1Samuel 28:7) This woman relied on a demon to give advise. Saul goes to her. She conjures up Samuel who rebukes Saul. (1 Samulel 28:9-15) “Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as He spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.” (1Samuel 28:16-18)
In both the Old Testament and the New Testament we are told to wait. Jesus tells His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Father’s promise of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4,5) Jesus admonishes us to watch and wait for His coming. “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.” (Luke 12:35-37) Paul commends the Thessalonians for their patient waiting for Jesus. “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye 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, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1Thessalonians 1:6-10) Peter tells in his letter tells how he and all believers wait for the day of the Lord. (2 Peter 3:10-13)
There is a promise from the Lord that comes from waiting on Him and His confirmation of direction. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) When we have the certainty of the blessing of the Lord, in waiting or acting or speaking, we are strengthened in our resolve (firm in our purpose), in our soul and in our waiting, acting or speaking.
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