Worship Devotional LVIII
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 1/30/2021.
Worship Devotional for 1/31/21
What are you waiting for? Waiting is not passive like we often make it out to be. To wait for something is to focus and keep it in mind, to hope for its arrival, and to believe and keep believing that it will indeed come, whatever it may be. Waiting requires faith, hope, trust, and the attention of the mind and heart. Is what you are waiting for worth the while? Are you waiting with a reliable assurance that it will actually happen? And if it does, is it something that will remain, or will it only fade away and leave you wanting again? Waiting means preparing yourself with expectancy and anticipation for what has not yet happened. It affects your thoughts, words, actions, attitude, decisions, and emotions. So again, we should take an honest look at our hearts and ask ourselves: what are we really waiting for?
In turning our eyes to that which is eternal and setting our minds on what is above, we are focusing on things which have not all yet been fulfilled. We are living with a constant hope for the day when God's promises are fulfilled at last, and believing that they will be just as He said. This means we must learn to wait on the Lord. It's not an easy path to walk, especially because His timing is not our own, and we often don't understand why things happen the way they do. But that is where faith and hope and love come in. We are called to live by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. 4:18, 5:7). We are called to trust in the Lord, and not in our own understanding (Pr. 3:5-6). We are commanded to wait for the Lord to come again in His timing by doing His will and not allowing this world to distract us and cause us to slip away. In the end when what we have waited for finally comes, may we be found faithful servants of God who kept the faith and trusted in His word while we waited for Him.
Luke 12:35-40:
"Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. You must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them. If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, those slaves will be blessed. But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."
2 Peter 3:6-18:
"Dear friends, don't let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay His promises, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat. But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell. Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish. Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."
Here are the songs:
1) While I Wait by Lincoln Brewster
Waiting on the Lord is sometimes easier said than done. As we walk through this life, waiting for the end, there are some low valleys and dark places that we must go through. We know the wonderful and glorious truth of the gospel and what Jesus has accomplished for our good and His glory, but there is still suffering and pain in this life that we must endure. Sometimes God may work miracles that result in sudden healing or deliverance, but sometimes miracles take a while. God is still working, but it is according to His timing and not ours. In these times, waiting on the Lord means that we continue to believe and trust Him even though it hurts and we don't understand it all. We worship Him with our pain and in the waiting, because we know that He is faithful, His promises are true, and He is worthy of our praise in every circumstance.
Isaiah 55:8-11:
"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.' This is the Lord's declaration. 'For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.'"
2) I Will Wait For You (Psalm 130) by Keith & Kristyn Getty
This is a modern-day hymn based on Psalm 130, that also includes singing the Psalm to the Martyrdom tune from the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 130 is one of the songs of ascents, which are said to have been traditionally sung by the Jews as they travelled on the uphill road to Jerusalem for their festivals. These psalms (120-134) speak of the many wonderful blessings of the Lord promised to Israel. Psalm 130 resounds with both prophecy and penitence as the psalmist looks to the Lord for forgiveness and redemption from sin, both for himself and for Israel in general. As New Testament believers, we see this psalm fulfilled in Christ. We can confidently sing it, knowing that it's words speak truthfully about what God has already accomplished through Jesus His Son. We can also sing confidently in agreement with the exhortation to wait for the Lord, because we believe and know that Jesus, who is Faithful and True, is coming again to judge the world and establish His kingdom and righteousness forever. The struggles of this life will not last forever. Those who belong to Christ have put their hope in His word, and they will live eternally in the presence of God.
Psalm 130:
"Out of the depths I call to You, Yahweh! Lord, listen to my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my cry for help.
Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered.
I wait for Yahweh; I wait and put my hope in His word. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning — more than watchmen for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with Him is redemption in abundance. And He will redeem Israel from all its sins."
3) The Power Of Your Love by Geoff Bullock
While we wait for God's promises, we are called to do His will in this life, staying alert and focused on the truth in faith and hope. We cannot do this on our own strength or ability. The motivation we need does not come from ourselves. Instead, we are motivated and moved to action by something that is better than life itself: God's love. His love is powerful and wonderful and so much greater than we can even begin to fathom. Even though there are struggles to endure in this life while we wait, we are not left powerless. The Spirit of the One who loves us with an everlasting love is with us and in us to guide us, to sanctify our hearts and minds, and to prepare us for the Day we are waiting for. Let us learn to live and walk in the power of His love every day.
2 Timothy 1:7:
"For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment."
4) Everlasting God by Brenton Brown
Waiting can feel like a wearisome and exhausting task, especially when we have expectations that go unmet or when our limited perception says that what we are waiting for is delayed. There is good news, though! While waiting for worldly things is wearisome and drains one's life and strength, waiting for the Lord and for the eternal things of His kingdom actually gives us life and strength! Check out Isaiah 40:25-31:
"'Who will you compare Me to, or who is My equal?' asks the Holy One. Look up and see: who created these? He brings out the starry host by number; He calls all of them by name. Because of His great power and strength, not one of them is missing.
Jacob, why do you say, and Israel, why do you assert: 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my claim is ignored by my God'? Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint."
Waiting is trusting, and there is no one else who is trustworthy like our God. If we will wait upon Him every day, we will find renewed strength, and we will rise up on wings like eagles and soar in the heights. Keep trusting that the Lord, who is the everlasting God, will be faithful as He always has been and fulfill every one of His promises after the momentary struggles of this life have passed.
Theme(s): Waiting on the Lord
Scripture references:
Psalms 40, 130
Isaiah 40, 55
Luke 12:35-48
Romans 5:1-5, 12:1-2
2 Corinthians 4-5
Colossians 3
2 Timothy 1:7
Hebrews 12:1-2
2 Peter 1, 3
Jude 20-21