Daily Wisdom

 Isa 30:18  “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you… blessed are all they that wait for him.” Isa 30:18

Beyond our thoughts of waiting on God, we must consider more wonderful still, of God’s waiting upon us. This offers new inspiration to our waiting on Him, that it’s not in vain. He has inconceivably glorious purposes for us. Yet, we ask, “How is it, if He waits to be gracious, that after we wait upon Him, He waits longer and longer?” The Father waits for the precious fruit of life to be its ripest and has long patience for it. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing; even under the clouds of trials that bring forth the rain to ripen the fruit we need. Be assured that if the Father waits longer than we wish, it’s only to make the blessing even more precious and fruitful to our soul.

No matte how long it takes. When God works, it’s always worth the wait… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 “the LORD said unto me, I will be still, and I will behold in my dwelling place…” Isa 18:4 RV

 As Assyria marched unopposed towards Judah, God appears to make no effort to arrest them. Often, we too see our enemies marching, approaching from the distance unopposed to work their will. But know the Father is still watching from His dwelling place. And while the sun still seems to shine on them, before the harvest the Father cuts them off as a branch with pruning shears. The Father’s stillness is not an acquiescence, He’s not consenting towards our enemies. His timing is perfect in design; and when the enemy is confident in their design – find peace, patience, and power in the Father’s marvelous words… “be still, beholding”

 Don’t get distracted by that which marches towards you, rest in Him that dwells within you!

Daily Wisdom

 “God... calleth those things which be not as though they were.” Rom 4:17b

In (Rom17) we see Paul’s discourse concerning Abraham’s faith. The one who doubted he could have a child is the one God said he would the father of many nations. Such is the faith Paul is referencing, and Abraham struggled with. Faith is asserting what God says over your thoughts; “faith steps on seeming void, and finds the rock beneath.” As the baby bird must face the day of launching itself out of the safety of the nest and into the appearance of nothing; so must one's faith knowing the air is there to lift them from the fall, if they flap their wings of faith against their fear.

Remarkable thing, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; when you don’t fear God you fear everything else... HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Hab 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Power of patience… There’s an old story of a man who was allowed to see heaven. And while there was shown the “Delayed Blessings Office,” where God kept prayers until the appointed time. It can take a while for believers to learn that delays are not denials!  Isa 30:18 “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you…” The Father is watching in the hard times/places and will not allow one trial too many. Lift your head and praise Him knowing His promises will not tarry, so neither let your faith. His appointed time, it will surely come!

Don’t confuse redirection with rejection, time is God’s paint brush working His masterpiece in your life… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Isa 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it…”

When in doubt or difficulty you can hear many voices urging you in one path or another. When prudence utters one advice and faith another, be still, hushing every intruder that has a voice, and simply rest in God’s presence. In that time of rest devote yourself to God’s Word and prayer with eagerness for His counsel and direction while remanding stand still in His presence. No matter how quite or void it seems, separate yourself from the intrusion and shadows of the world, then like Elijah the still small voice (1 Kgs 19) is heard, truth is discerned, and direction is provisioned.  

God speaks to those who take the time to be still and listen… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

 Psa 62:5 “My soul, wait thou only upon God;  for my expectation is from him.”

This passage brings great peace. Man spends excessive time worrying about the outcome of a thing rather than relying on the One who provides for it. We never find Jesus rejecting a single supplicant who came to Him for mercy, so we too should find contentment in that the Father hears our supplication and will work everything to His glory and our spiritual welfare. The seed of prayer that lies under the ground is taking root preparing to bloom though unseen and appearing dead. Wait on the Lord and place your expectations in Him, knowing the Father is never delayed, but diligent and perfectly timed in your need.

Faith can expect from God what is beyond expectation… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 1Ti 6:12  “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

As Jesus proved /shewed Himself blessed and worthy of the Fahter’s adoration (vs 15), we too are called to witness a good confession before God and man. Such requires of us to strive after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness (vs11). Paul illustrates this using active verbs to describe the Christian life: run, pursue, fight, hold tightly. This requires of us to have an active faith, not passive. True faith offers no buttons to push for quick service.

Don’t confuse patience in God with passiveness towards God; only one requires faith… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Jas 1:4 “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” 

We can't really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. Such pressures come to the surface when life requires patience. I find this verse interesting in the fact that it starts with “let patience”; as if to say, it requires patience for patience to work in our life. We see this in (1 Pt 2:20), it’s not the patience we must endure for wrongdoing, but rather when we do well and suffer for it is true patience measured. But know it’s in this time that a perfecting work of the Lord comes about in our life when we endure and let it come about patiently. 

Our patience in the Lord will always determine His perfect work and purpose in us… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Heb 6:14-15 “Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee, And so patiently endured, he obtained the promise.”

Be slow in questioning the Father’s love or promises because you don’t see what you want to see or maybe want to feel. Sometimes our challenge can be that we’re not seeing what the Lord wants us to see. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, yet the Lord still loved him, ministered to him, and offered him all he needed for life then as well as eternally. The Father is about what you need, to be more like Christ, not what you want. You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore, or how you want it before you decide to see what the Lord has for you. As it’s said, sometimes you can’t see the forest because of the trees.

Abraham’s patience in the Lord is what unlocked the power of the promise for his life… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 2Ki 8:15 “And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.”

Elisha had prophesied that Hazael would become king of Israel, but Hazael took matters to the extreme with being impatient. While our actions don’t lead to murder, we ourselves can be extreme with our impatience in the Lord. Patience is a powerful measure of maturity when it comes to your faith. Your patience in the Lord will determine His purpose in you, choose your own timing and you’ll often find yourself alone in your actions; be patient and you’ll find the Lord's timing perfect. Find yourself short on patience, view your own life from God’s perspective.

Patience is like a tree, the root is bitter the fruit is sweet… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

‘Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart… rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…’’ Joel 2:12-13

A single bomb devastates a city, and the world is ushered into the nuclear age. A split atom - power and force such as we had never seen brings about discoveries dreamed of.  Volcanos, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados unleash uncontrollable and unstoppable force, and we can only avoid them and then pick up the pieces.

Power, strength, might - we stand in awe at the natural and man-made display. But these forces cannot touch the power of omnipotent Father. Creator of galaxies, atoms, and natural laws, the Sovereign Lord rules over all there is. How silly to live without him; how foolish to run and hide from him; how ridiculous to disobey him. But we do. Since the garden of Eden, we have sought independence from his control. The Lord has allowed our rebellion for a season, but as Joel prophesied to Judah so it applies to us today, don’t tarry in a lack of humility because patience still has its point of accountability. 

Don’t mistake the Lord’s patience with your actions as His acceptance or approval… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

Psa 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Rex and Jenny blessed me this morning with this picture they sent me as they were rejoicing in God’s creation. At the time I was outside early this morning myself rejoicing in the new day, without the same view! But I immediately noticed that not a leaf or blade of grass was moving and hardly a sound was heard. And I quickly realize that even God’s own creation knows what to do, and that maybe we can learn something ourselves with a little humility. And allow God to be God if we too would learn to be still in Him. One of the hardest things to do in life is to slow down in this extremely fast-paced culture.  One day we will be still as we stand before Him, reverently praising Him and His power and majesty. It would be good for our spirit to get a little practice in every now and then. We might be surprised what we will see and hear, not only form His creation but more important from His Spirit.

When you stop chasing the wrong things, you’ll be surprised how the right things catch up to you… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Psa 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. (6) My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.”

This possibly being a Psalm of David (after repenting for his adultery/murder) is expressed with such climax that it’s recorded as a song of degree, expressed with an assurance of relief and comfort, believing it will come, and longing till it does. Stating, “my soul does wait” in sincerity and not profession only. David is placing his faith in two areas, God’s grace, and God’s power. And both are placed on God’s Word, which is his/our hope, only hope! David illustrates his assurance of God’s grace and power as one waiting patiently for the sun to rise in the morning. Subconsciously, we never question the dawn of a new morning, yet we are prone to question the One who raises? That’s not a logical thought process, but still often presents itself as problematic to the believer. O Lord, help us to find such great assurance, as the psalmist, in Your grace and promises, looking each and every morning before the break of day with anticipation of its promised arrival by Your mighty right hand!

Faith stands and falls on the truth that our hope in God is more assuring than the one promised by this world… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Gal 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” 

I believe we’re all familiar with the process of pulling that little forked “tab/ticket” with that dreaded number on it and staring impatiently at the digital display waiting for our opportunity. Those who are familiar with the movie “Beetlejuice” and the closing scene and him holding his ticket can empathize with him (lol). Everyone waits in life be it for spouses, arrival of a baby, children etc. We can also find ourselves waiting for clarity, direction, healing, hope or a miracle. Yes, we wait on God in our temporal realm! And when we misunderstand what waiting is about, we can get more confused, frustrated and anxious. Patience is one of God’s greatest tools in our spiritual growth. Meaning our patience in God will greatly determine His purpose in and with us!  Our required patience is the time in which God is preparing our hearts for the things we cannot experience once we’ve opened that moment of our life. God knows that, we don’t always grasp it and thus grow impatient in the process. It can be like the song “Even If” by Mercy Me, which says “stood on this stage night after night reminding the broken it’ll be alright” when we ourselves are not confident that it will be!  But just wait, because everyone takes their turn in the waiting room. It’s a long and painful fact of life, but shortcuts and impatience often just lend to spiritual injury. Instead be Patient, Content and in Hope knowing that your patience is preparation for what will be a powerful outcome. Otherwise when our opportunity in the Lord comes, we will be spending our time on the bench healing rather than participating.

Just You Wait, if God’s asking you to wait then be prepared to receive more than you asked for… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

“… Simeon was just and devout, waiting for the consolation (Christ) of Israel…” Lk 2:25

Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a devoted and righteous spirit of worship while waiting. A waiting season is not God’s invitation to be lethargic or sluggish. Anyone can say I love you, but not everyone can wait and be devoted to proving it’s true. Help me to wait on You Lord, I know to be still (Psa 46:10) … its then You will show me what is Your perfect will!

If God is making you wait maybe you should be preparing yourself  to receive more than what you asked for… HSAY

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Rom 12:12

The key to running your race is not the speed in which you run but the patience to endure and don’t stop. At times God will plant you for a season, and like a tree, the deeper your roots grow in your faith the sweeter the fruit. But the growth requires patience, prayer and hope in the harvest to come. Maintain patience in the process and God’s purpose will prevail. And when hard times come and you wonder where the Lord is, remember the teacher is always silent during the test.

Don’t be so impatient with a storm that you miss sight of the Savior in it … HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Isa 28:12 “… this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”

Here is a gracious promise of God's favor to the remnant of his people.

The Israelite's were reproved and threatened for their dullness and stupidity, and inaptness to profit by the instructions which the prophets gave them in God's name (vss 9-13).

Likewise, I can mistake being delayed with being denied.

What God is using for my rest and refreshing I can mistake for denial and discouragement.

Just because everything except you is moving about does not mean you’ve been left behind.

God’s delay in my life might have protected me from something that lie ahead I couldn’t see or wasn’t profitable for me. Or it may be God resting and refreshing me for something glorious that lies ahead.

The response I take will have the greatest impact on God’s will working in my life.

If I remain patient rather than impetuous in God’s process my spirit finds His rest rather than restlessness (Isa 40:31).

Just because you find yourself delayed, don’t feel denied. Enjoy His rest knowing the Father is preparing and refreshing you for something glorious.

You may not get there when you want, but He’ll get you there when He needs you, and rested!

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Isa 40:31  “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.” 

Waiting often goes against what I naturally and emotionally do. My natural inclination is to step on the gas and beat the yellow light, or partial red sometimes!

Waiting is difficult because we equate it with inactivity. But waiting, the Greek word (kaw-vaw) meaning to twist or bind together, describes a relationship that is inseparable. Meaning that if God is patient in His purpose with us then we are to be patient in Him.

The implication is that we are waiting and watching with expectation towards God’s greater will.

During these periods of waiting, God is often refueling and refining me for His purpose. Everything around me needs to be refueled cars need gas, bodies sleep, cell phone recharged. So, why can’t this be the case with my spiritual life as well?

What may seem like inactivity may be the period in which God is doing the greatest of activity.  From my perspective it may be a difficult time for me but very purposeful from The Father’s.

I must understand, no matter what I’m able to accomplish by moving forward in the flesh it will pale in comparison to what God can do through His Spirit and timing.

Patience is the companion of wisdom.

HSAY… Todd  

Daily Wisdom

Psalm 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”

The clearest of statement concerning God’s purpose for one’s life can be summed up as follows: “Your Patience with God determines His purpose with you.”

David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord…” and in so doing, the Lord was inclined to:

·         deliver David from his pit

·         set David’s feet upon solid ground

·         established David’s path going forward

·         place a song of praise and hope in his heart (vs 3)

Clearly, a little patience with the Lord goes a long way!  A little waiting (Isa 40:31) on our part means God will eventually wait on us (Lk 12:37).

We can learn this from Job. Once Job found his peace in being patient in the Lord’s will, and started to pray for his friends, the Lord restored twice what Job had lost (Job 42:10).

Btw, don’t do as others often do and pout while being patience! Simply learn to wait on the Lord while serving the Lord’s purpose.

Remember: Anyone can say they love the Lord… but not everyone can wait and prove it’s true.

What we are, have been, and intend to be is shown more in our patience in God, than any other virtue (Ecc 7:8).

HSAY… Todd

Daily Wisdom

Pro 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

The strength of your faith lies in the object of your faith.  Faith is the language of God, while doubt talks in the language of man. Know that doubt is arrogance questioning God’s sovereignty.  Don’t be discouraged; you’re almost there. What God is giving you requires faith, patience, and endurance.  And while it doesn’t eliminate the questions, it does direct you to Him who has the answer. Show your faith and God will show His faithfulness. You’ve survived 100% of the worst that has happened to you, you’re doing great. Hold to the promises and trust the process. Your current situation is not your final destination!

HSAY… Todd