10-20-2015

        Good Morning All!!

            Psalm 31:24; “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”

    I am a product of my existence.  I do not wait well.  I have little patience; I always seem to be late or have something else to accomplish.  Waiting means time spent in an unproductive state.  So I don’t wait well

   Many of us do not wait well.  I think this is because for most of us, as we wait, we see little good in the wait.  We do not expect the wait to be worth it.  We do not expect waiting to have a benefit.  We expect the worst.  The other day, I was waiting in line at my somewhat favorite store.  There were two ladies in front of me.  The first lady had a fair amount of stuff but she was half done when I got there.  The lady directly ahead of me had 5 or 6 things; I had four.  While the first lady was checking out, the store manager came up to the checkout lady.  She stopped while he talked to her, so we waited.  I thought, “I hope this isn’t something bad.”  While the second lady placed her items on the checkout counter and I held mine, the manager placed a “lane closed” sign on the end of the counter.  I thought my wait had been in vain.  I thought that nothing good could happen.

    Fortunately, the checkout lady must have seen the look on my face as she told me I could stay and wait; she would check me out.  For most of us, waiting is a negative experience.  We wait in crowded lines at the checkout counter or as the train crosses ahead of us.  We see little good when we wait.  It makes us late; it takes from us.  We have no anticipation of anything good coming from waiting.

    Yet when the Bible talks about waiting for God, we do so with the full expectation that something good will happen.  We wait with the full knowledge that God has promised to love us, to provide for us and to sustain us in all things. No matter what we face, God has conquered it for us.  We have the victory given to us by Christ’s victory.  We are holy because of Jesus’ holiness.  We have immortality because of Christ’s immortality. 

    So we can be strong in the face of the devil’s challenges and taunts, he cannot harm us.  All the discouragement, all the deceitful thoughts all of the fear and worry can be tossed aside.  The devil cannot harm you; he cannot take you from God’s loving arms.  So you can take courage.  You can go out each day knowing you are a champion, knowing that you are the victor over sin, death and the devil and that you are spared from God’s holy wrath because of Jesus’ sacrifice for you.

   So if you face some pains, some sorrows, some difficulties, wait for God to deliver you.  Wait for God for something great is going to happen.

Father of all mercy, give me the patience to wait for you.  Give me the confidence to know that you pour out your grace upon those whom you love.  Direct our hearts that we may always have the courage to face life each day. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.  

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret