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Isaiah 30:18 – Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (NIV)
I had always wanted a horse, and our neighbour seemed to have just the right one for me. He was an old, retired pack horse, reliable, friendly, well-mannered, and very, very large. So large, in fact, that when I was in the saddle and he didn't want to move forward, there really wasn't anything I could do about it. And that was a problem, because Willie didn't like to step ahead on his own. At the age of 28, he had spent at least 24 years of his life as a pack horse, following the horse in front of him. He wasn't a leader — he was a follower, and he would stand and wait patiently all day for another horse to come and lead the way.
As much as I found this ingrained habit of his annoying and frustrating, it also reminded me of a very important spiritual truth. As God's people, we are called to be followers, not leaders, in our walk with Him. We are called to wait for Him before stepping out on our own or leading anyone else.
Isaiah 30:1 – "Woe to the obstinate children," declares the Lord, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin." (NIV)
Yes, waiting can be a problem for us. Waiting is not always easy. Waiting can be very boring. Waiting can be an annoyance and a frustration. But waiting upon the Lord for His guidance, direction, wisdom, justice, and healing is always the right and best thing to do, for God knows what business He is about:
Jeremiah 29:11 – "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV)
Yes, "the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"
Prayer: Father God, enable us today to "wait for the Lord, [to] be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14 NIV). In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.
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Good advice Lynne. Blessings.
A great reminder, Lynne. Thank you.
Lynne, thank you for sharing this message with us today. I always need this reminder. Again, thank you.
Great devotional, Lynne. It has substance for all of us to heed.
Keep writing.
Thank you Lynne.
Trust you are able to enjoy this long weekend.
Thanks Lynne. Patience is not one of my strong points so your message really hit home today. What God has planned is always worth waiting for!
Just opened this message after our young grandson returned to the hospital for the third time following an emergency appendectomy. Doctors seem not to be able to diagnose the pain.. and then you remind me — to wait. Be patient.
Thank you Lynne for the gentle reminder to us on this Sunday morning of Canada Day weekend. A good reminder as we navigate the traffic that goes with a long weekend. Have a blessed week and get on writing.
Blessings.
Good morning Ms. Phipps, I always enjoy the way you express God’s lessons through your many life experiences and apply His Word so well to daily life. Today’s Devotional about “Willie” was particularly wonderful and clearly pointed out we should always put Him “first” and “follow” Him in all we do. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you for all your messages and for today’s ‘wait upon the Lord’ — I need that.
My husband died very recently after enduring months of pain and suffering. We have been married for sixty-three years. I have to learn to live without him. I could not face each day without this morning devotional and the comfort it brings.
Good morning Lynne,
Thank you for sharing your devotional! In today’s fast-paced world, we seem to expect everything to happen immediately and when it doesn’t, we get frustrated and impatient. Your devotion and the accompanying scriptural passages are an excellent reminder to us all to wait for the Lord.
As one friend of mine says, everything happens in God’s time, which is the right time in all things. Yes, it always is!
So as with your horse, we need to learn to be patient, trust in God, and not always feel the need to lead. “Let go and let God” is a far better course to follow. It’s just we seem to have frequent reminders to do that!
Do continue to write and share your devotionals for others to read.
God Bless!
Yes, Blessed indeed are those who wait for the LORD!
Amen to your prayer.
Thanks for writing to us Lynne.