Waiting on the Lord Devo # 2

Today is a struggle. Not only is it a Monday but I am having one of those days where I don't "feel" my faith. It's one of those days where believing and trusting is a choice. It's easy to get distracted by the lies in my head telling me that certain things aren't happening for me because of the things that I've done and even now because of my struggle to keep the faith. If I'm not careful I could definitely fall face first off the cliff of despair and depression...which would take a while to climb out of once I'm at the bottom.

So, I keep hanging on and trusting the Lord even when I don't feel like it and trusting that He will be true to His promises. I keep presenting my requests to Him, waiting on Him with expectation: "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

I continue to wait in strength and courage for the desires and cries of my heart...

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1

I continue to try to follow His precepts and honor Him in my actions, knowing that it's only my heart that counts, knowing that I will mess up and fail, but that the Lord sees how hard I'm trying. He will not hold my mistakes against me and withhold good things from my life just because I've sinned. As long as I recognize I'm a sinner and make the effort to change, to accept his gift of grace every day and do my best to honor him, that is all that matters. I have to remind myself that He is not a God of punishment. That is what I cling to when I feel the pull of that darkness.

"Wait for the Lord, and keep his way."Psalm 37:34

"I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God" Psalm 38:15

"I will wait for your salvation, O Lord, and I will follow your commands." Psalm 119:166

"Yes, LORD, walking in the ways of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desires of our hearts." Isaiah 26:8

"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!" Isaiah 30:18

And as I wait, I will HOPE. Hope is defined many ways in the dictonary, but the few that stood out to me are: " a person or thing in which expectations are centered", "to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence", " to place trust; rely", "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best." The Bible also gives us instances of hope in conjuction with waiting, as hope is something that hasn't happened yet but has the expectation that something will.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning; more than watchment wait for the morning." Psalm 130:5-6

I love this verse. Towns used to have watchmen out in towers keeping watch over the cities at night. I'm sure as all of us know it's very hard to stay awake all night and we watch for the first light of day to tell us our trying time is coming to an end and we can finally go to sleep. Just the picture of the intesity and fervent desire to see the daylight is so beautiful to me. It's also a promise, that after a long, dark "night" which can represent a trial or struggle, morning WILL come. It's inevitable that the sun will rise; we just have to be patient and wait for it.

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7

Have a blessed day!