© Laurie Justus Pace Graphics One Design 2006"No one whose hope is in you, will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse." Psalm 25:3
The Painting: An oldie from 2006. Fresh strokes of heavy oils created the movement of light in the sky casting the vivid brightness onto the water. Sky and water maintain the colors and the fluidity of the water appears to take over the clouds in the sky, all running closely together.
The Thought:
When you are anticipating something, are you waiting on God to do it His way or your way?
I can answer that one...my way. I work really hard making things happen...not good huh? Yeah, I know, I have found out the hard way.
Research tells me the Hebrew work 'qavah' means to bind together, look patiently, to wait or hope eagerly. The second close word in Hebrew is 'yachal' which also means wait or trust. A third Hebrew word seen in translating is 'damam'. This means to be dumb or grow silent and still, but also can mean wait. No matter which word, wait is wait and wait requires the passage of time. If you tie in faith, you have more involved than the passage of time...you now bring in expectation and hope. If you mentally braided the two words together, waiting and hoping... you are beginning to understand.
Waiting with hope will bring in another step based in knowledge and trust. If we do not have trust, we will be anxious and more tempted to take things into our own hands. Will the sun rise this morning? (Remember it is 5:30 here as I write...) Will the sun set this evening? I totally trust in these things happening. Proof over the 56 years of my life provides me with the knowledge that this is a for sure thing.
What about attitudes playing into the "wait on the Lord" idea. Do you simply sit back and do nothing? Are you passive or active? Are you negative or positive? I would hope positive activity doing the right things would be the best. This entails careful obedience by faith in our knowledge and trust in the word that has been shared with us through the Bible.
While you are waiting, seek the Lord spending time in prayer, in his Word and listening.
Wait to take action in the right time. Just as you should not plant seeds to grow a garden in the late fall...you have the knowledge to know when it is time to take action. In addition we have to learn to be content with His timing and what He provides for us. We have to give up our ideas to hear His. Time to let go of the pressures we put on ourselves with the wants of the world.
From this we learn to wait on the Lord, be content with His provisions for us and His timing in every situation. Through this you will be strengthened. This is when character is built and you grow spiritually. Wait with a positive attitude and great expectations of His plan.
Wait, Hope, Trust, be Positively Active, use Wisdom with Action, find contentment right now and EXPECT....look ahead, look up and be productive while you are waiting.
"Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. " Psalm 27:14
Laurie
"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;" Psalm 37:4-7
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