waiting

Part of today's message at church was about "waiting on the Lord".  This phrase has two meanings in order for prayers to be answered: 1. We must wait on Him to answer for a certain amount of time  2.  We must wait on (serve) Him - as in a waiter in a restaurant -  in order to receive the answer.  One of the many things wrong with our on demand society is that no one is willing to wait for anything anymore.  That has led to the slavery of debt in this nation.  You can have just about anything you want...you can get it right away...even if you can't afford to pay for outright.

God does not work that way.  When you ask something of Him, the rules are different. You have to be very specific about what you need from Him.  Notice I said need, not want.  God is not a genie that grants your every desire. Through prayer, praise, and absolute faith - you get put on a waiting list.  God has always known what it is you will need, but he also knows when you will really need it.  He will provide when the time is right but there is some fine print in the contract as to whether or not you are deserving.  As far as debt goes, God works in reverse to the way modern commerce does.  All our debts have already been payed in advance by the death of Jesus Christ.  God is also waiting on you to fully accept that advance offer before he provides all He has to offer you.

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage , and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait , I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off : but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think , according to the power that worketh in us   

Sunday's Lesson

2 Peter 3 (New Living Translation)

7 And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment, when ungodly people will perish. 8 But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment. 11 Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! 12 You should look forward to that day and hurry it along -- the day when God will set the heavens on fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world where everyone is right with God. 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to live a pure and blameless life. And be at peace with God. 15 And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved.