Be Still, Wait on the Lord! – Emily's Snippets

A
prophecy of the birth of Jesus, the Lord, from Isaiah, took about seven hundred
years of waiting. To us a child is born, to us, a Son is given, and the
government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

Waiting for three minutes seems like
forever to us. Waiting takes patience, requires self-discipline, and trusting
God. Patience is one of the Fruit of the Spirit given by God.
(Galatians 5:22-23).

Self-discipline
requires renewal of the mind. How can this be? Jesus taught ‘to put
off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is
corrupt through deceitful desires, and to
be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put
on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true
righteousness and holiness.’ Ephesians 4:22-24.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on
your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will
make straight your paths. Proverb 3:5-6. Trust God our Father,
for in Him there are no broken promises. We can rely and depend on Him.

Waiting is difficult when waiting for a baby, watching for a star to shine, to
travel, and yet Joseph waited, Mary waited for their firstborn. They waited and
watched for the Messiah to be born. Did the star come in its usual orbit
to shine over the manger where Christ Jesus was born? Why were the shepherds
the first to hear of the birth of Jesus? So many questions.

All this God did is prophecy and fulfill His Words Is it any wonder we glorify
His Name? God set all parts of the Birth of Jesus in motion because of His Love
for us. He sent His Son to become flesh and be the sacrifice for our sins through
the crucifixion. God raised Jesus from the dead and to return to His
Father in Heaven. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12 is my song.

One young father lost his young son in death and thought how God lost His Son
in death, gave him encouragement and comfort. For the God who raised His Son
from the grave, also raises His children from the grave through Jesus Christ.
Even in death, there is a time of waiting.

How can we be sure we are His children? We begin following these two
commands, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first
commandment. And a second is like
it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39.

How are we able to differentiate between the voice of Man and the voice of God?
Know God through His Word. Surrendering our will to His, is another way
of surrendering. He will make straight your paths, from Proverbs 3,
means to hunger and thirst for righteousness in all we think, do, and
say. We cannot do this on our own. The world is relentless.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist
him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are
being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after
you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you
to his eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm,
strengthen, and establish you. I Peter 5:8-10.

We wait while God works in our lives, every moment, being
alert at all times. Our desires and our wants to be His, begins with
living in purposeful righteousness. In time Jesus Christ will return to earth
and take us Home. When I first read these verses, my heart filled with joy. “Let
not your hearts be troubled…” I knew the joy of belonging to God. There was
more, Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe
also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take
you to myself, that where I am, you may be also. John 14:1-3.

He built us a place to live with Him. My mind is always alert and lives in
expectation for the eternal love of God. One memory I had a few years ago
is waiting for the time to pray with my prayer partners. Suddenly the clouds
shifted in the sky and a glorious light pierced the windshield and filled the
car. “Jesus?” I responded. He did not appear.

Not
yet, I realized. I must go on waiting and walking with Him and…

Commit
your way to the Lord, trust
in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth His righteousness as the light, and
your justice as the noonday. Be still before
the Lord and wait
patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices! Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves
justice; He will not forsake
His saints. They are preserved
forever, but the children of the wicked
shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. Psalm 37:5-7, 27-29.

But you,
beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying
in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out
of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the
garment stained by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with
great joy, to the
only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty,
dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:20-25

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