Deut. 30-31; Psalm 40; I Cor. 1

"I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:1-3

There is a common thread in all three of our Bible reading passages today and it is 'waiting'. In Deuteronomy 30-31, Moses is waiting to be with the Lord while the children of Israel are waiting to enter the Promised Land. In I Corinthians 1, the newly birthed church is assiduously waiting for the second return of Christ and David is giving God thanks for hearing him while he was waiting patiently on the Lord. How many times we find our selves saying, "Lord, I'm waiting..."? Waiting for breakthrough, healing, provision, spiritual growth, direction, wisdom--we wait. We wait for God to work in our lives, to answer prayer and to shape and mold us into His image. Most of all, we wait for His soon return! Waiting is one of the best places and one of the most difficult places to be; I will be the first to say that the word 'patient' does not always accompany the word, 'wait' in my life. Psalm 27 says, "[I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (vv. 13-14) This waiting is accompanied with a sense of anticipation and in Psalm 40:1, it infers a waiting with strength and a binding together. How can we become patient in waiting? First, develop your faith through prayer, praise and God's Word. Rehearse the good things God has done in the past in order to be encouraged that He will answer prayer for the things you are waiting for now. Stay connected in fellowship. You'll be encouraged by other believers as you are waiting and you will also be an encourager. Lastly, let those songs of praise to our God flow and as you are waiting with patience you will be a testimony to those around you and they also will trust in the Lord. "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." James 5:7-8

Next Reading: Deut. 32-34; I Cor. 2