June 17, 2013 … Learning To Stand By Waiting

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 168

Passage of the Day #1: Exodus 14: 13a [In the context of verses 13-14.] [NLT] …  
13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the LORD rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. 14 The LORD himself will fight for you. You won’t have to lift a finger in your defense!”
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Contextual Study for today’s passage: Exodus, Chapter 14 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Psalm 37: 7 and 39-40 [Waiting on God many times is the strongest act of faith.] [NLT] …
7 Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. … 
39 The LORD saves the godly; He is their fortress in times of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in Him.

Reference Passage #2: Proverbs 3: 5-6 [Searching for the answers sometimes means to wait on God.] [NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.

Reference Passage #3: Philippians 4: 6-7 [Searching for God’s peace by just waiting on God can sometimes be exhausting.] [NLT] …  
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

My Journal for Today: Sometimes its toughest, as Christians, to stand-in-the-gap by faith by merely waiting on God to do His thing. As humans, we’re bent toward problem solving … on our own, especially us men; or we lean toward doing battle in faith, as Paul wrote about in Eph. 6: 13-18 [go look that one up if you don’t know what’s there], standing in the gap, wearing the full armor of God. We want to take action and fight in faith, don’t we?

In our illustration passage for today, however, those poor Jews who were being led out of Egypt by God and Moses; and they were backed up against the Red Sea (see the link to Exodus 14 above). They had no armaments and no where to do. God had forced them to take a stand of faith by WAITING and watching the Lord do His thing.

Ever been in a place where you had no battle plan, … no battle strategy other than waiting? We feel helpless, don’t we? It’s just like those Israelites must’ve felt, being backed up against the sea with the Egyptians in pursuit of their lives.

And the anointed young David had to learn this lesson of waiting on God to act when his predecessor, King Saul, was pursuing him in the desserts of Sinai. But he learned to wait on God, … to rest in the waiting, … and to watch, in faith, as God protected David and his followers. And we can read about that attitude of faith by waiting in the song David wrote about it all in Psalm 37, several of the passages from which are copied above.

What about it fellow seeker, when we feel threatened, are we willing to wait in faith and to rest in the belief – the absolute faith – that God will never leave us or forsake us; … that God will direct our paths (as He promises in Prov. 3: 5-7 if we refrain from leaning on our own understanding, … but when we’re willing to wait on Him and praying as Paul wrote about in Phil. 4: 6-7, also copied above.

Admittedly waiting in faith can be really a tough battle strategy at times. However, when we’re backed up against the Red Sea, it’s the only battle strategy. And when we have no where else to go in life but to wait on God, … WE WAIT!

 Let me close this AM by linking you to a wonderful song, written and sung by an Irish brother and sister, duo, Keith and Kristyn Getty. The song is entitled By Faith; and it says about everything we need to say about our waiting in faith. …

My Prayer for Today … Lord, I wait on You … in faith. … Amen