LEARN TO WAIT ON GOD
They that wait upon the Lord will 'exchange' strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isa 40:31).
Two Concepts What does the Bible mean when it says to ' '... wait upon the Lord? ' ' There are two concepts involved in "waiting upon the Lord. '
These are:
a. Waiting for God's Time. That is, take no major action until God shows you it is time to act.
b. Waiting in Prayer and Fasting. To spend time prayerfully in God's presence in devotional exercises, sometimes involving fasting as well as prayer.
Waiting God's Time
God Controls the Time. The Bible says, "...When the fullness of time -was come, God sent forth his Son... " (Gal 4:4). God controls the times and seasons. He had a time to send Jesus into the world. He has a time for all things. Wait for God's time. Do not get ahead and do not lag behind. Wait upon the Lord. He will reveal His time to you. The times and seasons are in the Father's own power (Acts 1:7). Let us learn to wait patiently on Him. He will reveal the times and seasons to us when we need to know them.
Waiting in Prayer and Fasting "Let not them that wait upon thee ...be ashamed, let not those that seek thee be confounded... "(Ps 69:6). If we are to "exchange" our limited strength for His unlimited power, we must establish a consistent daily devotional habit. Disciplining oneself to times of regular prayer (and fasting) is one of the most difficult things for most church leaders to do. The pressure of daily schedules and activities tend to rob us of these essential devotional times with the Lord.
How Do Daily Devotional Times Help? Try this experiment. Fill a pitcher right to the top brim with water. Fill it so full another drop would make it run over. Then start dropping in stones about the size of your hand. What happens? With every stone that goes in the pitcher, a like amount of water overflows and spills out from the pitcher. This is the way we exchange our strength for God's. We are filled with the water of our own strength. As we spend time in prayer, God begins dropping in the stones of His strength and power. These stones of grace displace the water of negative unbelieving attitudes, stones of dependence on the Lord displace the stagnant water of "I can do it without God" attitudes. His divine enablement fills our life, and our powerlessness is replaced with His strength. How can I cause God's strength to fill my life? It is a natural-supernatural process. If you spend daily time in prayer it will be like the growing-up process. A child does not grow up and become strong by thinking about it or trying to force himself to grow up. It is a natural process that happens as a result of proper diet and exercise. In the same way, if we will spend time each day reading the Bible and praying, this spiritual nutrition will promote the growth of God's strength in his life. The exchange of your strength for His, will take place gradually and consistently.
How Should I Conduct My Devotional Time?
1) Confess Sin. Ask the Lord to bring any un-confessed sins to your mind. Acknowledge these sins to God and ask for and receive His forgiveness and cleansing (Un 1:9,10).
2) Praise God. Next, take time to give thanks and praise to God for Who He is and for what He has done (Ps 100).
3) Surrender the Day to God. Tell God how much you need His direction and guidance. Ask for His guidance and obey any instructions you feel God gives you in prayer.
4) Pray for Family, Church, All Believers. Pray for your spouse, children, and family members. Pray for your church members and leaders. Pray for believers in other parts of the world. Pray for the orphans and widows (those without family).
5) Pray for Leaders, Missionaries, Evangelism. Pray for the leaders of your nation. Pray for your spiritual leaders. Pray for the tribes and language groups in your part of the world who still need the gospel. Pray for the missionaries and for the evangelization of other nations.
6) Pray in Other Tongues. In all this praying — let the Holy Spirit's action come upon you and pray in other tongues (languages) and pray for the interpretation of your prayers in other tongues (1 Cor 14:13,14).
7) Write Down What the Lord Gives You and Do It! Write down impressions you feel came to you from the Lord during your prayer time. Take obedient action in response to anything God gives you in prayer.