05/23/2020
When we are pursued by our enemies, and set upon by illness or other catastrophe, do we weep, and cry incessantly, before God? Do we stand before Him shouting towards His throne as if that would move Him to swifter action? Maybe we grow weary and turn to others for deliverance? The question today is how do we trust and wait upon the Lord? Trusting in God’s salvation will bring His peace to our souls... and absolute silence to us as we wait upon Him.
“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
Psalm 62:1-2 ESV
It is hard not to fret when someone we love is sick, near death, in harm’s way, or their soul is in danger of being lost. My wife and I pray for our children every day, and I remember one time in particular, when one of them was especially lost, that we frothed in prayer, and even tried to take what we were asking of God upon ourselves. Things weren’t happening quickly in this situation, and we grew fearful, and impatient... we wept, cried, became distraught, and even shouted before the throne of God for our child’s rescue, but God remained silent. Then, after all we did failed, and all hope appeared lost, we fell before God in total submission. I remember praying, as a broken man, telling God that I could not do this thing, and that I was placing my child in His hands entirely. When I prayed in this way I exhaled all of my pride, and every breath of confidence I had in myself... and the world. My ego was lost to me, replaced by a silence, and an unexplained peace, which surrounded me. The next Wednesday night in church the Lord visited me through the prayers of others, and within two weeks my child was rescued from addiction. That was many years ago, and God has had His hand on that child ever since... completely free of the addiction for all those years.
“You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.”
Psalm 77:14 ESV
God healed my child from addiction that day, but something else remarkable happened... in my brokenness, God also healed me. My trust in Him became unconditional. There is a difference between capitulating to God’s will on something, and being totally broken and submissive to Him in it. When we simply agree with God it is quite different than the moment our self-confidence is destroyed, and our will becomes His in its entirety. It is then that we learn what it means to trust, and lean, on Him.
“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.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
This is a powerful passage of scripture, and one of the Bible’s most quoted, but the majority of those who recite it have never experienced its true depth. Until our will is completely broken, and His replaces it in its entirety, then we can’t possibly understand what trusting Him is. If we are not prepared to hand our addicted child to Him completely and without reservation, watch a loved one take their final breath in the absolute assurance that He has them in His arms, turn our backs to an enemy because He has told us to lean on Him, or given all we have in this world because He has convicted us, then we have never even flirted with what this truly means. Trusting in God is not a “right now” kind of thing... it is an “always” thing, and given without a second thought. It isn’t being guilted by your pastor to give more on Sunday... it is responding to the voice of God when He says give me more, give less, give nothing, or give me everything, and perhaps it is to the Church, but it might also be to a neighbor, or to someone you have considered to be your lifelong enemy. Our commandments come from God alone, and trusting In Him entirely... without doubt. In Him we trust all of our desires, our loved ones, and ourselves...
“Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
1 Peter 4:19 ESV
Prayer:
Father thank you for being faithful to your Word, and trustworthy In all you say and do. Thank you for transforming my will into yours, and catching me as I fall back into your arms. Thank you for humbling me so that I am able to yield in obedience to you in all things. Give me your peace and rest in the face of calamity, and before the darts and spears of my enemies can pierce me. Silence me Father as I kneel before you, and place my will in your hands. Teach me what it means to trust in you, and set a table for me before my enemies... even before the world. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who awaits every prayer raised in faith, and trust, then honors it with your answer. Praised be your name as I wait in silence to receive your miracles, blessings, and the answers to my prayers offered in the name of Jesus Christ. In my obedience I worship you; in my trust I find your peace, and in my brokenness I find your comfort and rest. Help me in my unbelief, and strengthen me in the trust I have through my faith as I walk with Jesus towards your throne, and receive not what I deserve, but what He has secured for me by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. In this is my ultimate trust in you, and I will not quake before you because I hold firm to your mercy and grace forever, and forevermore. Glory be to you, for you are worthy O Lord.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust— there may yet be hope;”
Lamentations 3:25-29 ESV
Rich Forbes