Waiting for Others

Sometimes it is not for self that we seek God's face, but for others.  Murray addressed this on day 17, using Isaiah 8:17.  However, Murray takes it in an unexpected direction.  He notes that many do not wait because there is no life in their faith. They are spiritually dead. 

"You worship with a certain congregation. Possibly there is not the spiritual life or joy either in the preaching or in the fellowship that you could desire. You belong to a Church, with its many congregations. There is so much of error or worldliness, of seeking after human wisdom and culture, or trust in ordinances and observances, that you do not wonder that God hides His face, in many cases, and that there is but little power for conversion or true edification."

So Murray focused on those who claim Christ but are spiritually dead. And they are dead to the point that God has turned His face from them. It is for those that we are to wait.  And as we wait, we must believe that God can and will deliver them.

-Mark

God's Counsel in Your Time of Need

In Murray's devotional, on day 15, I learned that believers often fail to get God's counsel in their time of need. I feel that this happens at both extremes.  When we come out of a dark place and stand on the mountain top, God's counsel is not considered. Why? Because life is good.  Or, when we are in the dark place we do not seek God's counsel? Why? Because we only want deliverance not feedback.

We all know where to find the whole counsel of God - the Bible. But, it seems to me that whether in good or bad the Bible is not considered.  We stand and celebrate deliverance, then go forth in ignorance, or we cry out in darkness for deliverance, but only open the Bible to where it brings comfort; never to where it is pointed.

Look to the whole counsel of God in your times of trouble and in your times of joy.

-Mark

Life in the Tunnel - "Oh God Where is the Light!?"

I think that today's devotional from Murray's Waiting on God is my favorite. It is Day 14 and is titled "The Way to The New Song." If you find that you are living life in a dark tunnel looking for the end and the light, then I suggest that you go and read in full what Murray has to say.

Murray speaks from personal experience when he shares that patience and suffering are firmly linked both in language and in biblical teaching. However, Murray then notes that it is God who gives His children the strength to wait, to practice patience, to suffer as we look to God for deliverance.  He shares, "Have you ever noticed what proof we have that patience is a grace for which very special grace is given, in these words of Paul: 'Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all' - what? 'patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.' Yes, we need to be strengthened with all God’s might, and that according to the measure of His glorious power, if we are to wait on God in all patience. It is God revealing Himself in us as our life and strength that will enable us with perfect patience to leave all in His hands."

I am thinking of many that even now are in the dark tunnel of life. To them it seems that there is no end in sight. They long to round the bend and see the promised light.  But still they press on. And still there is only darkness.  Murray's words give hope and a promise - that there is an end and at that at that end God will give all those who endure a new song. So my friends start humming and warming up the vocal chords; for soon you will be singing anew.

Murray's devotional is posted here. Go down to day 14 and read his insights.

-Mark

Keeping His Ways When Your World Comes Crashing Down

I had to take Saturday-Tuesday off from posting because of weekend responsibilities and a funeral on Tuesday. However, now we will resume the subject of waiting on God.  I have been reading through Andrew Murray's devotional, Waiting on God, and commenting on it. Normally after skipping a weekend, I resume on track. However, I cannot let Day 12 pass without comment.

Murray uses Psalm 37:34 and Isaiah 64:5 to stress the importance of keeping God's ways during your time of waiting on Him.  This devotional addresses a subject common among those that are waiting on God - the difficulty of godly living when your world does not make sense, when your life is crashing down around you.

There are several areas of difficulty for those who wait on God. Murray notes that it is important that the believer's outer life be in harmony with his inner life.  He writes, "How close the connection between the two parts of the injunction, 'Wait on the Lord,' - that has to do with worship and disposition; 'and keep His ways,' - that deals with walk and work. The outer life must be in harmony with the inner; the inner must be the inspiration and the strength for the outer."  On our own strength, I would say "Easier said than done, Mr. Murray." However, on God's strength, all things are possible.

It seems to me that there are at least three reactions during a time of waiting. One is faith in His righteousness. Another is to turn away from God.  Finally, and Murray addresses this, calling out God on the unfairness of life. "Life is not fair" or "Why do the unrighteous prosper and the righteous suffer?"  Take time and read Murray's thoughts on this. Also see Psalm 73. Asaph almost slipped into this problem.

Hopefully, I can keep up now that the dust has settled. You can read Murray's devotional by clicking here.

-Mark

Patience and Real Life

I am unsure if impatience is technically a sin.  Probably the idea of it is not, but the behavior associated with it is.  Regardless, Murray speaks to this subject in his day 11 devotional.  Using Psalm 37:7,9 he teaches that patience is an important part of Christian character.

It is interesting to think back on some of my mentors. Most, but not all, men in ministry have been patient. Most, but not all, leaders in my military career were impatient.  Why the difference? Because there are expectations of behavior in both cultures; and in the ministry time is a greater luxury. Also, in ministry we are dealing with real life; where patience is needed and dependence upon God a necessity. The military is not necessarily real life, but only the mission at hand; and dependence upon each other is the expectation; not dependence upon God.

I do like Murray's words where he writes, "All the exercises of the spiritual life, our reading and praying, our willing and doing, have their very great value. But they can go no farther than this, that they point the way and prepare us in humility to look to and to depend alone upon God Himself, and in patience to wait His good time and mercy. The waiting is to teach us our absolute dependence upon God’s mighty working, and to make us in perfect patience place ourselves at His disposal. They that wait on the Lord shall inherit the land; the promised land and its blessing. The heirs must wait; they can afford to wait."

In other fields, like that of the military, we do not seek to be dependent upon God. But in real life we ultimately have only that. Real life is too big for us to fully depend on each other.  We need a savior, and that savior is The Lord. And, since we have such a savior, then it a blessing to wait patiently on Him, because when He provides it will be worth the wait.

You can read Murray's devotional by clicking here.

-Mark

Great Words of Hope and Comfort

Psalm 33:18-22 is our passage today.  In it we find great words of hope and comfort for those that believe on the Lord.  In your time of need, when you are looking up to God for help, He is looking at you. And for what purpose is God looking? He is looking to deliver you from your struggles, from your misfortune.

In day 10 of Murray's devotional he comments on this, "And now, think of the God on whom we wait. 'The eye of the Lord is on them that fear Him, on them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.' Not to prevent the danger of death and famine –– this is often needed to stir the waiting on Him –– but to deliver and to keep alive. For the dangers are often very real and dark; the situation, whether in the temporal or spiritual life, may appear to be utterly hopeless. There is always one hope: God’s eye is on them."

Just think, at your time of greatest need, as you cast your face towards God, calling out for help, He is looking right at you. He is reaching down to deliver you.  Let these words be great words of hope and comfort as you wait on Him.

-Mark

Oh, Lord, I just don't understand

Often the things in life that make us wait upon God are beyond our comprehension and power. We just do not understand why nor do we have the ability to change it.  Within our time of waiting a common prayer is to say to God, "I don't understand. Why is this happening?"  Murray addresses this in day nine of his devotional.

Using both Psalm 31:24 and Proverbs 3:5, Murray sorts a person's inner man into two sections - the mind, which is the area of reason, and the heart, which is man's area to connect with God.  I do not take his position. Rather I sort people based on body, soul, and spirit. However, I do agree that people tend to either follow their heart or their mind. They  follow their heart to the exclusion of doctrine (logic). Others are so heavy on doctrine that there is no heart in their faith.

Unfortunately the second paragraph has strayed away from Murray's intent to help us learn to wait when we do not understand. So let's return to that. Murray writes, "This is now the blessedness of waiting upon God, that I confess the impotence of all my thoughts and efforts, and set myself still to bow my heart before Him in holy silence, and to trust Him to renew and strengthen His own work in me. And this is just the lesson of our text, "Let your heart take courage, all ye that wait on the Lord." Remember the difference between knowing with the mind and believing with the heart. Beware of the temptation of leaning upon your understanding, with its clear strong thoughts. They only help you to know what the heart must get from God: in themselves they are only images and shadows."

So in our times when life does not make sense, wait on God. Why? Because all our thougts and efforts are impotent, powerless.  But God can strengthen, God can restore, God can renew, God can heal, God can.....

I'll try and catch up late this evening. If not, I'll see you tomorrow.

-Mark