Your Daily Devotional for July 17, 2007

 

July 17,  2007

 

 

Wait on the Lord

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily."

 

Matthew 1:18-19

 

 

I often conduct wedding ceremonies at our church, and it is always amusing to me to see the excitement of the groom before we walk out onto the platform. I remember one groom who was so excited, that I could hardly get him to stand still before the ceremony! Joseph was probably no different. He had fallen in love with Mary and was eagerly awaiting their marriage when God came to him and asked him to wait.

 

Have you ever had times in your life when what you thought was going to happen, changed? Have you ever had to enter a time of waiting? We see in our verses today that Joseph faced such a waiting period. While some people may have become bitter or angry at God, Joseph simply submitted to God and obeyed Him.

 

Joseph's love for Mary was evidenced in his willingness to wait for her. First Corinthians 13:4-7 says, "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." Love never fails but is evidenced in its ability to wait on another. If we truly love God and want His best for our lives, we will wait on Him.

 

Instead of jumping to conclusions and taking matters into his own hands, Joseph sought the Lord during this time and obeyed His commands. When God asks us to wait on Him, we must not become impatient and seek our own solution. God has everything under control; He alone knows what is best for our lives! We must patiently wait on Him.

 

Some people view waiting on God as a time to do nothing, but God wants us to faithfully obey Him during this time! We cannot expect God to show us the next step in our lives if we are not faithfully obeying the commands He has already given us. We must continue in our prayer, Bible-reading, church attendance, and witness for Him.

 

The great preacher G. Campbell Morgan once said, "Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given." We must faithfully obey God as we wait on Him.

 

Are you in a waiting period? Are you faithfully obeying the commands God has already given you? He cannot direct the next step if we are not taking the steps He has already shown us. It is not easy to patiently wait on anyone, but God has a specific plan for our lives that sometimes includes a time of waiting. Obey the commands He has already given you today and remain faithful to God as you patiently wait on Him.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 18-19 • Acts 20:17-38

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