"I have learned to wait upon the King of kings before I wait on my earthly sovereign."
The phrase "wait upon" was common in the days of serfdom and slavery. It means to "be attendant to" or "to be a servant of." It was the custom of Lord Dartmouth to receive his marching orders every morning from God through prayer and meditation. His time with God meant more to Lord Dartmouth than his time with King George II.
His is a practice worth our imitation.
14 comments:
"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."
According to Isaiah 40:31, it seems likely that God has things in mind for us which will require new strength. If we won't wait on Him, how can we expect the strength to do what He has in mind .. a-k-a lead an abundant life?
For what it's worth, this verse is the source of my internet nickname, etc. A strong eagles is a mighty fowl.
I sometimes think about Our Lord's request to His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, this:
"38 Then He said to them . . . . remain here and keep watch with Me." (Matt. 26)
'with' Him . . . and they fell asleep instead
We can sometimes think about waiting upon the Lord as serving Him, but sometimes it can be keeping watch 'with Him' . . . keeping vigil . . . like when people pray through the night for sick child or for a person near death . . . there is an element of patience and watchfulness and caring enough to remain 'alert' and to spend time 'with' Our Lord in prayer
Another thought about 'waiting upon the Lord' has to do with how we are 'works in progress' and in great need of possessing patience and the virtue of longsuffering during the painful process of transformation we are undergoing
. . . In the words of Flannery O’Connor,
‘ in us the good is something under construction’
And finally, 'waiting upon the Lord' touches our existence in time and Our Lord's in eternity and how this is to be lived out reverently . . . this helps me to think about the vastness of time and eternity and our journeying 'with Him' and 'in Him':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvmVGFA-AzA
Some observations ...
What is there to wait upon the Lord when the Lord is your center and He dwells within you?
I used to spend a quite time every day contemplating, reading the bible and meditating. But I have given up this fixed practice. Now I do as I am lead to either prayer, contemplation, reading and meditating as my heart prompts. And this can happen any time or in any situation.
Nothing wrong with either way. Just a different way.
Also when one is centered as in a hub of a wheel, one expends less energy either physical, mental or emotional. To be honest I am rarely at the center, more at the periphery constantly flailing. Center is where there is less stress, minimal action. I think THIS explains the part about wings of eagle and not getting tired ...
My 2c.
Bob,
Your quoted Isaiah 40:31 I like the NLT: “…They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
I think the last is the highest complement, because flying and running are done when a person is in good shape. Walking is the last struggle.
I related to walking when I finished a marathon with no running except a computer. When asked how I placed, my answer: “Overall, I came in fourth.”
Their doubt changed to smiles when I continued: “But I’m not telling which end of the race I’m talking about.”
Ramesh,
"What is there to wait upon the Lord when the Lord is your center and He dwells within you?"
Very perceptive comment.
Rex,
That's funny!
Bob,
Of course! Now I get the blog name!
Christiane,
Great thoughts!
Stories:
Most of his life our father, Dave Ray, encouraged young people to go to college. Probably the last one was when our father was in his 80’s. This boy quit his job as a construction flagman when he had to jump in the ditch to keep an old guy from running over him.
My niece moved to Washington. She told her neighbor she was from Ector, Texas. That brought an angry look of recognition. “Your grandfather put me in the ditch three times!”
Once, when my niece was 8, our father drove her and her friend to school. They thought they would be killed and laid on the floorboard of the backseat.
“Will you pray?”
“I lay me down to sleep…”
Rex became a Christian when he was 10.
Twin Hez waited until he was 12.
Not long afterwards they were scared with their father driving. Rex said, “I’m glad you got saved…now we can all go to heaven together.”
We almost went to heaven 3 months before we were born as our mother was knocked unconscious. Without brakes, he met a bus on a one-way bridge so he hit the bridge.
The law required a person to be 16 to have a hardship driving license, but my sister wanted one for her 14 year old daughter. She was turned down by a ‘hard nose’ authority. She went to another town but the application was sent to ‘hard nose’.
“You tried to go behind my back didn’t you?”
“Yes, but my daughter will have to walk three miles to school.”
“Well, doesn’t she have a grandparent that could drive her?”
“Do you know who her grandfather is?”
“No.”
“Dave Ray.”
“I’ll grant the license.”
One of the aspects of this truth of "waiting upon the Lord" is we fail to understand what that really means.
I am as guilty as any in my lifetime of not knowing the difference between a "need"" and a "want!" Likewise I have been guilty in ascribing my "need" as being moral, therefore just therefore in God's Will when I never asked Him if it was in His Will. There are many a thing which, if desired, are not sinful...wrong to want or to have and such, but, lets face it, it may have zero to do with God's Will for you at that time. This is not to say that out of the choices we make with our free will that God is somehow thwarted by you. Not at all, His Will is going to be accomplished no matter what we do.
In the late 80's I wanted, so very badly, to leave enlisted life in the Air Force, and become an officer, more importantly (to me) become a pilot. I came up to obstacle after obstacle, mountain after mountain. In overcoming each I did thank God. Especially on that day at Vance AFB in Enid I was on whats called an 89 PASS OR FAIL OUT ride! Oh my, did God ever show up that day!
I tell you all this because it was not until about 8-10 years later that I realized I NEVER once put it all before the Lord as a matter for Him to direct my heart and soul on. I was simply asking Him over and over to give me the desire of my heart and while at this point I can see His Will is being done in my life regardless I wonder what I missed along the way because of that lack of spiritual maturity.
I have grown a lot since a better understanding of Psalm 37, of the scripture show in this posting by Wade and others mentioned in the comments prior to mine. I see and understand "waiting upon the Lord" in a wholly different light than I did as a young man. There is not just His Majesty to witness, not just His molding of your life to experience, but a joy in the journey with a "peace that surpasses all understanding!"
Dave Panzera,
You seem to have a lot of experience in applying Scripture to life. Have you ever studied the ‘battle’ that Paul had with false teachers of Christ?
I believe (Galatians 5:11 Living) tells these teachers persecuted Paul: “Some people say that I myself am preaching that circumcision and Jewish laws are necessary to the plan of salvation. Well, if I preached that, I would be persecuted no more…The fact that I am still being persecuted proves that I am still preaching salvation through faith in the cross of Christ alone.”
This was Paul’s advice on what to say to these teachers: “…if anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him!” (Galatians 1:9 Holman)
I believe Paul had these people in mind who should be cursed:
1. “…some men…began to teach…”Unless you are circumcised … you cannot be saved.” “…believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees insisted the Gentile converts must be circumcised and follow the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:1, 5 NLT)
2. “…false teachers of yours who…bring long letters of recommendation with them.” (2 Corinthians 3:1 Living)
3. “…they preach a different Jesus…” “…”super apostles” who teach such things.” “These people are false apostles.” (2 Corinthians 11:4, 5, 13 NLT)
4. “…those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.” (Galatians 1:7 NLT)
5. “…so-called Christians—false ones…wanted to force us to follow their Jewish regulations.” Galatians 2:4 NLT)
6. “…men from James…the circumcision party.” (Galatians 2:12 Holman)
7. “Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor…” “But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law…” (Galatians 4:17, 29 NLT)
8. “Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised…” (Galatians 6:12 NLT)
9. “Watch out for those dogs…who say you must be circumcised to be saved.” (Philippians 3:2 NLT)
Dave, what do you think Paul thought when he heard these words? “…You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.” (Acts 21:20 Holman)
Rex,
Thanks for the note...I hope I have answered your question and understood it correctly.
I think in that moment he may well have been pointing out how easily led astray the human being is without a complete focus on God. In each one of the examples given here (and we know there are more beyond them) the singular aspect of "self" seems to come out in a prominent way. Each one of them has the Man-Made layer on top of what God has said or instructed.
I am reminded of a story (I do not know how true it is) of a company that made a cake mix. It was perfect. You added water and baked. In other words you did next to nothing to make this cake....it did not sell well at all. Until, that is, the actions to make the cake were changed. The only other thing you needed to add was an egg. You have to be kidding me that this made all the difference, however, in sales, they deal with the human psyche and understand that people, at the end of the day, like CONTROL. So, with YOU adding the one egg, YOU made the cake, because YOU made it complete...the whole world centers around YOU!!!
Exactly what our enemy the devil wants. The focus is now off of the Sovereign Lord of all Creation and on self...just like in the garden when we looked at the tree full of forbidden fruit. We thought we knew better. We added this ceremony, or that law, or this new rule and somehow we are now MORE Holy than before when it is Christ, His blood, His sacrifice, His action on the cross ALONE that does it all...
We have to stop thinking we have to add anything to God, Paul had no problem pointing this out, he saw it, appropriately, as apostasy and as a ruinous action against the testimony of a professing believer.
Dave,
You gave excellent reasons why people want to add man-made necessary requirements to be in God’s will.
EXAMPLE
At the First Church Counsel, James said in (Acts 15:20 Holman) “We should write them [Christian Gentiles] to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood.”
Christian Gentiles were waiting the First Church Counsel’s decision what they must do to be saved. The church’s letter omitted Peter’s,”…saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, but had: “For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision [WOW! YOU CAN’T ARGUE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!] and ours to put no greater burden on you than these NECESSARY things: that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” (Acts 15:28 Holman)
What was James’ reasoning? TRADITION:
“For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”
We know what Jesus thought about TRADITION.
I’ll repeat the question: What do you think Paul thought when he heard these words? “…You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.” (Acts 21:20 Holman)
I personally think Paul thought he had found the Jerusalem Church to be the source of all others he believed to be cursed.
Rex
What is your take on Paul's apparent capitulation to James and the Jerusalem church in Acts 18:18b and in Acts 21 : 26,27. ? Should we follow his example by submitting to the traditions of the Jews and of the Church ?
Dave,
I’m sure you would agree that Paul was not Jesus in ‘sticking to his guns’ or the term you used: “capitulation” which is ‘giving up’. This is seen when they both opposed the High Priest.
Jesus: “Why are you [high priest] asking me this question…?” “…one of the Temple guards…slapped Jesus across the face…” “Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” (John 18:21-23 NLT)
Paul: “God will strike you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?” “I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realize he was the high priest…” (Acts 23:3, 5 NLT)
This is my answer to you asking my take of you saying: “Paul’s apparent capitulation to James and the Jerusalem church in Acts 18:18: “… [Paul] went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow.” (NLT)
This was before he met with the Jerusalem church. He probably had been doing this all his life since he was raised as a strict Jew.
You ask: “Should we follow his example by submitting to the traditions of the Jews and of the Church?”
Let’s see: What he did was what he had been doing all his life. But the big question is WHY? Answer: IF HE DIDN’T, HE MIGHT BE KILLED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE JERUSALEM CHURCH.
(What should WE do? They will certainly hear that you have come.” (Acts 21:22 NLT)
Notice the leaders of the church have called him “brother”, and now they are saying “we”. They act like they are on his side. It was not a real question because they had the answer with their next breath: “Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men…Go with them to the Temple…paying for having their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false…” (Acts 21: 23-24 NLT)
They had one day to come up with a plan to get ‘hot potato’ Paul off their hands by exposing him to the Temple where men wanted to kill him. That would be his last days of freedom. Paul would come more going with four men than by himself; especially by him paying for them.
For us to follow what Paul did is nothing compared to us following what Peter did when he faced a little fear and denied knowing Jesus.
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