Friday: Further Thought – Wait on the Lord
Daily Lesson for Friday 29th of March 2024
Read Ellen G. White, “Growing Up Into Christ,” pp. 67–75, in Steps to Christ.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
The Psalms utter fervent appeals to wait on the Lord. “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalms 37:7, NKJV). When waiting strikes us as burdensome, uncertain, and lonely, we should remember the disciples on the day of Jesus’ ascension to heaven (Acts 1:4-11). Jesus was taken up to heaven before their eyes, while they were left behind to wait for Him to come back on some unknown future day. Who has ever experienced a more intense yearning to receive God’s blessing now than the disciples on that day? They surely longed, “Lord, take us with You now.” Yet, they were instructed to wait for the promise of the Father and for Jesus’ return. If we think that the disciples were filled with despair and disappointment, we will be surprised. They returned to Jerusalem and did exactly what Jesus told them—they waited for the gift of the Holy Spirit and then preached the gospel to the world with power (Acts 1:12-14, Acts 2:1-47).
Our Lord’s commandment to wait on Him is an impossible one unless He has done His work in us through the Holy Spirit. No amount of human enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that waiting will impose upon our frail self. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is abiding in Jesus Christ, namely, a personal relationship with Him. “Then if Christ is dwelling in our hearts, He will work in us ‘both to will and to do of His good pleasure.’ Philippians 2:13. We shall work as He worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And thus, loving Him and abiding in Him, we shall ‘grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.’ Ephesians 4:15.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 75. As we continue to wait on the Lord, we will find peace and contentment in the Psalms. Our prayers and songs are where God’s heart and our hearts meet daily.
Discussion Questions
- Why is waiting significant in our spiritual life? Discuss the experiences of waiting of some biblical heroes of faith. How did waiting purify and strengthen their faith? (Romans 4:19-22, Hebrews 11:1-40).
- What is the end of our waiting? (Psalms 37:34-40). That is, what are we promised when all things are, finally, resolved? What hope do we find in these texts, for instance, about the justice that has so long been missing in this life?
- Why, as far as the dead are concerned, and as far as their own experience goes (Ecclesiastes 9:5), is their waiting for Jesus almost done? What hope can we take from the answer?
(15)
We have come to the end of our study of the Psalms, It has been an interesting journey. Carmel and I read the whole book. I have the complete works of J S Bach on CDs (someone was throwing them out and I rescued them. There are a lot of CDs and a lot of music to listen to. After listening to some of them you realise that Back wrote a lot of fairly mundane music. He wrote masterpieces that everyone knows about. But he also wrote "Etudes" which are essentially practice pieces for his students.
The Psalms are a bit like that. There are the masterpieces and the study pieces. Some of them like Psalms 19 and 23 resonate strongly with me while others - particularly those about torturing the enemies are disquieting and challenge our notion of inspiration.
Overall, the experience was worthwhile for me and has given me a better understanding of the Psalms,
Here is a final thought:
After the disciples had eaten with Jesus, they sang a hymn (Probably a Psalm) and then went out to face the real world. And we know that it was not pretty. After we have read and studied the Psalms are we ready to go our and face our real world?
Maurice - thank you for sharing that Psalm 19 and 23 resonate with you; they resonate with me as well. I was not familiar with Psalm 19, but just now read it and place it happily with the group of my most favorite Psalms.
Studying this quarter's lesson, Isaiah 30:15 has become one of my favorits. I hope that you as well will find it providing good food for meditative thought.
When considering the meaning of the word ‘wait’, it occurred to me to have the same meaning as the words ‘faith’ and ‘hope’. ‘Waiting’ does not mean the time we wait on the Lord is void of action; we actually engage in the most powerful aspect of our faith.
Learning to see ‘faithful and hopeful’ as active aspects of our faith, I found that without maintaining these two aspects in heart and mind as we 'wait on the Lord', our faith would be futile. My heart and mind are more at peace now then they were at the beginning of this study.
My new understanding about the spiritual 'waiting' has increased my faith and hope as I am now better equipped to –
‘Wait upon the Lord’ – Gen. 49:18; Psalm 46:10; Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31; Lamentations 3:25; Isaiah 30:18; Psalm 130:5-6; Psalm 33:20-22; Exodus 14:14; Psalm 62:5; Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 64:4; Psalm 130:5; Prov.20:22.