Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part Nine

 

Psalm 37:7

Rest in The LORD, and wait patiently for Him:

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

because of the man who brings 

wicked schemes to pass.

    Did you know that the word 'fret' does not mean 'anxious' or 'worry'? I didn't until I studied it out. Verse 8 accentuates the definition of fret, making it plain to us that fretting is frowned upon by God. 

    To fret is to lack constraint in our emotional desire to get even, to get angry, to take vengeance against the person or persons who has or have wronged us. To fret is to be indignant, hateful, mean-spirited, waspish, evil-minded, jealous, envious. It is the opposite of Christlike behavior. 

    Rest in The Lord. Let Him give us rest from the battles of this life. Allow Him to take the lead. Wait on His direction. Sometimes the directive from God is immediate. When we allow His Holy Spirit to fill us with God's Peace, the need for retaliation dissipates and disappears. We forgive the insult and the intent. 

    And though the enemy of our soul may constantly bring old things to mind, taunting us with our seemingly apparent failures or old thefts committed against us, we need to stand firm on God's Word and remember that we have forgiven the old assaults and intents; now we are forgivers, not haters. We are a new creation in Christ and as such, we pray that the same Christ Who dwells us would dwell in the hearts of those who have sinned against us. 

    We rest in His promises, which are many. We take rest in His Word, which is consistent and unchanging. What God promised in the beginning to those who would believe and obey, He promises now to us who believe and obey His Word.  This is but one promise. 

    There are hundreds, but I'm not going to list them here. However, if you need another example, Deuteronomy 28 is a good place to start. The first half is all the promises that will overtake us when we obey God's Word. The second half is all the promises that will happen if we disobey God's Word. 

    Rest. Wait. Fret Not. Take everything that's been done against you, write it down if you must, then bring it to The Lord in prayer. And leave it there. 

The Wait of Preparation

 Psalm 130:5

I wait for The LORD; my soul does wait, and in His Word I put my hope. 

Wait: twist, linger, expectancy, bind together, patient seeking

    Actively seeking what The LORD had promised is the word "Wait" not only here but in too many other verses to mention. Sorry, you'll have to study that much more out for yourself. 

    As for myself, I'm learning to "wait". The LORD says that I am not stuck, I am "waiting"; I'm in a waiting place, seeking Him out where He can be found, placing all my hope in Him. The LORD is my Testimony, my Sanctifier. For He has set me apart from who I used to be and the worldly lifestyle I used to participate in. How this world defines quiet times, God says, "Come to Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28; Jeremiah 31:25). 

    I'm seeking an audience with The King, to meet Him face to face and remain there in His eternal presence for ever and ever. But to get there I must first seek Him out here in this life God has given me. I must read His Word daily, asking Him to reveal Himself to me, that I may know in each day what He would have me to know, to understand, to take in that I may grow in Him and He in me. 

    The twisting in this word "wait" means 'to bind together'. It is not twisting in the wind, being blown from one doctrine to another to none. It is to be so fully intertwined with God The Father, God The Son and God The Spirit that none can tear us apart. This is the covenant relationship which is promised to each faithful believer who follows Christ wherever He leads us. This is strength in unity. 

    Beyond the individual who waits on The LORD, there is congregational waiting, when believers come together in worship and prayer to seek out God through faith in Christ, who seek to be empowered by God's Holy Spirit. Breathe on us, Holy Spirit. Take our little bits of faith and grow in us righteousness that we might, indeed, be called and known as trees of righteousness, the planting of The LORD God. 

    That's why we go to church. As long as the person giving the message from God is anointed by God to do so, may our ears be prepared to hear, our hearts be prepared to receive and obey The Word being preached or taught. 

    Let nothing distract us from waiting for The LORD. The Word tells us "not to look to the left, nor to the right", but to focus on what is ahead of us. The immediate path, the Holy Way, the path of righteousness wherein we walk by faith in The Son of God, Who not only leads us up this path, but walks with us. How wonderful to know that Jesus walks with me! 

    I'm not stuck. I'm waiting for The Lord.