As believers in Jesus Christ, there is one thing we should desire above anything and everything else in our present state of distress, and that is the presence of God.
Our prayer should match Isaiah’s, who cried out, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!” (Isaiah 64:1)
And while we cry out for God’s presence to come down and bring righteousness and justice, are we prepared to fulfill its requirements?
The first requirement is to wait patiently and expectantly.
“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” (Isaiah 64:4)
How well do we wait? If you ask me, not very well! If God doesn’t move on our timetable, then we move ahead without Him, and in the process, we fall flat on our faces time and again. But when we learn to wait upon the Lord, He promises us strength and the ability to fly above the raging storms that encircle our lives.
The prophet Isaiah said, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
The second requirement is to do what is right, and to do what is right calls for us to follow God’s Word and His ways.
The prophet Isaiah said of the Lord, “You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways.” (Isaiah 64:5)
However, this is not as easy as it sounds, especially in our present generation that has turned so far away from God that they are now calling evil what God says is good, and they are calling good what God says is evil.
And the sad reality is that we are living in country that is legislating morality based upon popularity and experience, and as a result God’s presence is no longer here for us.
And so, we need to pray, wait, and turn from our wickedness if we want to experience God’s presence once again.
Dennis Lee is the senior pastor of Living Waters Fellowship located at 211 West 1st South, behind ACE Hardware.
This Sunday Pastor Dennis will be looking at Overcoming Faith through the life of Daniel.
Sunday morning service begins at 10 a.m. either in-person or on-line (Children and Youth ministry available). All services and teachings, including Sunday 6 p.m. service, are available on our YouTube Channel, “Mesquite NV Living Waters Fellowship.”
Pastor Lee also provides daily inspiration (Devotionals, Thoughts, and Tweets) on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/dennis.lee.3760/).
To find more about Living Waters Fellowship visit, “mesquitelivingwaters.com.”
Thank you for the reminder that God’s time is the perfect time!!
Ed, Thank you my friend. I am keeping you guys in prayer. Take care of yourself and I pray God’s hand of healing upon you. Love and miss you.
So true. Often times, even when we do desire God’s presence, we don’t always seek Him in the way He asks us to. We can be quick to point the finger to our government, and although there are many atrocities against God’s principles going on with the government ranks, it always begins with the church. It’s only when we humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our sins that we will see the revival that we all long for (2 Chronicles 7:14). As far as jumping ahead and not waiting on the Lord, I have learned the consequences of doing just that and taking a fall as a result. However having learned from that the hard way, I have since then experienced the blessing of truly waiting on the Lord in obedience, and as a result, He has given me and my family so much peace. That is what those around us are going to be looking for when we proclaim the gospel.
Debbie, thank you for sharing these thoughts, and yes, we are the only Bible people are ever going to read, so are the reading our desire for God in our lives?
Take care and God bless
Dennis
Pastor Dennis
Well said, it is difficult to Wait upon the Lord as we as a society look for instant gratification.
Let us pray that we as Christians will Wait upon the Lord, and stand Firm on His word, which is TRUTH. He has a plan for each one of us if we will humble ourselves and seek Him.
Blessings
James
James, we are the generation of fast food and microwave meals. We are a people now of little or no patience. What I find interesting is how much we want others and God to be patient with us, but we are unwilling to be patient with God and/or others. Take care my friend and God bless – Dennis
In a world who expects instant gratification. Patience can be a needed virtue. It is the most difficult, yet the most needed.
Arlene, you are absolutely correct, the unfortunate part is that we’re not willing to be patient while waiting for patience. I pray you have a good evening and a great tomorrow. Thanks for being such a good friend.