DCLM Daily Manna 2024: DCLM Daily Manna 16 December 2024: Blessed Are Those Who Wait
Text: Isaiah 30:18-26 (KJV)
18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.
23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
24 The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
25 And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
KEY VERSE: Isaiah 30:18
“And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”
The world is accustomed to haste. Many prefer to travel on the fast lane, own fast cars, fast telephony, fast Internet connections and eat fast foods. With the world wired together by awesome communication technology into one small global village, many business and lifestyle decisions can be made in no time by the touch of a gadget. The world is filled with the plague of impatience from coast to coast. Sadly, many Christians have contracted this syndrome and have been stung by the haste bug.
God warned Israel about rebellion and lack of patience in waiting on Him. He informed them that in quietness and in confidence will their strength be after their repentance. He, therefore, promised to be gracious and merciful to them, if they wait for Him.
Waiting on the Lord, however, should not be assumed to mean stoppage of all efforts towards the realisation of one’s set goals. Being patient for God to intervene in our affairs does not turn us into fatalistic believers, doing nothing and hoping for something. Waiting for God actually means turning to Him in prayers, trusting in His word for the things we desire, doing our best as may be required and looking up to Him, until He sends the blessings we ask.
Whatever the needs of our lives – child-bearing, marriage partner, marital bliss, good job, healing, personal spiritual growth, ministerial progress – waiting is an activity that involves the pursuit of God for the realisation of desires. Whoever waits on Him must earnestly seek His face and stand upon His promises until the requests are granted. For our waiting to be fruitful, therefore, it has to be accompanied by holiness and blamelessness, faith, courage, hope, patience and service unto the Lord.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
An impatient Christian is like a vehicle without brakes.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Isaiah 61-66
Daily Manna 16 December 2024
