Waiting on the Lord

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Scripture

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple.
(Psalms 27:4 NASB)
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
(Psalms 27:5 NASB)
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
(Psalms 27:13 NASB)
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
(Psalms 27:14 NASB)

Observation

I was probably born a bit impatient. I have always loved being on the go and getting things done. However, it is this characteristic that can get me out in front of God, instead of waiting on the Lord. Here the Psalmist reflects on the lessons that he has learned and they are a lesson to us as well.

The Psalmist desires to be in the house of the Lord every single day of his life. Not just sometimes. Not just when he's on vacation, but rather a spiritual discipline which includes patience that takes him into the house of the Lord. Once in the house of the Lord, he focus on the Lord. He is the bridegroom, the one with whom we are falling deeply in love. Our love for him grows and grows and we simply want to look at him -- gazing on him and his beauty. We fall so in love with him as we wait in his house that we can't even take our eyes off of him. He is the object of all of our desires and so we stay in his home and we meditate there in his temple.

The bridegroom loves his bride and will do everything he can to care for her. When things get difficult he will protect her from the inclement weather outside. In the very holy of holies he will protect her from anything that may be thrown at her and when the floods of difficulty surround, he will find higher ground and place her on higher ground.

God's promises are not just for the future, but they are for the here and now. The kingdom of God has already come and we are invited to live a life within that kingdom on a daily basis. His tent represents a piece of his kingdom which is already here on earth. If our hope is only for the future, then we would despair in this lifetime, but that's not God's promise. God's promises are for us now, they are for us today. That is why we don't have to despair or simply be waiting on a future return of Christ. We can step into his holy presence today and we can see his goodness right now, in the land of the living. He wants to step into this world in a way which provides a glimpse of the kingdom which is to come through his children, through his bride, who is willing to be patient, and wait today in his tent, eyes fixed on the beauty of the beloved.

Application

The imagery of this language may make some of us uncomfortable. However, the depth of love which may be experienced in the temple of God's presence on a daily basis is probably beyond our imagination. And yet, this is his promise for each and every single one of us. Sadly, and speaking to myself, we are often so busy that we don't want to take the time to wait. We want to get on with our day and we dwell on the tasks which lie ahead of us, rather than on him. Yes, the word meditation is right there in the scripture because that should be a part of our prayer lives. We must slow down and meditate on Jesus Christ -- our loving Lord and Savior. He is the object of all our desires and everything else that happens in our Christian lives is simply the result of the overflow of that love. Without this relationship we truly would despair, but with him there is no despair.

We are moving into the season of Lent. What about committing to 40 days of intimacy in God's holy presence by spending a significant amount of time in prayer and the word during these 40 days. Could you commit to a minimum of one hour a day with him? Then, just wait on him and be amazed at the way that he leads and that you see the goodness of the Lord -- even today -- in the land of the living.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to wait on you every single day! Amen.

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