“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” - Psalm 37:7
In 1979, the Happy Goodman Family revived an old Stamps-Baxter convention song called, “Better Hurry Up.” The song was the title-song of the album. I always liked the cover of the album. The cover seemed to show Howard, Vestal, Rusty and Sam at an airport terminal rushing to catch a plane. The song itself was a typical, up-tempo convention song that went #1 for the legendary family Gospel group. The message of the song was simple: lost people need to hurry up and get ready for the Lord's return.
One of the problems we face today is the fact that believers are unbelievably busy. Daily expectations force us to hurry on so many levels. While we are challenged to be productive and efficient in our work, our schedule away from work tends to be just as frantic. As a result, we relate with each other in passing, creating superficial relationships. Furthermore, stress becomes more than an emotional problem, it actually creates physical issues.
Like any relationship, our walk with the Lord requires quality time. Just making it to church once or twice a week seems a challenge for most people. Daily devotional time is rare among believers because they have a problem squeezing it into their overcrowded schedule.
Even at church, we are in a hurry. Some think it is nearly a crime for a pastor to preach beyond his normal quitting time on Sunday morning. It seems like many want to spend the least amount of time necessary at church.
The only way to really have an intimate walk with God is to reserve quality time to spend with Him. In spite of all the demands being placed on our time, we have to deliberately set and keep the right priorities. We have to be intentional about our spiritual growth. There is no substitute for time spent alone with God. You can't have a clean life and a dusty Bible. Neither should you expect a mighty harvest when you allow weeds to grow in your life.
Each day, we need to set a time to be with Jesus. This appointment is more vital than your doctor's appointment or the scheduled oil-change for your car. Since it is the most important event of the day, we should treat it as such. Guard this time rigorously. Time spent with God is never wasted time.
The psalmist wrote, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” Even though the world is urging us to stay busy, we need to get alone with God and stay there. Sometimes it is healthy to go on an electronic fast. Turn off the wireless connection. Unplug the internet router. Refuse to turn on the television. Instead, grab your Bible and spend time with the Lord.
Furthermore, we need to wait on Him. The blessings of spiritual fellowship don't come quickly. They require time and patience. The answer to specific prayers often require us to wait. Even now, we are waiting for our Lord's return. We don't wait on God because He is slow. Instead, we wait on Him because we are trusting Him to work everything out just right --- according to His schedule.
As Isaiah wrote, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Whether we are flying, running or walking, we go forward in the strength of the Lord.
When you consider how patient the Lord has been with us, who are we to complain when we must wait for Him?
He is worth the wait.
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