Wait on the Lord

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the person who carries out evil plans.

(Psalm 37:7)

Meditation

This is hard for most people, and Christians are no exception. When we see something that needs to be fixed, we want to rush in and get it done. Even if that is not God’s will for a resolution. Waiting is especially hard for me, just ask my wife. I turn into a charging bull when I’m confronted by someone. I always just put my head down and rush toward, what I hope is the solution. Sometimes, it works out, but sometimes, the Lord has something else in mind. God will use these troubles to teach us lessons in love and humility. He also will use them to draw us closer to him and realize how much better thing would be if we relied on him for the answers.

I also have trouble with the second part of this verse. I wonder why those who are clearly bad people, always seem to succeed. They have no sense of decency and are evil to the core. I can’t help but feel a little anger when they are never put in their place. Why does God allow dishonest business people even remain in business, let alone get rich by their practices? I have had more than one boss or supervisor, who were little more than tyrants, flaunting their status and running roughshod over their workers. They were always making silly rules for the workforce only to ignore the same rules for themselves. I’ve also been taken advantage of by more than one lying salesman or an unscrupulous business establishment. Where is the justice, I ask?

I’ve come to realize how important it is that I’m not the one in charge. I realize that I’m guilty of my own kinds of dishonesty, so if I ask for God to come down hard on the kinds of people described above, he’s got to come down on me also. In the same way God uses trials to make us lean on him more, he uses these dishonest people who cross our paths, to make us see our own shortcomings. God is no respecter of persons. That means he doesn’t care if we’re a Christian and do dishonest things or if we’re an atheist doing dishonest things. He does expect us to be a light in the darkness. Instead of getting mad and screaming when we come out on the short end, remain calm and show the offender a better way. We’re never going to be perfect, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have to try.

Prayer Time

Good morning, Father God. You are most wonderful and beautiful and awe inspiring. We give you praise and thanks for all we have been given. Father, it’s hard for us to patiently wait for you to punish someone who’s wronged us. Help us to resist the urge to retaliate, Lord. We see the dark, evil deeds of unbelievers and wonder why you don’t give them what they deserve. Thank you for reminding us, Father, that you didn’t give us what we deserved before we were saved. Thank you for patiently waiting for us to submit our wills to yours. You have called us to higher actions and reactions. Remind us that those who prosper doing evil things will face a higher justice in the hereafter. It’s not for us to exact revenge for the wrongs committed by an evil doer. Nothing is ever easy about being a follower of Jesus Christ, but he said that vengeance belongs to you, so, that’s what we must wait for. It’s in his precious name, we pray. Amen!