Tag Archives: Waiting

October 11, 2023

Daily Encouragement

By Jason

I am encouraged as I read through Jeremiah to see the obedience of some to accept hard things God pronounced against them that will essentially last for 70 years. In chapters 26-29 this morning, their obedience to give themselves over to Babylon which came from the Lord through Jeremiah was displaying their TRUST in the Lord.

This has been a good reminder of how obedience works with faith. They heard His word prophesied and it was a hard word but they trusted the Lord to do what He promised. Like this one:

Jeremiah 24:6-7

[6] I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. [7] I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

Jeremiah sent the exiles a letter that said, “Settle in. It’s going to be a while.” Build houses. Plant gardens. Get married. Pray for the city to prosper and you will prosper too. But remember that the Lord will keep his eye on you and you will return to the promised land someday.

There’s a nice connection in my reading from James this morning too concerning endurance.

James 5:7-8

[7] Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. [8] You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

We too are waiting for that heavenly city, the lasting one. There we will be under the perfect reign of our perfect King who will also be our Shepherd/Pastor forever as our great High Priest. He will protect us forever and lead us in worship and service of our great God—forever.

Leave a comment | tags: Abiding, Believing, encouragement, Hope, Humility, Jesus, Prayer, resurrection, sovereign, Waiting | posted in Daily Exhortations and Encouragements

October 9, 2023

Daily Encouragement

By Jason

“Thou hast given me to read my pardon in the wounds of Jesus.”

That’s it. That’s the encouragement for the day.

—Divine Promises, “Valley of Vision” p. 240

1 Comment | tags: Cross, encouragement, gospel, Hope, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Mercy, Redemption, Waiting | posted in Daily Exhortations and Encouragements

September 27, 2023

Daily Encouragement

By Jason

Psalm 10 lays out the scenario of the arrogant and evil doer prospering while the helpless, the fatherless, and poor are taken advantage of by the wicked.

It’s obviously coming from the perspective of the poor and needy. As difficult as it is, he is praying to the Lord. But the wicked say there is no God. The fatherless wonders where God is in all of this.

He says at one point: Psalm 10:10–11 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

In other words, as the psalm began he wants to know why the Lord hides himself in times of trouble.

It can seem to us that God is high above in the heavens and cares not about the troubles of our lives. The problem with that thought is that God simply cannot be that way. He cannot go on vacation or go to some distant galaxy to remove himself from his creation. If he is not sustaining it every second then this world will cease to exist.

The needy man finally comes to his senses and acknowledges this. Psalm 10:14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.

Like the fatherless, we live in the desert in which we must trust and depend on the Lord everyday. We live here and not in the heavenly city that we might learn to trust the Lord. Life is a test. We have opportunities all day to believe or not.

Some of those troubles will not come to an end until the end. We must trust that the Lord will make everything right in the end. But for now we must trust the Lord to do this while we wait: Psalm 10:17 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear.

Leave a comment | tags: Desert, encouragement, Psalm 10, Psalms, Test, Testing, The Prosperity of the wicked, trusting, Waiting, wilderness | posted in Daily Exhortations and Encouragements

September 26, 2023

Daily Encouragement

By Jason

This was an observation and a continuation from yesterday’s encouragement.

After Jesus sought his scattered disciples and gave them evidence of his resurrection he gives them even more—understanding of God’s Word.

Luke 24:45-46

[45] Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, [46] and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.

The resurrection of Christ resulted in the new exodus…the new creation. The result of understanding how all that fit together and what they should do in light of it is further evidence not of just the living Savior but the living Word.

—Repentance and forgiveness was to be proclaimed to all nations.

—The promise of the Holy Spirit was coming.

—They worshipped Jesus (instead of hiding).

—They gladly obeyed as they returned to Jerusalem to wait on the promise.

—And they returned with great joy!

This is what happened when they understood the Word. May the Lord open our eyes to understand his word and resurrection and may it have the same effect on us.

Leave a comment | tags: Christ, encouragement, Faith, Grace, Humility, Jesus, Joy, Luke, praying, resurrection, The Glory of God, Waiting | posted in Daily Exhortations and Encouragements

September 20, 2023

Daily Encouragement

By Jason

Daily Encouragement:

Faith is necessary to understand God and his creation. It makes sense of the sufferings and trials of life. Without faith, it’s impossible to understand the world and it’s impossible to please the Lord.

Faith changes how you live now because you trust in what is coming later. Abel can offer the better sacrifice because he believes God rewards those who trust him. He can offer up his best now when he trusts in better things to come.

Enoch walked with the Lord by faith. Not in Eden as it was meant to be but by faith in this cursed world. He had fellowship with God outside of Eden but that same faith delivers him to Eden when he is taken up.

In other words, you can have fellowship with the Lord too by faith in his name. You can understand the world in large part because you understand what’s coming later. Abraham can live as a foreigner in the land because his eyes are fixed on the heavenly city that is to come.

Why would we, let’s say, cheat on our taxes or on a test to live in a city that will pass away when we have the promise of living in the heavenly city? We must look to the prize that comes at the finish line.

Let’s live in the desert now as though Eden is our forever home with him. Let’s live in fellowship with the Lord by faith through the Holy Spirit now in this strange land knowing that better country awaits us. Now we see dimly. Now we fellowship in the Spirit which is a down payment of our inheritance to come. One day we will see his face!

Hebrews 11:1

[1] Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Leave a comment | tags: encouragement, Faith, Fear, Hebrews 11, Holy Spirit, Hope, joy in the journey, Mercy, Perseverance, purpose, reward, suffering, Waiting | posted in Daily Exhortations and Encouragements

April 20, 2023

A Life Well Lived

By Jason

A life well lived needs a trajectory. It needs a peculiar perspective. It needs to sit safely in the reality of the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection at the end of the age. I think this poem helps remind us or point us to living a life well lived.

Only One Life

By C.T. Studd

Two little lines I heard one day,

Traveling along life’s busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart,

And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,