15)
For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of
16)
But ye said, No; for we
will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We
will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.
17)
One thousand shall flee at
the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an
ensign on an hill.
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.
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articularly today, most people feel that they are smart enough that they need not learn from tests. However, for all of our "intelligence," our solution for most problems is to run from them. But you know what the problem of most people is? Themselves, and you cannot run away from you. One can never run from what he must change.
Most often, we focus upon the
discomfort of our current situation. This makes it impossible for us to see the
actual end of the situation, for our focus is upon "what's happenin' now" and as far as we are concerned, the
test can only end one way. The fact of the matter is that if we never submit
ourselves to enduring the test, we will never experience the good at its end.
It takes waiting on the Lord to see that no matter how a situation seems in the
natural, its spiritual significance is always to heap upon us God's blessings.
Much of our concern is that many
things seem difficult for us, and we have been deceived into believing that
because we are saved, our lives are to be easy. Well, no one wants you to be
disappointed in God or salvation, but the Lord is simply not that interested in
things being easy for us. What he is interested in is us learning exactly how
much we need him. We are kept from getting the help we need from Him when, in
our minds, we are convinced that we know what is best for us. Obviously, as
long as we believe this, we will not let Him work in us.
It is a matter of record that we are
bought with a price. Jesus suffered and died that we might be bought back from
the very jaws of hell and death. Since our freedom, and hence our persons had
to be bought, we obviously could no longer belong to ourselves. We have a new
owner. Until we accept that we do not belong to ourselves, no amount of
preaching or teaching will help us.
No matter how a situation may
present itself, no matter how hard it may seem to press us, we must learn to
wait on the Lord. When we do not seem to triumph over our situations or
circumstances, and they seem to be getting the better of us, we cannot look
beyond ourselves for someone on whom to place the blame. Once we learn to relax
and wait on the Lord, then we can take all in stride and will not have to blame
anyone for anything.
When it would seem to us that a
situation is totally out of control is when God actually has the most control.
This is because it is in these situations that we are to see how helpless and
totally dependent upon the Lord that we are actually are.
Frequently, even as the children of
God, we can find ourselves uncomfortable in some situations. Actually, we
should not think this strange but exactly as things are supposed to be. God is
also not worried with our comfort, rather, His overriding concern is to get us
to trust Him and once again, learn how much we need him.
In all situations, Jesus must be our
First Choice as a solution—the first one we consult,
the first we go to for comfort. Why does He make it so hard for us to go around
Him? Because if it were easy, or even possible for us to take
care of a situation without going to the Lord, we would never have a testimony
of Him. And, He now lives that Man might know His
greatness, His power and His majesty.
Even if it seems that our
"change" will never come, we cannot be impatient. No matter how long
it might seem He takes, our responsibility is to wait on the Lord, for His way
is always the fastest way.
There is an old folk saying that
"the noisiest wheel gets the grease," and many people believe this to
be true even in salvation. That is, too many believe that it will be the loud clamourers who see results. Scripture disputes this, for we are told that in (our) quietness and confidence
we will find and receive our strength. God knows who and where we are at all
times—and therefore, does not need a "marker" to find us. You could
conceivably be "as quiet as a church mouse" and be one of the most
blessed and victorious saints in the church. It is, has been, and always will
be the one who goes to and waits on the Lord, who is going to get action and
receive victory in a situation. It is, has been, and will be only the one who
waits on the Lord who will find his strength continually renewed.
With all the huffing, puffing and
self-righteous, "blowing," coming from the counterfeit
"saints" of today, the true Church is going to have to wake up and
recognize that the Almighty God is not always in noise, neither is He always in
the storm; nor is He often in the earthquake. Because He is omnipotent,
omniscient and omnipresent, he is quite comfortable presenting himself in and
speaking through the "still small voice".
One thing is for certain, (like it
or not) if one doesn't wait on the Lord to solve his problems, they won't be
solved. Since this is impossible for us to accomplish ourselves, all that our
efforts lead to is a profound sense of hopelessness and helplessness.
Isn't peace of mind, of spirit, of
body and of soul worth "waiting on the Lord"?