Waiting on the Lord

  The dew is like a shower on the grass this misty morning where overcast skies hang low over the trees. The squirrels are already fighting among themselves as the robin turns her ear to the ground in hope of a tasty morsel. I need a rag to wipe the bench in the prayer garden this morning, and a coat to ward off the cold. I come, I sit, and I wait on the Lord to make His appearance. With all hope and anticipation, I empty my mind of a combination of events that soon will be as meaningless as all the labors that are done under the sun. People come and people go, but the world still carries on. The sun rises, the wind blows, just as the rivers empty into the sea. All these things are worrisome to many, but not me, because I am waiting on the Lord.
We practice a sound mind with courage to strengthen our soul, and we ponder in our hearts the desires of the Lord. What have You for us to do today, Master? Where will Your Spirit lead to us to journey, and what will You have us to do in Your presence? We have planted the seed of faith into the hearts of many, and we have watered the flock with Your Word. Fill us with Your Spirit, oh Lord, as we wait in true diligence and patience for the nourishment of our souls. Bless us with Your loving-kindness and the perfect brightness of Your presence. We rely on Your merits to grace our meager existence, oh Lord, so that Your will is done in us as the Father’s will was done in You.
  We recall the days of great suffering, the struggle with the flesh, and the chains of sin that bound our hands and feet, which prevented us from understanding the love You gave for us on the cross. Through Your perseverance You have made it possible for our spiritual eyes to be opened, permitting us to be illuminated with Your compassion and freed from the slavery of sin. We joyfully accept Your plan of salvation, the pouring of grace over our heads so we will not draw back to a state of damnation because we are those who believe in the saving of the soul. We follow You, oh Lord, with great confidence and endurance so that after we have done Your will we may receive Your promise of heavenly reward. We are rooted in the love of keeping Your commandments because we know that all the things with which we have been afflicted will work together for our good.
So we wait on the Lord by pressing forward with our faith so that we may say, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven because they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV). We hope for what cannot be seen, and we wait on what cannot be heard by the human ear. We let our spiritual eyes and ears walk us through the theater of our mind, with all patience and long-suffering hoping to catch a glimpse of the enlightenment of our souls. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known (1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV).
   The Greek word for rest is anapausis. It means to bring our thoughts to an end and listen. Christ’s rest is not a rest from activity but a melodious symphony of our will, our imagination, our conscience, and our soul harmonizing with God. As we remove the contemplation of life around us we enable the Holy Spirit of God to fill our soul with thoughts of our Creator. Quiet, listen, remain calm, and feel the tranquility of peace surrounding us like a sphere, engulfing us in God’s presence. When we stop relying on our wisdom and intelligence we are able to rely wholly on the Lord. When we dismiss our own self-confidence and self-will we learn to give God the glory in everything we do because without Him we can do nothing right. So we stop worrying about the future and the convolution of mankind, learning to rest our mind in peace knowing God is in control.
We serve a living God who has promised never to leave us or forsake us so that no good thing will be denied to those who walk rightly in the Lord. We cease from our labors and allow the Holy Spirit to live through us the Christian life we cannot live on our own. We listen for the pulses of the Divine whisper as it sounds of sweetness to our ears. We reach deep into our soul and endeavor to prepare ourselves by daily exercises of meditation on the Word of God, and open up our heart to receive heavenly secrets. Speak to me, oh Lord, for Your servant listens for Your words. Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain; my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass (Deuteronomy 32:1-2 KJV).