Wait for the Lord

It is hard to wait for things as I am sure you well know. I cannot tell you how many times I burned my mouth because I did not wait for something delicious to cool. I know what will happen yet  I still bite into that hot, molten-chocolate brownie. There is something to be said for waiting. With brownies, it prevents burns. With God, waiting prevents burn out and misstep. Waiting and rest is a time of renewal and of strengthening and of realignment. 

God wants us to slow down and rest with Him. Isaiah 30 is a great example of this. Israel did not want to hear what God had to say so their 'unhearing' became like a hole in a dam. At any moment the dam would break and the pent up river would destroy the land. However, God promised to restore His people even then. "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength" (Isa 30:15). Even then, Israel did not want to listen. They tried to rely on their own strength. Instead of asking God to fix the dam they chose to run from its consequences. 

"Therefore, the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore, he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him... He will surly be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the LORD give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left" (Isa 30:18, 19-22). 

Slow down and take time to rest with God. He renews our strength as we wait on Him and rest with Him (Isa 40:31). He does not shame us for asking direction and insight but loves talking with us (Isa 49:23). He loves the process. When we are still before the LORD and wait patiently for him, we can better see the desires of our heart (Ps 37). Rest with Him. Know His heartbeat. We do not need to try to run ahead of God's plan. You are not behind. He is right there with you. I do not care if you are eight or eighty, you are not washed up. God opens the way, and He can restore back the years you thought you lost.

Nehemiah and Restoration

Nehemiah lived during a time when the people of God were attacked. They were taken as prisoners of war and their land was destroyed. Nehemiah went back to Judah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. The story of Nehemiah is an amazing story of restoration. It tells of the hardship he went through during the process and the provision and protection God provided.

Restoration takes time. God could have easily rebuilt His city overnight but instead He wanted His people to be part of the rebuilding process. Brick by brick they rebuilt. Their sweat and blood was in the wall of Jerusalem now. Their healing was not handed to them overnight but instead God wanted their DNA to be part of the story of restoration. They could now own their story of redemption. They could point at the restored wall and tell how they helped bring restoration. It was not just a story someone told about this thing that happened that one time. It was personal. There is something powerful about owning your story. 

Their past did not disqualify them from their future. Their sin did not disqualify them from restoration. Because they repented, God restored His city. Previously, Israel and Judah had turned from God. They sinned greatly and were even worse than some of the nations they displaced when they came to the Promised Land. They knew God’s laws and had stories of His provision yet they chose to ignore God. They were just distant stories bordering on fairy tales and myths. They did not own their history. God sent prophet after prophet to warn his people of the coming destruction if they did not repent. They did not listen and invading armies destroyed the two nations.

But God’s love is enduring, everlasting (Ps 100:5, Ps 136). His love does not end and does not change. Just as a loving father disciplines his children, so a loving Father disciplined His children. His children repented and God allowed them to rebuild their city walls in fifty-two days. “And when our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God” (Ne 6:16).

God longs to rebuild His people. This begins by spending time with Him. When we spend time with Him, He tells us who we are. He tells us who He is and how we are to respond out of that. Things change when they are restored. No longer is it weak and falling apart but whole.

Promises through Rest

In Isaiah 58 God talks about the kind of fast he desires: feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed, taking care of the poor. In other words, the kind of fast God desires is a fast from self. God then gives a promise to those who choose this kind of fast:

“And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:11-14 ESV)

That first sentence is a great promise—“I will satisfy your desire in scorched places...” In a place of desolation, I will satisfy your desires. I will make you an oasis in the midst of brokenness. An oasis was a place of rest from the desert. Before this can happen though, God needs to rebuild what we thought was lost. He needs to raise up the foundations that crumbled and restore the ruins that were forgotten years ago. He wants to restore dreams and bring healing to the hurt places of our hearts.

As God begins this process we will begin to be known as a “repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” In other words, as we are restored, God uses us to bring restoration in others so they in turn can bring restoration to others. This is true revenge against the devil. As we are healed in one area, we have special authority over it. We have a testimony. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they have conquered him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” When we receive freedom, we get to go to others who are hurting in that area and we can tell them our story of redemption and walk with them through their story of redemption.

God promises insteads. Isaiah 61 gives a good list of instead. Instead of ashes, a beautiful headdress. Instead of mourning, gladness. Instead of a faint spirit, a garment of praise. Instead of shame, a double portion and everlasting joy. Where you were hurt, God wants to bring restoration and freedom. It does not mean the memory goes away but it does mean you are no longer controlled by the memory.

Rest is a big part of restoration. God created a Sabbath for a reason. When we take time to rest and be restored, we can quiet our hearts and can readjust where needed. We can find joy despite our circumstances. We can hear God’s voice and follow his direction. We can take delight in the LORD. He loves it when His people spend time with Him. He wants to show us off to the world. When kings took over a land, they would ride on the heights of that land. It was a thing of honor. They would inspect the land as well as display their power for the conquered lands. The Father wants to give us an inheritance. All we need to do is accept it. He is offering it to us through Jesus. Jesus is the Way to the Father and He longs to know you and tell you how much He loves you. It does not matter what you have done. He will always accept you. He will always bring restoration to His people. He is just waiting for us to come to Him.

God Will Confirm His Words

The book of John opens with John the Baptist stating this is who I am and this is who Jesus is. Then Jesus says this is who I am. In John 8, Jesus talks about who He is and almost point for point confirms what John the Baptist said about Him.

John 3—John the Baptist’s statements about Jesus    John 8—Jesus’s statement about who He is

Jesus came from heaven, we are from Earth (31)	I am from above, you are from below (23)
Jesus is above all (31)	I am judge (23, 26)
Jesus tells what he has seen and heard	I have much to say and judge, I declare God’s word (26)
We do  not believe Him (32)	We do not believe Him, specifically the Pharisees (13)
God gives words to those He sends (34)	I declare what I have heard from him  (26, 28)
God gives a limitless amount of His Spirit (34)	I am not alone (29)
If you obey the Son, you’ll have eternal life, if you do not obey, the wrath of God remains on him (36)	If you believe in me, you’ll live; if you don’t, you will die in sin (24)

Jesus confirms the words John spoke about Him. Remember that John said, “[H]e whom God has sent utters the words of God” (3:34)? Guess what, when we speak the words that God gives us, He will confirm them.

Now, we do need to be careful. This doesn’t mean we speak every thought that pops into our head and declare it as the word of the Lord. Be careful about this. God gives a stern warning about speaking presumptuously in Deuteronomy. “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, ‘How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?’ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him” (Dt 18:20-22).

However, when God does give us something to say, do not be afraid to say it. God will confirm His words. His words will accomplish everything He intends and will not return to Him empty (Isa 55:10-11). They will leave a lasting effect on the listener. When God declares something, it will happen (Isa 48:3). He teaches us what to say. “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen as one being taught” (Isa 40:4). 

How do we know the difference between our words and the words of God? Get to know His voice. Spend time in the Word and in prayer. Test what you hear. “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good” (1 Th 5:20). Make sure it aligns with Scripture. God does not contradict himself. If it doesn’t match with Scripture, toss it. If it does, I find it helpful to write down the reference next to the word.

Spend time with other believers who hear God’s voice well. This is probably the best way to learn. When we are with other believers, we can learn from them and learn to hear God’s words. We can test things out on each other and together discern if it aligns with God’s Word.

You will begin to know your Father’s voice. The sheep know the Shepherd’s voice (Jn 10:3-5). Soon it will become second nature and you will just know that it is God’s voice. It isn’t always something you will learn over night. Maybe you’ll have a burning bush moment like Moses did but for many of us, we learn God’s voice by being in His presence. We learn His voice by practice. If you hear something and it doesn’t sit right with you, it’s likely that isn’t God’s voice. If you hear something and it touches your heart so deeply, there’s a good chance it is God’s voice. But again, test everything with the Bible.

 

“Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I have been there” (Isa 48:16). God is not silent. Quiet yourself and be still and listen. This takes practice. In our busy world it is hard to still ourselves. But keep at it. God loves talking with us and wants to talk with you. He loves you so much and wants to tell you this and more.