Megan Evans, Women’s Ministry Director, LHBC

Hebrews 10:23  (NLT)
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Nothing is harder than waiting on the Lord. As believers we pray, we ask, and we trust.  But the trusting and waiting is so hard sometimes! It is our human nature to want immediate answers.  And, in today’s age of immediate gratification, the practice of “waiting” almost seems to be a lost art.  

Moments after praying we can find ourselves once again tapping our fingers on the table and pacing back and forth.  But take comfort, there is power in the unseen, even in the waiting.  There is not an App for waiting on the Lord, there is not a pixelated game that passes time, rewards our waiting, and alerts us when God is ready. No, our comfort is found on the pages of God’s Word.  From the first page to the last, the Bible reassures us that God is and always has been on the move. He is actively working in your life today. And, if there is one thing that reading the Bible cover to cover proves, it is that God keeps His promises.  

My type A personality loves a flow chart, and sometimes I find myself wishing God would just write one on my wall.  Large arrows with clear direction would be nice and color coded seasons of waiting and answers would be even better.  But where would my faith be in that? I would grow more and more “me” centered than my human sin nature already is. So how do we practice waiting? We remember God’s promises.  

God keeps His promises, and these promises are what keep us going, and they give us comfort and courage in the seasons of waiting and uncertainty.  Here are just a few of God’s promises we can hold tightly today…

o  God hears our cry for help (see Psalm 34:17)
o  God meets our needs (see Philippians 4:19)
o  He gives us fresh strength (see Isaiah 40:29)
o  He nurses the sick (see Psalm 41:3)
o  He will give us wisdom when we ask (James 1:5)
o  He will forgive us every single time (1John 1:9)
o  He’s with us when we go through the hard stuff (Isaiah 43:2)
o  Joy will come after seasons of grieving (Psalm 30:5)
o  There is a purpose and plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11)  

And there are many, many more!  It is often while we are doing the daily stuff of life that satan attacks our mind.  Running errands, sitting at a stoplight, folding clothes, changing channels, taking a shower…even as we pray–nothing is off limits for attack, and so in those moments God’s promises become our weapons of truth and hope.  Write a verse or two on a notecard or post-it note and place them around your house or in your car—anywhere you need to be reminded that God keeps His promises.  

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, thank you for giving us Your Word.  You are faithful. When I worry, please turn my thoughts to Your promises instead.  I can stand today and face tomorrow because you keep your promises. In Jesus Name, Amen.  

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Luke 9:23
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”