written by Connie Dunmyer
Has God ever told you to “be quiet”? Well, He has me. He’s also told me to “grow up” (Eph. 4:15), but that’s a story for another day. Sometimes when I read a verse that has a longer, deeper meaning – God will kind of like “highlight” to me a quick phrase – like “be quiet” or “grow up”. It’s not unlike any parent who has listened to the constant whining of a child. At some point you say “just stop it already” – or “will you just please be quiet for a while”.
These verses – which continue in the same chapter we discussed last week – are a VERY personal message to me from my Father
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
We all wait. Life is full of waiting. I am in a season of waiting right now. And frankly, I have no choice but to wait. But the question becomes HOW am I waiting?
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
I could probably end this blog right there. But let’s break it down a bit.
God is giving us 3 steps or strategies to do in our waiting. I am always looking for handles in life – and here in Lamentations – a book of the Bible that few people ever read – are 3 such handles/steps/strategies:
- Hope.
- Seek.
- Be Quiet.
And not one of those steps is whining. I know, right?! – it was shocking to me as well.
Strategy #1:
Hope in God. Because God is my portion (vs 24) – and God never, ever fails and He loves me so much (last week’s lesson) – I have hope. Hope in this same God. And hope is not vaporware. It is confidence that God’s got this.
Strategy #2:
Seek God. Now that may seem like a “duh” – but let’s be honest. When You’re in the middle of waiting, and it’s been a LONG time – do I really come to God “seeking Him” – or am I just “seeking what I want to happen”. Ouch! In fact, if I will put aside my “will” & my “want” – and simply focus on God – let’s just say my outlook is a whole lot better. Which helps feed handle #1 – my hope.
Strategy #3:
This last verse is truly the hardest for me – “Waiting Quietly”. Oh, it doesn’t mean to not ask – because Matthew 7 says to “ask, seek & knock”. But I think it means to “stop the whining”. Don’t complain. Instead, seek God, hope in Him and PRAISE Him. Yes – Praise Him for the answer not yet seen. (FYI – the very definition of faith.) Also – I shouldn’t constantly bemoan my situation in front of other people. This reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 6: “But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face…” – don’t be a ‘gloomy Gus’ or ‘poor-pitiful-me’.
I saw this article written by Chaplain Chet Rains, from Rocky Mount, NC about these very verses. I encourage you to click into it and read it all. Here are some excerpts that struck me, because I relate to them so much: https://www.pruittcares.org/articles/it-is-good-to-wait-quietly
“I discovered these verses some time ago, and have relied upon their instruction on many occasions. They have served me well and keep me focused in the midst of that which I cannot control. Therein is the difficulty for me. I am a “fixer” by nature and when problems arise I begin looking for a solutions. . . . Invariably, problems arise over which I have no control. No control means no input. No input means I’m at the mercy of someone else’s thoughts and actions, which means they may not think about things I would think about or do things the way I would do them. . . Today I find myself in such a position. Due to COVID-19, I am forced to react to the decisions of others. . . . This is where the above-mentioned verses hit home. I am in the midst of a situation over which I have no control and cannot fix, so I have to wait. Not just wait but I must wait quietly. No grousing or complaining . . . It is difficult to wait quietly while all this is going on around me. . . God reminded me, as He has so many times in my life, “Do you not trust me in this? Haven’t I taken care of you during all the other times in your life when you had no control? If I didn’t allow the shoes of my children in their wilderness wandering to wear out after 40 years, will I not take care of this? Was I not with the Hebrew boys in the furnace so that no hair was singed, and no smell of smoke was in their clothes? I will take care of you, and I will certainly take care of what is going on around you. Just wait quietly for my salvation.”
My Prayer:
“Thank you for being here in the waiting with me right now. I will wait quietly til the clouds clear, and I am able to see Your redemption to our lives. I praise You for the answer(s) that the darkness is hiding, but I know they are there.”
As you contemplate and pray, here's a song I just heard for the first time this weekend - Better Days by Ryan Ellis. It was a blessing to me. I hope it is to you, as well.