DAVID BECOMES KING OVER ALL OF ISRAEL

PROCLAMATION

“So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and King David made a league with them in Hebron before The Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel.”  2 Samuel 5:3 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God after the death of the prophet Samuel by Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer.  After the death of King Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, all of the tribes of Israel came to Hebron and the elders anointed David king over all of Israel. (2 Samuel 5:1-3)  Soon after he became king over Israel, David led his men and the Israelite army to attack the Jebusites who controlled Jerusalem.  They thought that their fortress was impenetrable but David captured the city, took up residence there, built it up and the area around it, and called it the city of David. (2 Samuel 5:6-9)  As time passed, David became more and more powerful because The Lord God Almighty was with him. (2 Samuel 5:10)   

 

APPLICATION

David was a young man when The Lord chose him and had the prophet Samuel anoint him in front of his brothers. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)  Quite some time had passed before he was anointed king over Judah. (2 Samuel 2:4)  Even more time passed before he was anointed king over all of Israel. (2 Samuel 5:3)  Whatever The Lord God has in store for us will be ours, but we will only receive it when He is ready to give it to us, and when we are ready to receive it.  We need to be patient and wait upon The Lord.  Good things will come to them that wait upon The Lord. (Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:9, and Isaiah 40:31)  So, “… wait, I say upon The Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)  If God is for us, then no man can stand against us, block us, or stop us. (Romans 8:31)

DAVID ANOINTED KING OVER JUDAH

PROCLAMATION

“And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah …”  2 Samuel 2:4 (KJV) 

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God after the death of the prophet Samuel by Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer.  In the course of time after the death of Saul, David inquired of The Lord, asking should he go to one of the towns in Judah and The Lord told him to go to Hebron. (2 Samuel 2:1)  Then David and his men with their families went to Hebron and they settled there.  The men of Judah heard that David was in Hebron and they came up to Hebron and anointed David king of Judah. (2 Samuel 2:2-4)  When King David heard that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them, blessing them for what they had done for Saul.  He said because of their kindness towards Saul that he would show kindness towards them. (2 Samuel 2:4-7)  Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner and commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth, the fourth and last son of Saul, and made him king over Israel and the northern tribes.  The tribe of Judah and the southern kingdom, however, remained loyal to David. (2 Samuel 2:8-11)  There was tension between the northern and southern kingdoms, and soon there was war between them. (2 Samuel 2:12-32)

 

APPLICATION

David was a young man when The Lord had chosen him and the prophet Samuel had anointed him in front of his brothers. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)  Quite some time had passed before he was anointed king over Judah. (2 Samuel 2:4)  We need to recognize that we will receive whatever it is that The Lord God has in store for us, but it will be done on His timeframe.  We need to be patient and wait upon The Lord.  Good things will come to them that wait upon The Lord. (Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:9, and Isaiah 40:31)  So, “… wait, I say upon The Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

SAUL OVERSTEPS HIS BOUNDS

PROCLAMATION

“And Saul said, ‘Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings.  And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.  And Samuel said, ‘What hast thou done?’ ” 1 Samuel 13:9-11 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba and angered the Philistines.  The Philistines assembled a very large army to fight the Israelites.  They were so outnumbered that the Israelites ran and hid in caves. (1 Samuel 13:2-6)  The men with Saul were afraid.  Saul called for Samuel but he did not come within the seven appointed days.  Then Saul took it upon himself to offer up a burnt offering and the fellowship offerings unto The Lord. (1 Samuel 13:7-9)  Just as he finished with the burnt offering Samuel arrived and asked him what he had done.  Saul explained his actions and his reasons but Samuel told him that he had done a foolish thing for he was not a priest.  Because of his impatience, and his disregard for the man of God, Saul would lose his kingdom to a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:10-14) 

 

APPLICATION

All too often we are impatient.  We want whatever it is that we want, and we want it right now.  We do not seem to understand the concept of waiting on The Lord.  Our impatience causes us to rush into things for which we are not prepared, or for which we should not get involved.  The Bible states that we are to wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14)  Some of our battles are not ours to fight. (Proverbs 20:22)  We need to trust in The Lord and not lean upon our own understanding and abilities. (Proverbs 3:5)

 

WAITING FOR YOUR BOAZ

PROCLAMATION

“Then said she, ‘Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall; for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.’ ”  Ruth 3:18 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

The Bible Book of Ruth was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  While Ruth was in the fields, picking up leftover grain behind the harvesters to provide for herself and Naomi, (Ruth 2:1-3) she was spotted by the owner of the field Boaz, who was a distant relative of Naomi.  When Boaz saw her, he asked the overseer of his harvesters about her and he took an interest in her. (Ruth 2:5-16)  Later that day Ruth told Naomi what had happened. (Ruth 2:19-23)  It was Naomi who had discerned that Boaz had an interest in Ruth and she gave Ruth some advice. (Ruth 3:1-18)  The last bit of advice she gave Ruth was to be patient and wait on Boaz for she knew that he would not rest until he had taken care of the things that he needed to do to get Ruth for himself. (Ruth 3:18)

 

APPLICATION

Because of her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Ruth gained the respect of the people in her mother-in-law’s homeland. (Ruth 2:11-12)  She did not go running after the young men in town and she demonstrated that she was a woman of good character. (Ruth 3:10-11)  Ruth honored her commitment, and she was patient before she was blessed to get what she wanted.  We should understand that The Lord God can supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19) and He may even bless with some of the things that we want.  However, we must first learn to be content with that which we already have. (Philippians 4:12)  We must also show that we love Him by keeping His commandments and obeying His Holy Word. (John 14:15 and 14:23)  We must learn to be patient and wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14 and 37:34)  If we believe in Him and exhibit good Christian behavior, we will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)

 

 

MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW

PROCLAMATION

“And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, ‘Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves.  And the tale of bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof …’ ”  Exodus 5:6-8 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After meeting with the elders of Israel, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him that The Lord God said, “Let My people go.”  Pharaoh said that he did not know this God and he would not let Israel go. (Exodus 5:1-2)  He was upset that they wanted the people to stop working for a three day journey into the wilderness to go worship their God.  So, he ordered the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite overseers in charge of the people to stop supplying them with the straw which they used to make bricks, and said that their quota of bricks must be the same as before. (Exodus 5:3-9)  After the people were not able to meet their quotas, the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh (Exodus 5:15-16) and he said that the Israelite people were lazy and they should get back to work and produce the same quota of bricks. (Exodus 5:17-19)  When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron and told them that they had made their situation worse.  Being blamed for the increased burden on the people, Moses turned to The Lord God in prayer. (Exodus 5:20-23)

 

APPLICATION

Unfortunately, we are a very impatient people.  We ask The Lord God for something and we expect to receive it immediately.  Even that which He has promised us will not be given to us when we want it, but we will receive it according to His plan and timeframe.  Some of the time our bad situation will get worse before it gets better.  However, God is still in control of things.  We just need to learn to wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14)  Patience is a skill which must be learned and acquired.  Our patience is produced by going through trials. (James 1:3-4)

 

BLESSED BECAUSE OF HIS OBEDIENT FATHER

PROCLAMATION

“And The Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, ‘I am The God of Abraham thy father; fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.”  Genesis 26:24 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  And again there was a great famine in the land and Isaac was going to leave the land and go down to Egypt as his father Abraham had done during the previous famine. (Genesis 26:1)  However, The Lord God appeared to him in a dream and told him not to leave the land. (Genesis 26:2) God told him to stay in the land and He would bless him.  He said that He would give him and his descendants the land as He promised Abraham.  God said that He would make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. (Genesis 26:2-6)  Isaac stayed in Gerar.  When the men of Gerar approached him regarding Rebekah, he lied and said that she was his sister, just as his father Abraham had lied about his wife. (Genesis 26:6-7)  After some time had passed, Abimelek king of the Philistines saw him caressing Rebekah.  He summoned Isaac and questioned him as to why he said that she was his sister when she was his wife.  Isaac answered that he feared for his life if he had been truthful. (Genesis 26:8-11)  Isaac stayed in the land and became very wealthy.  Abimelek told Isaac to move away because he had acquired too much.  Everywhere that he moved to and dug wells, his herders quarreled with the herders of the Gerar until he came to Rehoboth, and there he prospered. (Genesis 26:12-22)  It was there that The Lord appeared to him again and repeated His promise to bless him and his descendants  for the sake of His servant Abraham. (Genesis 26:24-25)  When Abimelek saw how much Isaac had prospered, he knew that The Lord was with him and he went to Isaac to make a treaty with him. (Genesis 26:26-33)

 

APPLICATION

As the saying goes, “Like father, like son.”  Like his father, Isaac committed some of the same sins that Abraham committed, but he lacked his father’s seal for obeying The Word of God.  Isaac stayed in the land as God told him and dug a lot of wells.  What we can learn from Isaac is that it pays to be patient.  He dealt with a lot of rejection while he patiently waited on the blessings which The Lord had promised his father.  With patient obedience comes prosperity and blessings.  “… Wait, I say, on The Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

ABRAM'S FIRST BORN SON

PROCLAMATION

“So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.  Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.”  Genesis 16:15-16 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Sarai, Abram’s wife, had bore him no children.  So Sarai told Abram to sleep with her Egyptian slave Hagar and maybe they could build a family through her. (Genesis 16:1-2)  Abram slept with Hagar and she conceived.  However, when she learned that she was pregnant she began to despise Sarai. (Genesis 16:3-5)  This upset Sarai and she complained to Abram.  He said that Hagar was her slave, and she could do with her as she pleased.  Then Sarai began to mistreat Hagar, so much so until Hagar fled from her. (Genesis 16:5-6)  The angel of The Lord found Hagar in the desert and told her to go back to her mistress.  He said that she would have a son and she was to name him Ishmael. (Genesis 16:7-14)  Hagar returned to Sarai and bore Abram a son and he was called Ishmael. (Genesis 16:15)

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God sees our suffering and He hears our cries.  His response to our afflictions may not be the good news that we desired.  Here the slave Hagar was told to go back to Sarai who had mistreated her.  She was also told that every man would be against her son and that he would live in hostility. (Genesis 16:9-12)  This is not what any mother wants to hear.  We are told that God hears our cries and our prayers. (Psalm 34:17, Proverbs 15:29, John 9:31, and 1 John 5:14)  Our problem is that sometimes the answer to our prayers is “No” or “Not now.”  Some of the time we ask for things which are not consistent with the will of God.  Sometimes we bring our suffering upon ourselves.  After she found out that she was pregnant, Hagar was not very nice to Sarai. (Genesis 16:4)  His first born son was the result of Abram trying to help God out instead of being patient and waiting on The Lord.  God always keeps His promises.  His time frame is not the same as ours.  We need to learn to wait on The Lord. ( Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:34, and Proverbs 20:22)  “… Wait, I say, on The Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

WAIT ON THE LORD

PROCLAMATION

“And God spake to Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee.  Bring forth with every living thing that is with thee …”  Genesis 8:15-17 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After The Lord God spoke to Noah and told him to build the ark, Noah did all that God had commanded him to do. (Genesis 6:22)  Then The Lord God told Noah go into the ark with two of every kind of animal and He shut him in. (Genesis 7:1-16)  Afterwards, it rained continuously for forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:12)  The rain caused a flood which lifted the ark, (Genesis 7:17) and covered the mountains by more than twenty feet. (Genesis 7:20)  All the animals and all mankind outside of the ark died. (Genesis 7:21-22)  The water covered the earth for a hundred and fifty days. (Genesis 7:24)  When the flood waters began to recede, Noah stayed inside of the ark.  As the water receded the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. (Genesis 8:4)  After forty days Noah opened a window, and he could see the tops of the mountains, but he stayed inside of the ark.  Even after the dove that he sent out returned with an olive leaf, Noah stayed inside of the ark. (Genesis 8:8-12)  Even when he could see that the surface of the ground was dry, Noah stayed in the ark until The Lord God said for him to come out of the ark. (Genesis 8:13-17)  When he did come out of the ark, he built an altar and sacrificed some of the clean animals that he had brought with him. (Genesis 8:18-20)  Then The Lord God said that He would never again destroy every living thing as He had done. (Genesis 8:21)  He would never again do it this way, by water.

 

APPLICATION

Noah had faith in God, he was obedient and built an ark even before there was a cloud in the sky.  He entered the ark when The Lord God told him to do so, and he did not come out of it until God told him to come out.  Even though he could see that the ground was dry, he did not come out.  We need to learn to trust in The Lord and lean not on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)  Things are not always as they appear.  Relying on our five senses and our limited intelligence, instead of doing what thus saith The Lord, will get us into trouble.  We need to develop patience.  We need to pray before we act, (Philippians 4:6) and before we speak, and we need to learn to be patient and to wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT

PROCLAMATION

“When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before The Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.  David was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned forty years.”  2 Samuel 5:3-4 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The Lord God told the prophet Samuel to anoint David as the king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:12-13)  Most Bible scholars believe that David was about sixteen to twenty years old at the time, and possibly even younger than that.  However, even though he had been chosen and anointed, David had to wait for some time before he was anointed king over the tribe of Judah. (2 Samuel 2:4)  Then David reigned for seven years and six months over Judah and the southern kingdom before he was anointed as king over all of Israel. (2 Samuel 5:3)  David waited patiently and let The Lord work things out for him to reign as king of Israel.  David went through a lot during the ten years or so between his first anointing and his third anointing, all of which worked out for his good. (Romans 8:28)

APPLICATION

“Good things come to those who wait.”  This proverbial saying is the modern day version of the quote by the English poet Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie (1845-1905) in a poem which she wrote under her pen name of Violet Fane, “All things come to those who wait.”  It was her way of advocating patience.  As believers we are told to wait patiently on The Lord God.  We are told to wait on The Lord and to be of good courage, and He will strengthen us; (Psalm 27:14) to wait on Him and keep His word, and He will exalt us; (Psalm 37:34) and to wait on Him and He will save us. (Proverbs 20:22)  The Lord God will bless us as He sees fit, and it will be done on His timetable, in due season. (Galatians 6:9)  We are encouraged to be patient. (Psalm 37:7)  “Good things come to those who wait.”  We cannot begin to imagine all that which The Lord God has prepared for us. (1 Corinthians 2:9)  So, in the words of the psalmist, “Wait on The Lord … wait, I say, on The Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

WAITING FOR YOUR BOAZ

Proclamation:

“Then Naomi said, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens.  For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.’”  Ruth 3:18 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author, but a number of Bible scholars credit it to Samuel.  Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, demonstrated her love, commitment, and devotion to her mother-in-law and stayed with her after their husbands had died.  The two women left Moab and journeyed to Bethlehem, (Ruth 1:19) the place where Naomi was from and where her kinfolk still lived.  Ruth went out into the fields to pick up leftover grain behind the harvesters to provide for herself and Naomi. (Ruth 2:1-3)  The field belonged to Boaz, who was a distant relative of Naomi. When Boaz saw her, he asked the overseer of his harvesters about her and he took an interest in her. (Ruth 2:5-16)  Later that day Ruth told Naomi what had happened and Naomi told her that Boaz was a relative of hers. (Ruth 2:19-23)  It was Naomi who had discerned that Boaz had an interest in Ruth and gave her advice.

Application:

Because of her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Ruth gained the respect of the people in her mother-in-law’s homeland. (Ruth 2:11-12)  She did not go running after the young men in town and she demonstrated that she was a woman of good character. (Ruth 3:10-11)  Ruth honored her commitment, and she was patient before she was blessed to get what she wanted.  We should understand that The Lord God can supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19) and He may even bless with some of the things that we want.  However, we must first learn to be content with that which we already have. (Philippians 4:12)  We must also show that we love Him by keeping His commandments and obeying His Holy Word. (John 14:15 and 14:23)  We must learn to be patient and wait on The Lord. (Psalm 27:14 and 37:34)  If we believe in Him and exhibit good Christian behavior, we will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)

WAIT ON THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Then God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.  Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you …”  Genesis 8:15-17 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After The Lord God spoke to Noah and told him to build the ark, Noah did all that God had commanded him to do. (Genesis 6:22)  Then The Lord God told Noah go into the ark and He shut him in. (Genesis 7:1-16)  Afterwards, it rained continuously for forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:12)  The rain caused a flood which lifted the ark, (Genesis 7:17) and covered the mountains by more than twenty feet, (Genesis 7:20) and all the animals and all mankind died. (Genesis 7:21-22)  The water covered the earth for a hundred and fifty days. (Genesis 7:24)  After the waters began to recede, Noah stayed inside of the ark.  Even when he could see that the surface of the ground was dry, Noah stayed in the ark until The Lord God said for him to come out of the ark. (Genesis 8:1-17)

Application:

Noah had faith in God, he was obedient and built an ark even before there was a cloud in the sky.  He entered the ark when The Lord God told him to do so, and he did not come out of it until God told him to come out.  Even though he could see that the ground was dry, he did not come out.  We need to learn to trust in The Lord and lean not on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)  Things are not always as they appear.  Relying on our five senses and our limited intelligence, instead of doing what thus saith The Lord, will get us into trouble.  We need to develop patience.  We need to pray before we act, (Philippians 4:6) and before we speak, and we need to learn to be patient and to wait on The Lord (Psalm 27:14) 

BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO TRUSTS IN THE LORD

Proclamation:

“I waited patiently for The Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He sat my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear The Lord and put their trust in Him.  Blessed is the one who trusts in The Lord.”  Psalm 40:1-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  Here David is praising The Lord for bringing him out of his troubles.  He may have been referring to the situation which had him so depressed in Psalm 39 that he cried out to The Lord. (Psalm 39:12)  Now he is acknowledging that The Lord heard his cry and lifted him out of his troublesome situation.  He knows that God has blessed him in more ways that he can count. (Psalm 40:5)

Application:

Sometimes it is not easy to consider all of the bad things that happen to us as joyful.  However, as believers we know that difficult situations which test our faith, help us to develop patience. (James 1:2-4)  Our troubles give us an opportunity to demonstrate our trust in The Lord.  After He has saved us from ourselves and our situations we ought to praise Him privately and publicly for blessing us.

BE OF GOOD COURAGE AND WAIT ON THE LORD

Proclamation:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? … One thing I ask from The Lord, this only do I seek: That I may dwell in the house of The Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of The Lord and to seek Him in His temple. … Wait for The Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for The Lord.”  Psalm 27:1-4 and 14 (NIV)

Explanation: 

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  It is believed by most Bible scholars that these words were written after David had been harassed and pursued by King Saul.  David knew that The Lord was the light of grace which was bestrode upon him that gave him his salvation.  Even though he ran from Saul to save his life, he knew that he should not be afraid.  His main focus, desire and prayer was not to return to Saul’s court, or his own home, but to dwell daily in the presence of The Living God.  This was not a reference to heaven, which would be his eternal dwelling place, but in the church house where he could continually worship The Lord.  David knew that if he was patient, kept the faith, and waited upon The Lord that his time would come. 

Application:

It is important for believers to pray often and sincerely.  We need to thank God for our blessings and privileges, to tell Him of our concerns and problems, and ask for His help and perseverance.  When we are in the midst of our storms and troubles, we can cry out to The Lord and know that He will hear and answer us. (Psalm 27:7-8)   “Our God is bigger than our problems.” (Author unknown)  As the song says, “He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there right on time.  He’s an on time God, yes He is.”  We just have to be patient, be of good courage, and wait on The Lord, and know that our deliverance and our blessing will come. (Psalm 27:14)  We need to cultivate and express confidence in The Lord.

WAIT ON THE LORD AND RENEW YOUR STRENGTH

Proclamation:

“Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is The Everlasting God, The Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in The LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)

Explanation:

These Holy Spirit inspired words of God were recorded by the Prophet Isaiah who recorded a number of prophecies which The Lord revealed to him.  Here he records The Word of God as He addresses His people who have questioned whether or not The Lord had forgotten them. (Isaiah 40:27)   Isaiah reports that The Lord God is never too tired or too weak to help them.  He is so powerful that He can share some of His power with the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)  Those who believe and have faith in Him will have their strength renewed and increased.  To those who wait patiently for His return, He will allow to fly like an eagle, to run and not get tired, and to walk for a long time and not pass out.  The Lord will give them physical strength and spiritual strength.

Application:

At times we question God for allowing us to remain in a bad situation after we call upon Him and ask for deliverance.  The Prophet Isaiah reminds us that God created the heaven and the earth, and that He is all powerful. (Isaiah 40:28)  We need God, He does not need us.  We get weary and are weak physically and spiritually.  We need His help and His strength.  We believe in Him but our faith is weak. (Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31 and 16:8)  He lifts us up when we fall, and when the world knocks us down.  One day our souls will fly towards heaven.  When we receive our glorified bodies we will never get weary.  Those who wait patiently upon The Lord will inherit the earth. (Psalms 37:9)  They will also be blessed in this life and in the next. (Isaiah 30:18)  Belief, patient commitment, and perseverance in the faith will be rewarded. (Hebrews 11:6)

Wait On The Lord And Be Blessed

"Yet The LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.  For The LORD is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him!"  Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

These are the words of the Prophet Isaiah, written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the impatient people of God to remind them that The Lord God wants to be gracious and compassionate to them.  However, The Lord is a God of justice, and their disobedience must be punished.  Their impatience will not cause God to bless them any sooner.

At times, the people of God do things without first consulting with Him.  At other times, we just disobey Him.  Such actions warrant and receive punishment. (Isaiah 30:12-14)  The same is true now as it was then.  Blessed are those who take things to The Lord in prayer and then wait for His reply or take action.  He knows when one of His children has been wronged, and He will take care of the evil doer. (Proverbs 20:22)  Sometimes He will even let the believer see the evil doer get punished. (Psalms 37:34)  But when we are the ones that have done wrong, He waits patiently for us to learn the error of our ways and ask to be forgiven.  We hinder our own blessings.  The Lord wants to bless us, we just need to wait patiently for Him to do it in His own time frame.  While we are waiting on Him to bless us, it would not hurt to praise Him as if it was already done. 

See The Goodness Of The Lord

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of The LORD in the land of the living.  Wait for The LORD; be strong, and take heart, and wait for The LORD."  Psalms 27:13-14 (NIV)

This psalm of King David was written to encourage the believers to be patient and wait for The Lord.  He knew that The Lord does things in His own time frame.  However, David was confident that he would see the goodness of The Lord before he died.

Believers know that God is in control of everything.  However, we tend to want God to act for us when we want Him to act.  When we pray to God for help, we need to do so in humble submission, realizing that we are totally dependent upon Him, and then we need to be resolved to keep the faith and wait for Him to respond.  Whatever He says for us to do, we need to be obedient and do it.  Then we shall behold the goodness of The Lord because all of His goodness is not reserved for heaven. (Psalms 33:5)

Refrain From Anger And Wrath And Sin

"Be still before The LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil."  Psalms 37:7-8 (NIV)

These are the words of King David, inspired by The Holy Spirit of God, addressed to the people of God, telling them to relax, be calm, and do not get upset because of what is going on around them, especially the success of the wicked.

These words are also appropriate for us today.  The wicked, the evil ones, the liars, and the cheats seem to be getting ahead in this world and enjoying the spoils of success.  Whereas the good, "the nice guys" seem to finish last.  Believers should not worry about the wicked ones, for they will soon be cut down. (Psalms 37:1-2)  Rather, what we should do is trust in The Lord, commit to The Lord, delight in The Lord, and do that which is good in His sight, and He will give us the desires of our hearts. (Psalms 37:3-5)  We should learn how to mind our own business and not worry about the affairs of others. (1 Thessalonians 4:11)  We should do what The Lord has assigned for us to do, and we should pray for every body else, good and bad.

Wait Upon The Lord

"Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, The Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in The LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)

Thus said the prophet Isaiah, speaking about The Lord God to the chosen people of God who had turned from God to empty ritualism and idolatry.  He had prophesied regarding their coming captivity by the Babylonians and their subsequent delivery.  Here he was reminding the people who The Lord God was, and what He had done.  He spoke of power, knowledge, and strength of God.  Then he encouraged them to be patient, to wait upon The Lord, and to maintain their faith in Him.

How quickly we seem to forget about all that The Lord has done for us.  We forget that He is all powerful, all knowing, and every where all at the same time.  We act like He doesn't see us when we engage in our sinful activities.  We call ourselves "Christians" but we have not turned from our sinful wicked ways.  The Bible says that when He comes back, there will be those calling to Him saying, "Lord, Lord", but He will say to them depart from Me for I know you not. (Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 13:24-27)  We need to recognize who He is, humble ourselves, and pray, and turn from our wicked ways, so that He will hear us and bless us. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  We need to wait patiently upon The Lord and keep the faith, because our trials and temptations are only tests. (1 Peter 1:7)  God can strengthen us and help us get through any situation. (Philippians 4:13)  We just have to believe and obey His Word.  When judgement day comes, we want to hear Him say "Well done", we do not want to hear "Depart from me." 

We Hope And Wait For That Which We Do Not Yet Have

"For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."  Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul gives the believers in The Church in Rome a brief discourse on hope.  He states that hope is essentially faith in Christ and the things that will come to pass.  He told them that this hope is the bases of their salvation.  Hope is based upon that which they do not have, but they have no doubt that that they will receive.

One of the great principals of Christian belief is hope.  Paul's use of the word "hope" here makes it appear to be interchangeable with the word "faith".  Bible scholar Matthew Henry says that faith is the promise and hope is the thing that is promised.  He says faith is the evidence and hope is the expectation.  Either way, faith and hope are inexplicably linked.  Paul's statement about hope not being based upon that which is seen, is similar to the definition of faith which is presented by the unknown author in Hebrews.  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)  We know that without a believing faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)  Our hope and faith exist and are strong because we know that after we have done the will of God, we will receive our reward from Him. ( Hebrews 10:35-36)  Our hope is in The Lord (Psalms 39:7, Psalms 146:5, Jeremiah 17:7, and Lamentations 3:24), and in His mercy (Psalms 33:18), and in that which is to come. (1 Thessalonians 2:19)  Christ is coming back for His Church. (John 14:3, John 14:28, and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)  We are just doing our part in kingdom building now while we wait patiently for His return.

Wait On The Lord

"Wait for The LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for The LORD.  Psalms 27:14 (NIV)  The King James Version reads: "Wait on The LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on The LORD."  Psalms 27:14 (KJV)

King David offered these words of encouragement to the people.  He told them to be strong, to keep the faith, The Lord God would strengthen them if they would just wait patiently for Him.  He knew that the goodness of The Lord would prevail. (Psalms 27:13)

As believers we know that The Lord God will supply all of our needs. (Philippians 4:19)  However, we need to understand that He will bless us, and lift us up out of our negative situations, but He will do so in His time frame. (1 Peter 5:6)  We need to develop patience. (Hebrews 10:36)  After we pray and ask The Lord for what it is that we want, we need to wait patiently for Him to bless us with it. (Psalms 37:9 and Isaiah 40:31)  We know that He hears our prayers. (Proverbs 15:9)  We also know that the sincere prayer of the righteous will be answered. (James 5:16)  But we, like Job and David, are impatient and we want to know "how long" must we wait for our blessings.  There is no record in the Bible that God told them how long they would have to wait, but He did bless both of them.  There is a time for all things. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)  All things, including our blessings will happen in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)  We have to suffer through our storms because our trials lead to patience and increase our faith. (Romans 5:3-4)  Knowing this, we are to count all that we go through as joy. (James 1:2)  For we also know that all thing work together for the good of those who love The Lord and are working for His purpose. (Romans 8:28)  There can be not testimony without having a test.