But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you! – 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT)

 

Wait On The Lord

A devotion that I read this morning ended with these four words, “Wait on the Lord.”  Don’t you know, that prompted me to start writing again.  My thoughts went to a Bible study I shared with inmates at the prison in Faribault that I titled “STAND…STILL,” which was based on the above Bible verse and from which I will share some thoughts with you.

Stand, means “to have or maintain an upright position, supported by one’s feet” [verb]; and “an attitude toward a particular issue” [noun].  Still, means “not moving or making a sound” [adj.]; “deep silence and calm” [noun]; “make or become still, quieten” [verb].  So, during this time of quarantine we need to “stand…still” by taking an upright position toward this virus situation, and quietly wait on the Lord, remembering He knows what His plans are for us, and nothing about this surprises Him.  ♫ He’s got the whole world in His hands! ♫

Desert Time

What we are experiencing now is “desert time.”  What I mean is we are to take this time as a learning period, to see God’s will for us in a way we haven’t planned.  I call it “desert time” primarily because of Moses and Jesus.  You see, Moses, after he fled Egypt because he had killed an Egyptian taskmaster, spent 40 years in the desert tending sheep.  At the end of which, God commissioned him by means of the burning bush that wasn’t consumed.  Those 40 years were God’s time for grooming Moses for the task of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, something like he was leading the sheep all those years.  Tending sheep takes patience.

All we like sheep have gone astray, each to his own way.  Isaiah 53:6 [NIV]

 

Jesus Tempted

Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert being tempted by the devil.

At once the Spirit led Him [Jesus] out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.  He was with the wild animals, and angels attended Him.” – Mark 1:12-13 [NIV]

“And angels attended Him.   Now that is the comfort we can have, knowing that the Father provided angels even for His perfect and holy Son to comfort, protect, and prepare Him for the mission of salvation that lay ahead.

The most precious object of God’s love is His child [you] in the desert. If it were possible, you mean more to Him during this time than any other time.  You are the pupil of His eye.  You are His beloved student, taking the toughest courses.  While testing you, He loves you with an infinite amount of love.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”  1 John 3:1 [NIV]

Do Not Be Afraid

We may not know the mission that lies ahead for us, but we can stand still, knowing that in all things God is with us and caring for us, and quite possibly preparing us for an even now unknown task.  Take this extra time at home as a time for being with your family, yes, (maybe even doing some neglected tasks) but also for spending time reading God’s Word, praying, and just thinking for what God might be preparing you.  Open yourself to His leading.  Use this desert time to stand still, and see where God may lead you.   “Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’ victory…Do not be afraid or discouraged…for the Lord is with you.”