“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint” - Isaiah 40: 31 (NIV)
When one is in a boat rocked by ugly winds and almost drowning it is hard to keep silent. The disciples when the boat they were in was hit by storms and yet Jesus happened to be asleep cried out to him for help (Mark 4:38). Of course, it is only human to cry out for help when life is at crossroads; you are in the middle of some wicked storm, what else to do!
But while this is all true, one could choose to be silent, especially once one has made his case to the Lord. Psalm 62:1-2, says, “ Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He is my rock and salvation. He is my defense; I shall not be moved.” The preacher and writer Charles Spurgeon (1834- 1892) once observed that after we have cried out to God, sometimes, like David, we wait upon God in silence, because our faith is steadfast in Him. Our silence is not a sign of abdication. We are silent because we know the Lord has heard our prayers and is in control.
We are silent because looking back we know the Lord has come through and rescued us from peril over and over again. True, the storms may still be raging, and the boat we are in, tossed up and down, but we know the Lord has heard our pleas and He will come calling in time. Friends have abandoned us and our hearts are aching. But in the midst of all we keep composure because we know that by faith God will save us from all the troubles we face.
We remember that while undergoing storms of all nature David wrote, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies” (Psalm 18:2-3).
Only you know what storms you are facing or may one day find yourself entangling. Cry out to God as indeed you should. But after, remember what He has said, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). Take heart; the Lord is in control.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, in the midst of storms I look I cry out to you and then remain silent knowing that you have heard me and in your time shall indeed come through because I have waited upon you, this I pray in Jesus’s name.
Related upcoming events
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19/04/2024 - 20/04/2024 All day“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” ( Isaiah 43:19).
Just before fire was unleashed down on Sodom and Gommorah, Lot was told to pack up with his wife and two daughters and leave their homestead. Now, once out of danger, “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” ( Gen 19:26). Perhaps here we might pause and ask why she was bothered to look back.
Of course it could have been that old “curiosity killed a cat” mistake! Yet, it could also have been Lot’s wife was not sure where she was going and longed for her old life back. This is a common error. There was nothing stirring to look back. Just before Lot’s neighbors had attacked his house eager to rape his visitors. “They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them” ( vv 5). Was there anything worth looking back to!
The case of Lot’s wife could be anyone else’s experience. The Lord has plucked you out of some mess. You have been delivered to a new life. Yet, somehow you decide to look back, as though there was anything good and worth longing for. Sometimes it is a bitter past you have been delivered from. Other than rejoice in your new blessings you keep being drawn back!
A wise caution goes, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly” ( Proverbs 26:11). If the Lord has just led you out of a certain mess why look back like it was much better! Instead look ahead, for “he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” ( vv 17- 18).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for delivering me from the darkness of the past and I look forward to a bright new future in you, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
