“Morning by morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;
morning by morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.”
(Psalm 5:3 NIV, the emphasis is mine.)
The Bible says love “…always hopes…” (1 Corinthians 13:7)
When our world suddenly comes crashing down on us, or our trials drag on year after year, with no end in sight, it’s easy to lose hope. But when I keep focused on the Lord, rather than my circumstances, hope is restored. I know Jesus is with me in it, and He will not only get me through it, He will bring good out of it! He reminds me that He’s working on my character while I’m waiting for His solutions to my problems. He’s teaching me to surrender my will to His, and to wait patiently, calmly, and expectantly, surrendering all my concerns and anxieties and resting in His love. He’s teaching me to seek His guidance continually and wait for clear answers. He’s teaching me to obey Him (and He allows me to suffer the consequences when I don’t). He’s teaching me to listen carefully and humbly to others and prayerfully consider their opinions. He’s teaching me when to speak and when to keep quiet. (Does the listener have ears to hear? Are they receptive?) If not, it’s best to keep quiet and pray. He’s teaching me to be a peacemaker by treating everyone with respect, regardless of how they treat me. I’m learning to accept being taken advantage of, when God allows that to happen, resting in His Sovereign control. I’m learning to surrender anger and to forgive. I’m learning to apologize quickly when I offend someone. I’m learning to persevere in prayer, especially for the souls of the unsaved, and to be willing to endure unpleasant situations for their sake. God continually reminds me that His ways and His time schedule are very different, and better, than mine. In short, I’m learning to trust Him, believing He’s at work, even when I can’t see it, and to rejoice in expectation and praise Him in faith!
Like the hopeful father responding to Jesus in Mark 9:24, I pray,
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” That’s a prayer Jesus will always answer!
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