I was reminded of a story I need to set down. Last week, in one of my second grade classes, I had a problem with one student telling another "You're supposed to sing AND dance, not just dance" while we were doing a worship song. Unfortunately his tone was very demanding and also he was interrupting class for everyone, so I called him out. Today, the same student made a similar comment (but I guess thought he would get away with it if he just made it a general comment rather than getting in someone's face in particular) and said "I HATE it when people don't sing AND dance!!"
And so I pulled him aside.
I sat him down at a table near the wall. After I set another song on for the students, and came over to him and asked him a few questions. "Are you the teacher?" No. "Are you supposed to decide how other people act?" No. "Why are you interrupting class with mean comments then?" Tears, and anger. They're not doing what they're supposed to do. "Oh, they aren't? Did I say anything to them? Did I tell them they were wrong?" No. "Why do you think that is?" Silence. "When we worship together, the only wrong thing is to not participate. Were they participating?" But some of them weren't singing, they were just dancing! "Ok. . . but who gets to decide if that's right or not?" Silence. "Ok. . . so here's paper- I want you to come up with two reasons why it is OK for people to dance to a song but not sing along with it."
I left him alone for a couple minutes, did another activity, and then swept by to see what he had written.
It is NOT ok for them to dance and not sing.
As soon as I walked by, he scribbled it out. He was still fuming.
I got the kids started on another activity, and then I pulled out my iPad and brought up two Scriptures: first from 2 Samuel and second from 1 Corinthians (what's cool is that I was all about the LOOK KING DAVID DANCED STOP COMPLAINING but I knew I needed something else, so thanks Holy Spirit). "Read this." As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord. "OK. . . so how was King David responding to God?" Dancing. "Does it say he was singing?" No. "Look up here. . .we see there was some singing and music playing, but it doesn't mention dancing. Do we always have to sing and dance together?" Silence. "Ok, read this." I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. "Do we always have to pray aloud for God to hear us?" No. "Ok. And does this verse say that we should just sing aloud, or that what we are thinking is important too?" We sing inside and outside. "I like what you said. So do you think that some people might just sing inside, and that God can hear them still?" Silence. "See, I didn't make these rules up on my own. I run my classroom by what the Bible says, not just what Mr. Beck decides. If students are messing around, or if they aren't participating at all, then they get in trouble, don't they?" Nods. "I tell them they are distracting and keeping other people from participating, and that's not fair. But if they are moving and not singing, or if they are singing and not moving, or if they are doing both, I let them alone, and do you know why?" Silence. "Because it is not my job to decide how they worship God best."
I honestly can't say that he got it, but I know he was thinking hard, because he changed from angry and hurt to receptive and, well, after scribbling out the first comment, this is what he wrote:
I know now it is OK if they only want to sing or to dance. But I'm singing and dancing.
You just can't make that stuff up. I think there is a grand lesson for all of us in this.
4/27/2015
I can't bring myself to title this the way I want to. . .
. . . because a) I think it should be a dead issue and b) maybe it is? A Google search of the phrase brought up articles written in the past few years (and Bing brought up some ancient articles from the late 90's but also auto-filled to add the word "Baptist" as I typed which made me cringe and laugh at the same time), maybe it's not relevant anymore, but if it has meaning to you, then maybe the Ghost-verbalized statement of the preacher talking this evening will help shed some light.
Because what I wanted to put in the title was "Worship Wars." *cue lightning, thunder, The Price Is Right sound effect*
I've heard the term thrown around, it's a very church-ese thing, but I think it was a bigger deal while I was a kid and wasn't really going on in my particular view of the world. Anyway, the statement made tonight, whether intentional or not, was fantastically simple and potentially perspective-changing.
He said that worship wars are a personal internal problem.
I doubt he meant Worship Wars (I almost said WORSHIP worship wars, because in English, when we repeat a word it gets a different meaning, right? "Their baby is so cute!" "Yeah, it's still a BABY baby." . . . anyway). Regardless, the real war of worship is something fought within each of us individually; will we worship God, or will we worship something else?
Like. . . I am all about wanting things to be black and white but having to explore to really get a full idea. But what more attitude do you need to see in this? What is our priority? Also, most importantly, it's not about music- it's about our hearts.
I'm sure I have more to say but I am tired. If you want more from my crazy brain go look at this or this or this or even this.
Because what I wanted to put in the title was "Worship Wars." *cue lightning, thunder, The Price Is Right sound effect*
I've heard the term thrown around, it's a very church-ese thing, but I think it was a bigger deal while I was a kid and wasn't really going on in my particular view of the world. Anyway, the statement made tonight, whether intentional or not, was fantastically simple and potentially perspective-changing.
He said that worship wars are a personal internal problem.
I doubt he meant Worship Wars (I almost said WORSHIP worship wars, because in English, when we repeat a word it gets a different meaning, right? "Their baby is so cute!" "Yeah, it's still a BABY baby." . . . anyway). Regardless, the real war of worship is something fought within each of us individually; will we worship God, or will we worship something else?
Like. . . I am all about wanting things to be black and white but having to explore to really get a full idea. But what more attitude do you need to see in this? What is our priority? Also, most importantly, it's not about music- it's about our hearts.
I'm sure I have more to say but I am tired. If you want more from my crazy brain go look at this or this or this or even this.
4/24/2015
"God's got someone in mind already"
I finally put my finger on what bugs me about that statement. "Well, God's already got someone who is perfect for that position that needs to be filled," or its companion statement, "Well, God needed that person to be here for just that time."
I don't disagree with the truth of those statements (if we are to accept God is all powerful and all knowing, here is a little bit of that side, and yet over and over the Bible says that Godly men led by God still have the freedom to choose, which is confusing, but that's not my focus this morning). It's the sentiment behind it. It's the shrug-your-shoulders, kick-the-dirt-around-your-feet, I-can't-control-it-so-I'm-just-gonna-endure-it attitude. If something is moving and shaking, if there are major changes, if someone is brought into a position of leadership or power or suddenly removed, if life is going one way and then takes a huge U-turn, then God is doing something and our obligation is to respond and change something about ourselves.
I mean, isn't that the story of the entire Old Testament? God does something, Israelites turn to God, Israelites get distracted, God does something to regain their focus, Israelites turn to God again, they get distracted again. . . it seems inevitable. But at some point the Israelites stopped turning to God, so He started to do bigger things. He eventually split their nation, sent them into exile, and nearly wiped them out; they were saved only because God in His perfect mercy had promised it.
So when people say things like what I wrote above, and then walk away without a fire under them, I am confused. But it's not what they are saying that is wrong; it's how they are responding. And by they I definitely mean ME as well.
A big change is an opportunity for us to refocus our hearts on God, to check our priorities and our habits and see what things have slipped away, what idols we've brought back into our homes and what unclean influences we've stitched back into the fabric of our lives. It's a time to seek God more than ever, to search diligently and be sure that we are in line with God's will and not our own. We forget that the Israelites asked God for a king, and God didn't want them to have a king. And look how that turned out. . . . . AND, if God knew that David would be a better king (and he certainly wasn't perfect either!) then why bother with Saul? Is it possible that the "someone who is perfect for the position" is perfectly in a position to fail the people of God?
Because that's the other premise that lacks validity in the title statement. We assume success!! "If God is for us, who can be against us?" is a statement about persecution against the church, not within it! Paul's letters to the various churches growing in his time encouraged them to continue to grow closer and closer with Christ, to get rid of the sin problems, to challenge false teachers. . . essentially, to build God's people. Even when he talks about logistical things, like collecting money to help those in need, his focus was not on the process of giving but on the hearts of the givers!
Anyway, the real tragedy is we assume success without analyzing why the change is happening. Some changes are within our control, some aren't, but regardless, how boastful are we to say that the person God brings us is to take us to the next level! Or. . . perhaps we just don't realize that when we say "the next level" that does not mean human success. . . maybe it's a way to get rid of spiritual decay. . . but no matter the end result, if at the end of the day we are not seeking Christ in our life circumstance and in the changing circumstance(s) around us, then, regardless of what God does or who God chooses, we have missed the boat.
I don't know. I'm babbling. The point I'm trying to make is statements of "faith" in God's plan that don't result in individual action are not worth much.
I don't disagree with the truth of those statements (if we are to accept God is all powerful and all knowing, here is a little bit of that side, and yet over and over the Bible says that Godly men led by God still have the freedom to choose, which is confusing, but that's not my focus this morning). It's the sentiment behind it. It's the shrug-your-shoulders, kick-the-dirt-around-your-feet, I-can't-control-it-so-I'm-just-gonna-endure-it attitude. If something is moving and shaking, if there are major changes, if someone is brought into a position of leadership or power or suddenly removed, if life is going one way and then takes a huge U-turn, then God is doing something and our obligation is to respond and change something about ourselves.
I mean, isn't that the story of the entire Old Testament? God does something, Israelites turn to God, Israelites get distracted, God does something to regain their focus, Israelites turn to God again, they get distracted again. . . it seems inevitable. But at some point the Israelites stopped turning to God, so He started to do bigger things. He eventually split their nation, sent them into exile, and nearly wiped them out; they were saved only because God in His perfect mercy had promised it.
So when people say things like what I wrote above, and then walk away without a fire under them, I am confused. But it's not what they are saying that is wrong; it's how they are responding. And by they I definitely mean ME as well.
A big change is an opportunity for us to refocus our hearts on God, to check our priorities and our habits and see what things have slipped away, what idols we've brought back into our homes and what unclean influences we've stitched back into the fabric of our lives. It's a time to seek God more than ever, to search diligently and be sure that we are in line with God's will and not our own. We forget that the Israelites asked God for a king, and God didn't want them to have a king. And look how that turned out. . . . . AND, if God knew that David would be a better king (and he certainly wasn't perfect either!) then why bother with Saul? Is it possible that the "someone who is perfect for the position" is perfectly in a position to fail the people of God?
Because that's the other premise that lacks validity in the title statement. We assume success!! "If God is for us, who can be against us?" is a statement about persecution against the church, not within it! Paul's letters to the various churches growing in his time encouraged them to continue to grow closer and closer with Christ, to get rid of the sin problems, to challenge false teachers. . . essentially, to build God's people. Even when he talks about logistical things, like collecting money to help those in need, his focus was not on the process of giving but on the hearts of the givers!
Anyway, the real tragedy is we assume success without analyzing why the change is happening. Some changes are within our control, some aren't, but regardless, how boastful are we to say that the person God brings us is to take us to the next level! Or. . . perhaps we just don't realize that when we say "the next level" that does not mean human success. . . maybe it's a way to get rid of spiritual decay. . . but no matter the end result, if at the end of the day we are not seeking Christ in our life circumstance and in the changing circumstance(s) around us, then, regardless of what God does or who God chooses, we have missed the boat.
I don't know. I'm babbling. The point I'm trying to make is statements of "faith" in God's plan that don't result in individual action are not worth much.
4/07/2015
Ebb and flow
I was sitting along the Halifax River near the Daytona Playhouse before our brush-up Thursday for our final weekend of performances, pretty well emotionally shot from the week and just missing Cam and wanting to have her back so that I could enjoy our companionship. She always said that she could feel God in the wind- for me I can hear him in the water. And so there I was, pretty well depressed out of my mind (yeah I know, Christians aren't supposed to be depressed, right?) just watching the water, and I noticed something. The water as a whole was traveling in waves towards the shore where I was seated, but there were reflective ripples that were traveling in the opposite direction. In looking at it, it seems as though those ripples were moving on top of the natural tide, not under it or through it. And ultimately the water just kept moving towards the shore, and the ripples were eventually borne back to the course of the water underneath.
I thought it made a good analogy of how God works maybe. It's like our lives are the ripples, we move in different directions and sometimes we are influenced by other ripples (which some of those ripples complement and make the effect stronger, sometimes they counteract and decrease the effect), sometimes we crash into rocks and end up going in a different direction. But you know what? The tide goes "through" the rocks. I took a video, it's very poor quality since I have an ancient phone, but maybe you can see it too:
So the point I'm trying to make is this- God is constantly moving in the undercurrent of our lives. Regardless of the rocks, the fish, the bugs, the walls, we are to continue to reflect His work in our lives. And even when it doesn't feel like He's there, he definitely is, flowing underneath everything and continuing to make His purpose, sometimes with us and sometimes in spite of us.
I thought it made a good analogy of how God works maybe. It's like our lives are the ripples, we move in different directions and sometimes we are influenced by other ripples (which some of those ripples complement and make the effect stronger, sometimes they counteract and decrease the effect), sometimes we crash into rocks and end up going in a different direction. But you know what? The tide goes "through" the rocks. I took a video, it's very poor quality since I have an ancient phone, but maybe you can see it too:
So the point I'm trying to make is this- God is constantly moving in the undercurrent of our lives. Regardless of the rocks, the fish, the bugs, the walls, we are to continue to reflect His work in our lives. And even when it doesn't feel like He's there, he definitely is, flowing underneath everything and continuing to make His purpose, sometimes with us and sometimes in spite of us.
3/13/2015
Quick thought on the meaning of life
You know, a nice shallow subject on a Friday night.
I've really been struggling with what it is that I am supposed to do with my life at the moment. So the place to look for encouragement is Ecclesiastes, right? If you have 20 minutes, I'd take the time and read through the whole book. I've listed some particular verses that stuck out to me just now, and may offer a few comments.
All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 1:8
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. 1:18
There is so much truth in this statement for my life in the past couple of months. There is certainly something to be said for remaining naive to how the world works, be it in sickness, death, pain, loss, disappointment. . . the more you know does not mean you will be a happier person.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 3:11
I am so thankful for this. If this were the end, I would be done. I don't know what heaven is like, but I know my task here is to do God's work and make disciples for him.
I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. 3:14-15
At least I don't have to rely on just me. I'd be doomed.
And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. 4:2-3
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 4:9-12
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. 5:18-20
Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. 7:10
The question "How did I get here from there?" has been pestering me. It's an empty pursuit.
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. 7:20-22
This is hard, especially when there are people you look up to and you forget that they are people, they are fallible. On the other side, it makes you think about how much you've failed other people and missed opportunities to defend rather than go with the audience on a matter.
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. 9:7-10
He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 11:4
Don't let circumstances keep you from working.
I've really been struggling with what it is that I am supposed to do with my life at the moment. So the place to look for encouragement is Ecclesiastes, right? If you have 20 minutes, I'd take the time and read through the whole book. I've listed some particular verses that stuck out to me just now, and may offer a few comments.
All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 1:8
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. 1:18
There is so much truth in this statement for my life in the past couple of months. There is certainly something to be said for remaining naive to how the world works, be it in sickness, death, pain, loss, disappointment. . . the more you know does not mean you will be a happier person.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 3:11
I am so thankful for this. If this were the end, I would be done. I don't know what heaven is like, but I know my task here is to do God's work and make disciples for him.
I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. 3:14-15
At least I don't have to rely on just me. I'd be doomed.
And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. 4:2-3
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 4:9-12
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. 5:18-20
Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. 7:10
The question "How did I get here from there?" has been pestering me. It's an empty pursuit.
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. 7:20-22
This is hard, especially when there are people you look up to and you forget that they are people, they are fallible. On the other side, it makes you think about how much you've failed other people and missed opportunities to defend rather than go with the audience on a matter.
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. 9:7-10
He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 11:4
Don't let circumstances keep you from working.
So Solomon's last statement is the charge against being idle, and is the best life advice:
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. 12:12-14
Fear God and keep His commandments. . . it's always troublesome when a few words carry so much weight. It makes perfect sense- God knows everything anyway, He knows how it is going to turn out, so why do we let ourselves by paralyzed? What do we really have to fear?
3/05/2015
relativism. woof
"Fascinating stuff. I try to remain equal parts inquisitive and open as well as skeptical. Just try to take everything in and form my own opinion as to what seems right 'to me'. What we believe about life is all personal perspective anyway, right?"
I read this on Facebook a couple weeks ago.
Woof.
It was attached to a post from a website called "Truth Theory: Keep Your Mind Open." The article and corresponding videos were all theories about life, ranging from our interconnectedness to the earth as a living organism to the collective integration of the "Global Consciousness."
Again I will say: woof.
But how many people are out there with this attitude? "Prove it to me." "What's good for you is good for you and what's good for me is good for me." "Well, from the way I see it. . ."
What's interesting is the paradox of the belief that there are no absolutes in the world (which, in and of itself is an absolute). So, based on that line of thinking alone, we have to accept the presence of absolutes of some kind.
Also, if you don't want to go psychologically, then let's go more basic physics, because if you drop something from your hand, it will absolutely fall towards the ground. Sorry, gravity is an absolute. What's interesting about gravity is while it is observable and recordable, there's still no explanation of why. Seriously, check out wikipedia- I know it's not always looked kindly upon as a source of reputable information but holy cow guys we still don't know why gravity is.
Or maybe we do.
Colossians 1:17- And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Really the whole passage is great. But I want to just focus on one phrase- "all things hold together." The Greek word συνέστηκεν is translated "to cohere."
You guys. Scientists are studying coherence in gravity. Google it and you'll see more results.
Hebrews 1:1-3a- Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
John 1:1-5- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Gravity is contained within the words of Jesus. Depending on what theory you believe, I'd like to imagine that Jesus breathed out gravitons (if gravity indeed uses particles).
So basically, gravity is Jesus-breath.
. . . I'm not really sure how I got here but my point is this: there are absolutes to be found. And God has revealed Himself to us.
I read this on Facebook a couple weeks ago.
Woof.
It was attached to a post from a website called "Truth Theory: Keep Your Mind Open." The article and corresponding videos were all theories about life, ranging from our interconnectedness to the earth as a living organism to the collective integration of the "Global Consciousness."
Again I will say: woof.
But how many people are out there with this attitude? "Prove it to me." "What's good for you is good for you and what's good for me is good for me." "Well, from the way I see it. . ."
What's interesting is the paradox of the belief that there are no absolutes in the world (which, in and of itself is an absolute). So, based on that line of thinking alone, we have to accept the presence of absolutes of some kind.
Also, if you don't want to go psychologically, then let's go more basic physics, because if you drop something from your hand, it will absolutely fall towards the ground. Sorry, gravity is an absolute. What's interesting about gravity is while it is observable and recordable, there's still no explanation of why. Seriously, check out wikipedia- I know it's not always looked kindly upon as a source of reputable information but holy cow guys we still don't know why gravity is.
Or maybe we do.
Colossians 1:17- And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Really the whole passage is great. But I want to just focus on one phrase- "all things hold together." The Greek word συνέστηκεν is translated "to cohere."
You guys. Scientists are studying coherence in gravity. Google it and you'll see more results.
Hebrews 1:1-3a- Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
John 1:1-5- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Gravity is contained within the words of Jesus. Depending on what theory you believe, I'd like to imagine that Jesus breathed out gravitons (if gravity indeed uses particles).
So basically, gravity is Jesus-breath.
. . . I'm not really sure how I got here but my point is this: there are absolutes to be found. And God has revealed Himself to us.
3/01/2015
Waiting for the Lord
I feel a little scattered today- I think it's the congestion/sickness. I don't think the writing will be quite as eloquent as I usually try to make it, but I don't want to miss this opportunity because any time I put off doing a post I never end up actually doing it the way I intend to.
Language is so fascinating, and unfortunately we pass over it so quickly. There are many different verses with the phrase "waiting on the Lord." The ones I want to focus on are in the Old Testament, using the Hebrew word "qavah." Literally the word means "to bind together," as in, to make a rope by bringing many strands together. Figuratively it is used to mean "to wait eagerly, to hope, to expect." I know I am in a state of waiting for the Lord in more ways than one in my life. Several other close colleagues of mine are also in this place. But does it mean that we need to sit and wait for the Lord to move? Let's explore three passages:
Isaiah 40:31: But they who wait for 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.
Lamentations 3:25-27: The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Psalm 25:4-5: Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
I see a lot of activity in those verses, even though each of them focuses on waiting. Isaiah says waiting on the Lord gives us renewed strength, lets us soar, lets us walk or run and not run out of steam! That's awesome. So if we use the literal translation, it means that those who bind themselves to God will be empowered. That's really cool. If we go more figuratively, it means those that hope and expect the Lord's power will receive it. Again, really cool. But I think the clear implication is that upon having God's power, we do something with it.
You know what it doesn't say? Wait and God will take care of everything.
Lamentations puts the phrase of seeking after God in the same thought as those waiting for him. Continuing on in the same vein of thought, he says it's good to be quiet as we wait for the Lord's salvation. I think this is referring to the way that we like to tell God how we want things to be done. But instead of telling Him what to do, we need to remember it's worthwhile to keep quiet. Jeremiah spends the first part of chapter 3 complaining about how hard he's had it, and then he interrupts himself with the thought of hope in God. So, it might mean bearing a difficult situation, but God never said life would be easy nor that our definition of good is His.
Again, I say, the "waiting" in these verses is active. Seeking God, holding one's tongue, bearing the yoke. Nothing about sitting around while God works, but us working with the understanding of hope in God (remember what hope is all about anyway).
In Psalm 25, we don't see the waiting until the end, and all the imagery is about paths. For me, path implies that you are moving. What's the point of asking God where you are supposed to go if you're just going to stand by and look at it? "Yeah God, that looks cool, but I'm just gonna stand here and stare at it for a while. Thanks for revealing where I'm supposed to start heading next, I'm gonna wait till you start dragging me along." I guess. I don't know. I'm sick.
I love what Charles Spurgeon has to say about Psalm 25: "Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our life. Our faith will be tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously he once waited for us."
There's one other little point, but if we're going to analyze words, let's also analyze phrases. The translation is typically "wait for" and not "wait on." I think there's a lot of wisdom in that. We wait on doctors to call us back, we wait on people who are late, we wait on food and drinks to be brought to our table at a restaurant. That's a very passive activity (as long as you don't ask a waiter! hah). On the other side, we wait for Christmas morning, and we prepare for it by getting and wrapping gifts and singing songs and such. We wait for the end of the work day, diligently accomplishing our daily tasks until it is time to clock out. We wait for the weather to change so we can go outside, but we typically fill our day with an alternate activity. Waiting for is active. It's anticipating a change.
So, what are you doing? Are you sitting and waiting on it to happen, or are you waiting for it while continuing to move in the direction you are led?
Language is so fascinating, and unfortunately we pass over it so quickly. There are many different verses with the phrase "waiting on the Lord." The ones I want to focus on are in the Old Testament, using the Hebrew word "qavah." Literally the word means "to bind together," as in, to make a rope by bringing many strands together. Figuratively it is used to mean "to wait eagerly, to hope, to expect." I know I am in a state of waiting for the Lord in more ways than one in my life. Several other close colleagues of mine are also in this place. But does it mean that we need to sit and wait for the Lord to move? Let's explore three passages:
Isaiah 40:31: But they who wait for 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.
Lamentations 3:25-27: The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Psalm 25:4-5: Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
I see a lot of activity in those verses, even though each of them focuses on waiting. Isaiah says waiting on the Lord gives us renewed strength, lets us soar, lets us walk or run and not run out of steam! That's awesome. So if we use the literal translation, it means that those who bind themselves to God will be empowered. That's really cool. If we go more figuratively, it means those that hope and expect the Lord's power will receive it. Again, really cool. But I think the clear implication is that upon having God's power, we do something with it.
You know what it doesn't say? Wait and God will take care of everything.
Lamentations puts the phrase of seeking after God in the same thought as those waiting for him. Continuing on in the same vein of thought, he says it's good to be quiet as we wait for the Lord's salvation. I think this is referring to the way that we like to tell God how we want things to be done. But instead of telling Him what to do, we need to remember it's worthwhile to keep quiet. Jeremiah spends the first part of chapter 3 complaining about how hard he's had it, and then he interrupts himself with the thought of hope in God. So, it might mean bearing a difficult situation, but God never said life would be easy nor that our definition of good is His.
Again, I say, the "waiting" in these verses is active. Seeking God, holding one's tongue, bearing the yoke. Nothing about sitting around while God works, but us working with the understanding of hope in God (remember what hope is all about anyway).
In Psalm 25, we don't see the waiting until the end, and all the imagery is about paths. For me, path implies that you are moving. What's the point of asking God where you are supposed to go if you're just going to stand by and look at it? "Yeah God, that looks cool, but I'm just gonna stand here and stare at it for a while. Thanks for revealing where I'm supposed to start heading next, I'm gonna wait till you start dragging me along." I guess. I don't know. I'm sick.
I love what Charles Spurgeon has to say about Psalm 25: "Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our life. Our faith will be tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously he once waited for us."
There's one other little point, but if we're going to analyze words, let's also analyze phrases. The translation is typically "wait for" and not "wait on." I think there's a lot of wisdom in that. We wait on doctors to call us back, we wait on people who are late, we wait on food and drinks to be brought to our table at a restaurant. That's a very passive activity (as long as you don't ask a waiter! hah). On the other side, we wait for Christmas morning, and we prepare for it by getting and wrapping gifts and singing songs and such. We wait for the end of the work day, diligently accomplishing our daily tasks until it is time to clock out. We wait for the weather to change so we can go outside, but we typically fill our day with an alternate activity. Waiting for is active. It's anticipating a change.
So, what are you doing? Are you sitting and waiting on it to happen, or are you waiting for it while continuing to move in the direction you are led?
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