Originally published Wednesday, 24 February 2016.
JUST. NOT. NOW.
Those three words seem to be the words I have had to say quite a lot over these last several months. And I am not a fan of having to turn down opportunities, especially when they seem so right, so perfect.
But the timing may not be...
Sunday morning before church, I was reading Psalm 37 and I think the Lord was trying to prepare me for a decision I was going to have to make later that night...
Psalm 37:4 (NKJV) tells us to:
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
"The Hebrew word translated “delight” (עָנַג, pronounced aw-nag) literally means to be delicate or feminine (Strong’s, עָנַג.) It carries the idea of being pliable or sensitive. In this particular context, it means to be dependent upon God and to derive one’s pleasure from Him" (Dan Lowe, MBC Global-Pastor's Blog).
When we read this verse, we usually picture the word delight meaning to enjoy God, which in a way it does. But as I went deeper researching the Hebrew meaning of the word, I realized the verse almost seemed to be a command to us.
The Lord is trying to tell us that He will give us the desires of our heart once we FULLY DEPEND ON HIM AND HIS WAYS. When we have a full revelation of who God is and what His ways are like, we can take genuine pleasure in Him. Not because of what He can do for us, but just because of who He is.
We see in Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV):
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
When we understand this, or at least ATTEMPT to understand this statement from the Lord, we see that God's plans may be difficult to comprehend for us humans because they will always be higher than our's.
So how do we walk through life when we have to be the ones making the decisions?
TRUST IN THE LORD. WAIT UPON THE LORD.
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NLT)
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)
And of course...
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6; NKJV)
Then the Lord really hit me with this one in Habakkuk:
For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry. (2:3 NKJV)
There are opportunities in your life that have yet to completely unfold and there are promises that the Lord has spoken to you that have yet to manifest, but before you give up or take matters into your own hands, trust and wait. The Bible says that God's promises are YES and AMEN ("so be it").
If whatever you're believing for, praying for, hoping for is supposed to happen. It will. In GOD'S TIMING.
You may find yourself saying, "just not now..." but know that the Lord has not forgotten about you.
He knows exactly what He's doing. He holds your precious life in the palm of His hand and He won't let you fall. If you lean on Him and depend on His ways, You won't be able to help yourself finding delight in Him and the desires that He placed in your heart will unfold right before your very eyes.
He is ready to give them to you. All you gotta do is....WAIT.
Check out more of my blogs on www.emilyrosemassey.com! Also, visit my website for more information on how to stay connected with me, as well as info about my book Yielded in His Hands- now available on Amazon.com!
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