TargetPoint Vol 5 of 31Today's Verse/Thought: WAITING-The Act of Soul Surrender
Isaiah 40:31 They who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength . . . they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Life Implication:
Wouldn't we all love to run and NOT be weary? Here we have a KEY given to us by God Himself. He says to WAIT upon Him. That sounds like a difficult assignment but with practice, the benefits are well worth the effort.
What does it mean to WAIT upon God? And how does waiting differ from praise? WAITING on the Lord is basically the SILENT SURRENDERING of the soul to God.
Waiting is NOT THE NORM. Don't most of us have to force ourselves to relax while waiting in a line and counting the minutes of what we perceive as wasted time?
WAITING ON GOD REQUIRES OUR ENTIRE BEING. It is not drifting into daydreaming, but is rather an exercise that demands our keenest attention, our most alert frame of mind. Waiting says softly, God, I love you. Waiting might be termed wordless worship. It is a spiritual love affair with intimate supernatural union. It is a RELATIONSHIP.
Life Application:
After your moments of praise, bring your mind and heart into a TIME OF COMPLETE SILENCE to the world around you. Think no thoughts but thoughts of God the Father, His Son Jesus, or the Holy Spirit.
Especially STRIVE TO CONQUER the nature of our culture of misspent conversation that permeates the very fiber of human life. This is not the time for asking, but of QUIET FOCUS in His presence.
PRACTICE THE ART of silence throughout your day. Silence takes practice in this noise filled world in which we live. You can practice in various ways: As you drive in your car, try TURNING OFF THE RADIO for 10 minutes or so. While at home, if you're used to the TV being on most of the time, try turning it off for a half hour. During those times of silence, QUIETLY CONCENTRATE on your LOVE for Him. While praise cries boldly, God, I see these excellent qualities in your nature, waiting says softly, GOD, I LOVE YOU.
As you practice this art in different ways and settings, you will find that during your prayer time, those few minutes of silence following your moments of praise become easier and easier.
Tomorrow In TargetPoint:
Waiting, Its Focus and Value