Wait UPON the Lord

The English language is very funny indeed. It is amazing how one word, even a very small one can change the meaning of other words! A very familiar Bible verse shows a grand example of this: Isaiah 40:31. 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.

Many of us have heard this verse and sermons on it all of our lives, but many of these sermons were wrong. We see that the verse says, “…that wait upon the Lord…”. Many of these messages suggested that we “wait for The Lord.” The difference between the two is so simple, yet makes the truth very profound.

To wait for~ this is a passive verb, requiring no action at all (i.e. I am waiting for the light to turn green).
To wait upon/on~ this is an active verb, requiring action of the subject. (i.e. Our server did a great job waiting on us.). In this form wait upon is used as a term of service.

So as a thought “they that wait upon the the Lord” are those who are actively serving the Lord. Serving the Lord will bring about a renewed strength that only the Lord can provide. When pondering this thought remember Matthew 11:29-30

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

A Holy Fear of God

What does it mean to fear God? In this Laodicean day within which we live most would have no idea of this concept. It really shows how far we have come as a people to so quickly forget about a righteous fear of our Almighty Maker.

In order to fear God we must first know him. I do not mean know of Him. I mean a true Biblical sense of knowing God and communing with him. We cannot truly fear God unless we walk so close to him that our hearts and minds are open to his speaking. Only then can see God in his holiness, mercy, grace, righteousness, and power.

Moses only saw the hinder parts of God’s glory any more and he would have died (Exodus 33:18-23). When he appeared before Abram he fell on his face (Genesis 1-3). The apostle John fell at his feet as dead when he saw him (Revelation 1:17). Yet, we say very nonchalant tonight, “Oh yes, I fear God!”, but are our lives any different as a result? If not we have no fear of God.

David was a man aft God’s own heart. If we are to fear God than that must be said of us. Again, one cannot fear God unless he knows His heart. David knew that THE LORD was his creator, judge, and executioner (Psalm 26; 51). Because David had a realistic view about God he feared him and worshipped him in that manner.

The fear of The Lord brought many joys to David throughout his life. Because of the fear of The Lord he had no fear of the things around him (Psalm 3), he did not want because of the fear of The Lord (Psalm 34), and he was wise because of the fear of The Lord (Psalm 34).

If we are to truly fear The Lord as he wants to be feared then we need to make David’s prayer of Psalm 51 as our own, and see ourselves as we really are, not the reflection our flesh tells us we see.

Psalms 51-
1. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Judge me, O LORD;

Psalms 26:1-2 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

David asked the LORD to do 4 things: judge him, examine him, prove him, and try him. When was the last time we as believers asked God to do these four things to us? In this idolatrous generation that we are living in, which we are more afraid of a man than the Almighty, it would scare the pants off of the “typical Christian”. We are happy in our sin and mediocre “Christian” lives.

To be Christian is to be Christ-like. How can we be that if we are unwilling to get with God on a personal level so that we can allow the Holy Spirit to show us who we really are. The hymn we sing is , Nothing Between My Soul and the Savior, David truly could sing and mean it. Many times I believe we today cannot. We try to hide too much. Thinking, foolishly, maybe He won’t find out.

David truly wanted to follow after God’s heart. We are given many, many examples of this throughout the scripture. In order to do that he had to be willing to know what God really thought about him, and the only way to know is to ask, and ask he did. In essence David asked the LORD to pronounce sentence upon him according to his walk with Him. Then what he asked next brings a holy fear upon every believer of the awesomeness of the Almighty. He asked him to question him, and test his worthiness and virtuosity and then to separate him based on the results of the examination.

This is a very humbling thing and something that should not be taken lightly. If you wonder why you are stagnant in your walk with God maybe you are not walking with Him at all. Amos 3:3. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? If you cannot be honest with yourself and see you as God does you cannot walk together.

There are only two ways we can communicate with God to find out about ourselves, and that is through prayer, James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. and bible study. 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (Notice that the way to get God’s approval is through study.)

In seeking God’s fellowship (laboring together) remember that he may show you some things about you that will hurt. But it is for our own good and growth, Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. and the same Word that will wound you will also wash those wounds. Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Here Is Love (Welch Revival)

Written during the great Welch Revival while the Spirit of God moved liberally in the heart of a nation.

Mankind as a Tree

PSALM 1:3 says”And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Here in this verse we see see a simile between man (the blessed man according to the context see vs 1 & 2) and a tree planted by rivers of water. A simile is a comparison between two subjects. And I want to look at those similarities.

Let us first look at the tree. According to our verse it is planted by rivers of water, it brings forth fruit, it’s leaf does not whither, and it prospers. Why is this so? What about a tree planted by water makes it stronger, and how does this apply to a believer of Christ?

There are two very important things we learn from this. First, it is planted, meaning it’s root system is strong. Second, it is planted by water,so that is has continual life source.

Even a very large old tree that has been standing for hundreds of years is only as good as it’s root system. If the main root system a strong wind (Eph. 4:14) will surely blow it over regardless of how strong it looked on the outside. We see according to the scripture that we are the be “Rooted and built up in him,”.

Colossians 2:6-9-As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

So we see according to this passage that we are rooted in Christ Jesus the Lord upon receiving him and our root system becomes grounded or “built up”, and we become “stablished in our faith” by walking in him by receiving the things that we have been taught. The rooting comes automatically when we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

Are roots the only thing that a tree need to flourish. The answer is obviously, “NO!”. We all know that a tree takes much care and tending too. If it could survive on one thing and one thing only, however, it is water. Without water the root system would dry up and die and the tree would produce no fruit, if we bear no fruit the Father removes us from the vine (John 15:2), and our influence is removed. Whereas, we are rooted in Christ Jesus at salvation, we need to find out about a never ending water source with which to feed by.

This never-ending source of water comes from the word of God. We see in Ephesians 5:26 that the church is sanctified by the washing of the word. We is John 1 that the person of Jesus Christ is the Word. When Jesus left this earth He left us with the written Word of God (our BIble) which God himself has placed above even his name.

Psalms 138-2. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

If God Himself said His word is above His name then as believers we need to search the scriptures and live daily in it’s words. If we truly want to prosper and to produce fruit for our Father then Psalm 1:2 should sum up our lives.

Psalms 1:2-But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.