The weather in the Midwest is just like it is in much of the rest of the country – frigid and snowy! That even tends to be an understatement. So with the COVID restrictions and guidelines that force us to stay inside, I guess we should be use to it by now? Nah, not so much!! Just as schools were starting to reopen in some places, along comes “snow days” which now are considered “remote learning days” in districts that have the technology to do so. But the power outages that come with extreme weather puts a stop to that!
In these times of required isolation it can be lonely for a lot of people. Day in and day out often is filled with enough drudgery of the “same old thing” of a routine that is very different from what we would like it to be. It can be discouraging. No, it IS discouraging.
My devotion from Worthy Brief today is just what I needed for this cold, snowy day that seemed to add to my discouragement of living in “another day in a pandemic.”
Psalm 27:13-14 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
During this frigid weather in the United States, millions have been dealing with electricity blackouts! Throughout Texas, there are several million people still without electricity! For the first time, teens in Texas are learning to live without any electricity, and (can you even imagine) – without a cell phone! For the first time in their lives, they enjoyed the privilege of experiencing what life was like decades ago.
Forced to slow down, unable to text or “Facebook”, everyone who lost power entered a “moment” of technological communication silence, and they waited anxiously for the powers that be to restore their normal life patterns. How many actually enjoyed this, or found some kind of relief from the tyranny of communication technology, I wonder? How many actually took any time out to “wait on the Lord”? I have to wonder if the Almighty had much more company than He was used to during this time. I kind of hope so…
The above passage speaks of “losing heart” except for the expectation of faith in the goodness of God. How long could you go without electrical power before you might begin to “lose heart”? At what point would “waiting on the Lord” become your only source of hope or encouragement? How much, really, do we depend on earthly power? And how much on the power of God? Webster’s definition of “wait”, is “to stay or rest in”. It’s a quiet place of abiding. And this kind of waiting is expectant, because in it you are awakening your conscious relationship with the God of Creation, and you have every reason to expect His comfort, love, and restorative power to flow from your communion with Him.
But for many of us, it’s hard to enter silence, isn’t it? So when the power goes off, we fidget until it’s restored.
Is your heart weak and your earthly strength just about dried up? The word says, “Be of good courage, and wait on the Lord”; there is power and courage to be received simply by waiting on Him. Having experienced it countless times I can tell you confidently, He will renew your strength, encourage and prepare you for whatever comes next. So I say, again, “Wait on the Lord!”
Just as the ice on the road and the snow on the ground will melt, so will the promises of the Lord come to those who are faithful. His peace comes to those who are patient and wait on Him.
THE RIGHT RENDITION 