Waiting on a Blessing
Yesterday I once again began reading my favorite book of the Bible. It is the book that speaks to me the most, as it really meets the artistic and poetic side of my mind, written in ways that I can understand easier than other books. I’m personally going through some hard struggles, and I needed to come to my Heavenly Father. As I read Psalm 1, He did not disappoint.
Psalm 1
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
To many of the readers of this blog all over the world, I am aware that you all have different climates, weather, and seasons than I do here in Pennsylvania, United States. Here, my family and I are finally experiencing the first taste of spring after a long and cloudy winter. After being cooped up in the house for months, the first sunny days of warmth and sunshine are as inviting as it comes. I headed outside to soak in the beauty of God’s creation today, as birds were singing, the sun was handing warm rays down on my skin, and the grass is showing hints of expressing new growth. These are precious days. I wanted to take full advantage of it all.
I decided to lie down on our picnic table so I could rest and watch the clouds passing overhead. On a March day in Pennsylvania, the gusty wind blows the white billowing cotton balls overhead pretty quickly, and I think of them as soldiers marching across the sky proclaiming God’s glory and majesty. It was here, on the tabletop, that I looked up at our big tree still protecting its spring buds inside the bark covering and protection it provides. This particular tree gets leaves really late here, usually not until June.
It reminded me of the chapter that I had read and reread again this morning in my devotional.
Currently, I am in a phase of life that I need God to stand up and show up in. Though He has been there for me each and every day, I needed a fresh dose of “God backing me up” this morning. He has led me on a journey I couldn’t of expected, dreamed up, or orchestrated myself. The things that God has done in my life are nothing short than miraculous, as He seems to be daily showering His love on me like the spring rain that perks up Daffodil shoots after a long winter break. I couldn’t be happier, but I always need more of Jesus. The more I receive of Him, the more I realize I still need. I am a sponge continually asking for more. I am a man who knows that if I don’t have God, I have nothing.
What God will do in my situation I’m not sure. I have learned to trust Him above my carnal knowledge and limited wisdom. He always seems to know the right path to open up for me, and I’ve learned the biggest secret to finding God’s will is your obedience to Him. Obedience opens things up like nothing else can. I have asked God to work on my behalf, and although I have made it known how I would want my prayer answered… I know God knows best.
But today, this giant tree above me stands tall in the sunlight with no leaves. Its branches hang both high and low, yet no fruit is displayed for anyone to partake of. Not even the birds, who rest in its branches can find a fleck to eat, for it is still March here in my town. Sometimes we get weary of waiting for leaves to break forth.
How many times do we look at life and wonder when Psalm 1 is going to actually take place? Last night my prayer to the Lord was real and very earnest in my pleading with Him. There is a time when all the fluffy prayers fade away and the real pain, the real trial of the moment ushers us into a secret place with the Lord- one that desperation dictates the words and emotions we choose to share with Him. I am in that place. I need God to step in and show up big. In my own thinking, it doesn’t make sense why I’m still waiting, hoping, and pleading for God to act in my prayer. I’ve lived for God. I’ve done exactly what I felt He desires. I try to obey each day. I try to live in His ways. Shouldn’t God’s promises be answering me right now?
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Has my life reflected this? Have I walked in a way that the world sees different? Can my own family tell that I am walking to a different drumbeat than the world around? Do my wife and kids know where my heart is, where I will walk, and where I refuse to be? Do they know my convictions? Am I a man that shows no secret to where His foundation is, what values he will not compromise on, and what things I refuse to take part in? Do I live in a way that takes no “councel of the wicked,” company in sinful ways, or partaking of the scoffing the world offers? Instead, in my life, am I different? Are God’s ways the things that fill my mind, occupying my thoughts, filling the meditations of my head day and night?
I’d like to say yes. I have a peace to say yes. I pray others would agree.
How many of us are walking in this place of obedience with the Lord, yet we look up to see our tree doesn’t have leaves on yet?
He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
Many times, like today, I wonder how long it will be until the tree of my life buds leaves that don’t wither, and fruit that lasts and nourishes in its season. When will this season be? As I wait on the Lord, as I trust in Him as my all, how soon will I look up to be relieved at the sight of leaves bearing shade for the weary soul? I realize that God’s promises are true, for God cannot lie; yet I desperately cling to this passage of scripture as a lifeline for what I hope to be, still waiting. Will God keep true to the very first words of the book of Psalms? Of course, but sometimes we are living in Pennsylvania March, and all we want is a shady June tree of shade.
It is important to understand that God’s Word is always true. March will pass. He promises that “our tree will be planted by streams of water, yielding fruit in its season, without leaves that wither.” It is vital that we do not give up the pursuit of such things. We need to hold our end of the bargain. We need to be men and women who aren’t afraid to take a stance for God, not walking in the wicked’s council, standing in sinful ways, or scoffing with worldly pride. We need to be a people who will commit our thoughts to God’s ways, even to the point that we take delight in them, and truly pondering and meditating on God’s Word and ways.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Will God rescue us from the ways of evil men? Can those that oppose us, who oppose God, stand against us? Will God defend us in the time we need?
That’s what His Word says.
Do you feel like you are living in an endless winter or March day? Are you waiting on a blessing you don’t see as coming? I encourage you to read Psalm 1. Read it more than once. Read it over and over until you let it sink in like water to your roots. Stand on its foundation. Live it. Think on it. Meditate on it. Do your part. Put God in all your thoughts. Stand on what His Word says. He will be faithful to do the rest. Hang on to what God says is coming. Let God have the freedom to show up in your life exactly how you need it, even if it’s in an unexpected way.
June is coming. Your leaves and fruit are promised. One day they will bloom and will benefit you and those around you. Hang on to what God Himself has spoken to you, as His Word does not return void.
Stand firm.
Keep your chin up and your eyes fixed on Jesus.
March only lasts so long.
By Chuck Carr