06/14/2014
The Lifestyle of Waiting
The Lord Jesus spoke to me in a very strong tone, stating, “When it comes to seeking ME, I detest multitasking!” We cannot develop this ability to hear from the Lord unless we first learn to wait upon the Lord (Isaiah 40:31)).
This “waiting” must be experienced in times set apart in which we are alone with Him (Psalms 46:10-11). These set-apart-times must have a place within our daily life experience. Our seeking is not haphazard or hit and miss: it must be a lifestyle (Psalms 27:8)! The true seeking of God is a continuous seeking. It has to do with the position or attitude of our spirit being lifted toward the Lord. Our heart must be attentive to His Presence and our ears must be open to His voice. We must continuously live in an attitude of worshipful listening, hearing and heeding the direction of God’s Spirit. A yielded life is essential.
And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. II Chronicles 26:5
The Spirit of Truth is seeking hungry-hearted saints who are desperate to hear and heed the voice of God, wholly following the Lamb of God—those who personally know Him and have received an understanding of His ways (1 Cor.2:6-7). We only come to maturity by personally knowing Him. And how do we come to know Him? By spending time with Him in His Presence our entire life takes on new vibrant outlook (2 Cor.3:18).
We must pay close attention to nourishing our soul, making sure our spirit-man is not anemic and malnourished. How do we do this? By continually abiding in the Wisdom and guidance of the Word of God! God does promise that if we seek Him, great will be our reward.
I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me.
Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring riches and righteousness.
My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold,
And my revenue than choice silver.
I traverse the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth,
That I may fill their treasuries. Proverbs 8:17- 21
How to Wait upon the Lord
It is imperative that we learn how to better surrender to the Spirit of God and how to be directed by His Spirit. Our being guided by the Spirit means that we have developed an appreciation and respect for His Presence. This begins by meditating in the Scriptures so that we may convey true revelation of the Word of God to those who seek to know Him. When I am studying the Scriptures, I seek to allow the Word to enter into me and me into the Word. I see myself within the setting of the event unfolding in the pages of the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).
Guidance by the Spirit without words is the result of an active relationship with Jesus, in which His Presence abides within us and we abide in Him, “knowing” His Spirit through the deep inner perception of our spirit.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way in which you shall go: I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8
There are two aspects to our waiting on the Lord.
The first has to do with our withdrawal from all activity. Through this separation unto God, we enter into a consciousness of His Presence. This consciousness can be described as an attitude of anticipation and worship. So the first step in beginning a true seeking of God is for us to set aside time in which we quietly wait to hear His knock upon the door of our spirit. The enemy of our soul will also be knocking, however. Remember this is a very important point: the devil will always attempt to distract you with thoughts, to turn your mind away from things above (Col. 3:5).
The second aspect of our waiting on the Lord is learning how to continuously abide in His Presence no matter the activity at hand. This continuous abiding hinges on the first experience of withdrawal:
Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31
It is possible for us to be separated unto God, “shut in” with the Lord, in the midst of activity (Matthew 6:6). This will take time, as it does not come easily, or at once. The devil—the foe of your soul—will attempt to steal your intimacy with Jesus. He will distract and disturb you anyway he can with the goal of disrupting your seeking God.
This higher level of relationship begins with our entering our set-apart place and then waiting on the Lord during specific times, times which are set aside for this purpose. Then we can carry His Presence out with us to abide in all that we do.
Never forget: true prayer is an audience with the KING!
Assure Your Heart of His Presence
It is reported concerning the early disciples that they were ignorant and untrained; however, it was evident that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
Reassure your heart that God is “omnipresent.” He is always with you, attentive to your every thought and feeling. Consider Jeremiah 23:24:
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him, says the Lord? Do not I fill heaven and earth? Says the Lord.
We can encourage ourselves with the fact that the Lord is present, no matter how we may feel. This is a tremendous truth and will greatly help us—once it captures our heart. Our remaining conscious of the fact of His Presence as we wait on the Lord is like recharging a battery: it is a renewing process of His life flowing into our lives, a joining of our spirit with the Lord through faith. His Presence will gradually become our delight.
Another way to understand this is that we, being a branch, are to draw the life of the vine into our spirit.
I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
As our mind is renewed by waiting on the Lord, it is brought closer to His mind—and we come to understand His ways. Consider I Corinthians 2:16: “...But we have the mind of Christ.” This truth is worked into our spirit as we spend time in the Lord’s Presence, waiting upon Him.
Be Determined to Wait
The only way for us to enter this relationship of His abiding Presence is to begin waiting upon the Lord on a regular basis, with a determination not to stop until we have met with and supped with Him.
And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind... Romans 12:2
As we seek first the kingdom of God, the blessings and overwhelming benefits of God flood our lives (Matthew 6:33). The overwhelming bliss and joy of a soul prospering in the favor of God is a noble quest. A truth we must grasp is money and material things do not bring lasting satisfaction and joy of soul.
As we become relentless determine not to stop, as we meet and sup with him, both our waiting and our abiding in His Presence will become our highest joy (Psalms 16:11)!
