Will you yield the wait to God’s timing?

Why do we yield the glory to God?

The Apostle Paul had done amazing work sharing the gospel with people and establishing Christian churches in major cities and regions of the Roman Empire. He worked tirelessly under difficult circumstances in spite of personal illness and persecution. He was a hero in the first century and remains a hero today. The letter to the Ephesians was written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome. He was in prison for his faith yet continued his ministry of sharing the gospel. If awards were given, Paul might have won first prize. Yet, Paul wanted the church in Ephesus to join him in praising God for all that God had done. In Paul’s words of praise, we see the truth about yielding to God any glory that is given for the work of the ministry. Paul praised God for doing what he himself could never have accomplished. God had done more than the people had asked for or even thought about. Paul understood that the success he had achieved was not because of his abilities or his sacrificial service. Instead, the gospel had advanced “according to the power at work” in the Apostle’s life and the lives of the other Christians. Paul knew the churches he had helped to establish were there because the Holy Spirit had led and prospered the work. That is why Paul said, “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Giving God the glory for his work in our lives is so important because directing praise to God reminds us, and others, that we are only the hands and feet of Christ. He is the head of the church and it is Jesus who guides and equips the saints to serve.  Paul understood the source of the wisdom that had directed his ministry was the Spirit of God. Paul’s great ministry was the result of God’s strength and leadership within his life. We listen to the weather anchor report the forecast but not once do we imagine that they created the weather. Only God can raise the sun, warm the earth, or bring the storms. To take credit for the success of our ministries is like the weather anchor taking credit for the weather.  Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Wisdom is recognizing that all the glory should be given to God because it was his power at work within us, and not us, that accomplished the ministry. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

How do we yield our strength to God?

Knowing God is strong enough to handle our lives is much easier than trusting our circumstances to his strength. God has given us the ability to learn. God has given us minds that can think, imagine, plan, and choose. How do we know how and when to yield our own strengths and abilities to his higher authority? Realizing that God’s ways are above the practical understanding of human thought can be unnerving. Knowing we can study and arrive at a practical decision that God might not support can be unsettling. It’s frustrating to know that his ways and his thoughts are higher than our own and could conflict with what we know as just “common sense.” On the other hand, it is comforting to know that our God is never common. He is the Creator God, and “nothing is too hard” for him to handle. God told Jeremiah to take his money and buy a field, even when the prophet already knew the Chaldeans were about to invade and take the land for themselves. God told Jeremiah to do something that made no sense at the time. God often calls his people to trust him instead of trusting their own understanding. If we limit God’s will to only what makes sense to us at the time, we will miss the chance to walk fully in his plan and purpose.  Jeremiah was called to buy a field of land that would soon be captured by the enemy. The land was located in the promised land, and the deed was to be sealed and put in an earthen jar so the document would last for a long time. Jeremiah was called to invest his money, not in the present circumstances, but in the future. The land would be taken, but God promised that the land would be returned one day. Jeremiah was called to invest what he had in God’s promise, not in the present circumstances. All Christians are called to God’s purpose. Romans 8:28 promises that God will work all things together for our good if we are called to God’s purpose. What appears to be the best choice today may not be God’s best choice for our future. We can yield our strength to God when we recognize that only God holds the knowledge of his future plans.  That’s why yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Only God has the great power to stretch out his arms and do whatever is perfect, whatever is in line with his perfect plan. We are strong and capable people, but we are not wise until we yield our strengths and our plans to God.

How do we live with a courageous heart?

Praying for miracles we don’t know we will receive takes courage. Waiting for God’s answers, whatever his answers will be, takes strength. A courageous heart is essential to live with the hope of heaven when heaven is the only hope left to us on earth. Psalm 27 is about leaning on the hope of our salvation. We live with that hope every day if we are a Christian. Hope in our salvation gives us a peace that others don’t always understand and a perspective that people who live for earth alone don’t have. The hope of our salvation is the place we will run when we recognize the hope the world offers is insufficient. The psalmist wrote, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lᴏʀᴅ in the land of the living!” (Psalm 27:13). God gives us glimpses of his goodness all the time. We have seen his peace in people who were facing a crisis. We have seen his joy in people who could have felt grief instead. We have seen his strength in people who were called to face huge challenges. We glimpse God at work in the lives of the faithful. Sometimes we wait for the Lord’s answers in our own lives. Sometimes we live with courageous hope because our circumstances are not yet easy, resolved, or overcome.  Our hearts can take courage even when our heads cannot.  How do we live with a courageous heart? We don’t simply look for the goodness of the Lord in our earthly lives; we look also for the goodness he has promised us eternally.  The psalmist was also saying, “One day I will see the goodness of the Lord face-to-face. I will experience the goodness of the Lord in every moment of the land where I will live forever.” We can wait with a courageous heart when we eagerly look forward to the joys of heaven. Heaven is the Christian’s ultimate “land of the living.” One day we will see fully the goodness of the Lord. It takes courage to wait for that moment, but we have been given that courage through God’s Holy Spirit and through his word. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Trust the wisdom of the psalmist who called us to “be strong” and let our hearts take courage. Every Christian can see the goodness of the Lord in this life, and every Christian will only see the goodness of the Lord in life eternal. That is wisdom that makes this life worth the wait!

Do you find your strength in God’s power?

Most days of our lives are manageable and easy to navigate. We seek God’s word and his will for the day. We pray for his Presence and can sense his peace. God’s Spirit provides our direction and our sense of God’s favor and strength. There may be a momentary need that causes us to pray quickly for his advice, his words, and his thoughts. While most of our days are manageable, every life has days, even seasons, that wash over us and cause us to feel overwhelmed. I heard a preacher say one time that the best time to get ready for the hard times was now, during the easier times. This life is a road trip to heaven and at some point we will be required to face a mountain. Isaiah the prophet offers great words of encouragement for every day that we will need to remember in the hard days. Isaiah said we should hear his words and know that these words are truth. Then he told the people about the perfect character of God. God is everlasting. God is the Creator of the ends of the earth. God never grows faint or weary and his understanding of you and your need is unsearchable. In other words, whatever you face in life, God can and will handle it for you, perfectly. God is incapable of wanting anything less than his perfect will for you. The time to prepare for the mountains of life is right now. Know God and all that he is and all that he can do. You will never fully understand God because his understanding is unsearchable.  Don’t worry that you might face a difficult time in this life; expect that you will and get ready. A strong person isn’t afraid to pick up a heavy object because he knows he is able. A strong ship can handle storms.  There are some moments in this life that seem overwhelming and impossible to face. Those are the times we pray like someone caught in a violent storm. During those times, Isaiah assures us that God “gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” I’ve been in ministry for a long time and I have witnessed Isaiah’s words time after time. I’ve seen people endure the impossible because of the miraculous strength of God in their lives. Watching them made me want to seek that strength for my own life. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. The time to yield and the time to become strong in the Lord is now. Then, when the storm comes, you will find God’s strength and power to be sufficient for all things. You will know how to yield to the everlasting God, the Creator, who never grows weary of caring for his children. You can say with the Apostle Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Do you yield your priorities to God?

Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness to do good things that would have shown the world he was capable of miraculous works. Studying the temptations of Christ is important for our spiritual lives because they are examples of the way Christians are tempted today. If you have a strong walk with the Lord, you are probably not going to be tempted to commit an awful crime or willingly do an evil thing. Instead, Satan often tempts those of us who are close to God to fill our lives with good things instead of things God most needs us to accomplish. Jesus taught his disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” God wants to be our King, the Ruler of our lives. When our lives are governed by God, then our choices are about obedience to his commands rather than just making good personal choices. We are made “righteous,” meaning “right with God,” when we live submitted and obedient to God’s leadership in our lives. How does God lead? Our Bibles teach us how to know God and therefore recognize his will and his voice in our lives. The Holy Spirit is our gift of the Lord’s Presence to guide us and strengthen us to accomplish his will. Our job is to remain so close to God that his voice is easily discernible from all others. As a disciple, we are not called to simply choose good things to do for ourselves. We are called to know God and discern his will, choosing to obey the “God-things” that we are assigned to accomplish by his directives.  Jesus said that if we will seek God’s priorities in our lives and desire to live a righteous life “all things will be added” as a result. Our first priority is to know God’s will, his plan for our days. God’s blessings are the result of obeying all that he has called us to accomplish. When we stand before our Father one day, our eternal rewards will be the results of our earthly submission and our choice to obey his calling in our lives. Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Let’s not settle for the good things the world applauds. Instead, let’s seek God’s will, God’s calling, and choose to do those things that make us right with him as our King. Then can the promise of his blessings be added to our lives now and eternally.