When I am praying, God is listening. He is waiting on me. Maybe not on me to do or say anything in particular, just waiting on me to arrive at the place He had planned for me.
“1I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.” – Psalm 40:1(ESV)
God is always listening to me and my cries. He is sympathetic toward my suffering. He wants and gives nothing but the best to me. I have to remember that there is a plan and a final reward for me and my life, here in this world and in heaven respectively.
I have a duty to wait patiently for everything to manifest. Maybe the time has not come for me yet. Maybe my suffering is simply a by product of the timing of what is to come. I have to remember that God’s timing is perfect and He will never forsake me.
Once I have realized rescue from whatever suffering I have endured, it is my responsibility to declare the glory of the Lord to all.
2He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord…9I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. 10I have not hidden you deliverance within my hear; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.” – Psalm 40:2-3 & 9-10 (ESV)
I have found myself in positions where I have received blessing or good things have happened and I have delayed or simply held those blessings to myself so as to not cause anyone else to stumble and doubt the greatness and mercy of our God. It seems as though I need to revisit that process.
The Lord does not want me to cause others to stumble, He does however want me to provide hope for those I come in contact with. My declarations of the blessing bestowed from God are worthy of, and should be shared. It is the content and motive of the heart that God is looking at me to be careful with. I have to remember not to boast about things, only declare praise to God and encourage others to continue waiting patiently as they diligently do God’s work.
I believe that I have struggled with praising God in the past due to what I have praised him for. I should be thankful for the monetary blessings that God allows me to have, however those are not what I should be praising God about openly. That fancy new car, house, clothing, or electronics are not where I should be heaping praise to God for the blessings. My focus should be on the peace of mind, health, love, ability to help others, and safety with Christ. I should be heaping praise on God for those with the understanding that the monetary items are a result. When I am #blessed, am I really declaring the true blessings God is heaping on me?
What about you, are you hesitant to declare publicly the blessing from our Lord? Have you thought of the blessings that you are declaring and their impact on those around you? Are waiting for and declaring the right blessings?
Trevor's Thoughts 