Verse of the Day 4/14

Through the Bible - Leviticus 21-22, Revelation 1

 

Good morning,

I read two different passages this morning that I had never considered in conjunction with each other before.  They had to do with "waiting" on the Lord in Psalm 130 and seeking the Lord in Luke 11. 

 

When we first think of waiting it is easy to think of it as a passive thing, just sitting around and waiting for something to happen.  That is not how we are to be.  In the Psalm we have the picture of the soldier or watchman who has been on duty through the long dark hours of the night with the threat of war, the enemy hanging over him.  He longs for the morning, but waits on and rest in the Lord in the meantime.

 

Ps 130:5 I  wait for the Lord,  my soul waits,
and  in his word I hope;
6 my soul  waits for the Lord
more than  watchmen for  the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.  ESV

There are many things that can put us in this condition, personal illness or that of a loved one, the loss of a job and income with the uncertainty of what the future holds, or waiting for someone to return home from the battlefield or a mission.  The picture also came to mind of the father waiting for the prodigal son in Luke 15.

 

For today's verse we'll go to Luke chapter 11 where Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock.

 

Luke 11:9 And I tell you,  ask, and  it will be given to you;  seek, and you will find;  knock, and it will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.    ESV

When we are in the position of waiting in the Lord, this acronym should be in our minds and help us as we pray - ASK - ask, seek, knock.  The New Living translation actually picks up on the correct tense of the verbs.

 

Luke 11:9 "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.   NLT

 

The Christian's waiting is not passive.  We are to keep asking - asking for guidance, wisdom, healing, blessing, peace.  We are to keep seeking Him, His will for our lives, while praying  through His Word, devoted to Him even if we don't feel His presence.  We are to keep knocking, looking for open doors of opportunity, for service, ministry, serving others.  In doing so we will find, can have hope, and peace.  Wait and watch and hope in His word.

 

Ps 130:7-  O Israel, wait and watch for God —
with God's arrival comes love,
with God's arrival comes generous redemption.
No doubt about it — he'll redeem Israel,
buy back Israel from captivity to sin.   The Message

 

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV
Luke 11:1-10

 

11 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

 

2 Jesus said, "This is how you should pray:

 

"Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation."

 

5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' 8 But I tell you this—though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

 

9 "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.   NLT