Wednesday, April 2, 2014

The Challenge of Waiting

"Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes look to the LORD our God until He shall be gracious to us," (Psalm 123:2). 

Sustained attentiveness is tough.  The disciples who followed the Master into the garden of Gethsemane found it to be so.  The day had been long, the evening intense, and by the time they entered the garden their fatigue was complete.  Yet, there was more than the need for physical endurance involved… the spiritual warfare in unseen realms was raging around them, as Satan sought to thwart God’s salvation plan by overwhelming the humanity of the Savior.  Their struggle and failure to provide the prayer support the Lord Jesus charged them with is understandable.

For, watching and waiting upon the Lord elicit fierce opposition from the hater of our soul.  Better than we, he knows the spiritual power unleashed when the children of the Almighty give Him their full & undivided attention.  He better than we knows what's eternally at stake in the unseen regions around us, and spares no energy to thwart our persevering prayer.  

Such opposition should spur us on to "pray without ceasing," surmising the eternal impact we can make for the sake of our blessed Lord's kingdom.  Rather than becoming dismayed and leaving off praying, may the Lord use the very opposition, obstacles, and opportunities to quit instigated by the enemy to fortify our determination to "pray through."  



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