December 8, 2021 – Wednesday
As winter begins to settle in and the beauty of spring and summer have retired for the year, we enter into a holding pattern. A season of rest. A season of waiting. A season of advent. All God’s creation knows how to rest and to wait. It is as if the scripture “rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him” has been woven into their very being. Truth be told, it is woven into ours too. We were created to rest and wait patiently on the Lord. The world would benefit greatly from simple observation of creation all around us. Perhaps that is why the Lord delights in watching His children embrace nature study. The chipmunks, bees, flowers and trees all accept their design without question. We were born to surrender to the plans of the Lord and trust Him with tomorrow.
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him… (Ps 37:7, NKJV)
Rest and waiting is not passive – it’s cooperative. We can learn much from simple observation of the bear. She instinctively indulges in the ripe berries of fall, eating more than she has in prior months. Plump and satisfied, she heeds the quiet whisper in the wind that encourages her to surrender to her urge to rest. In spring, as if by formal invitation, she emerges from her winter den, cubs in tow, as she joins in the dance of the seasons. Yes friends… the gentle whisper of the wind is worth listening to (1 Kings 19:12).
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13, NIV)
When the Lord speaks to us, it is rarely an audible or visible word, yet, like the bear we instinctively hear it. Most often it is a simple urge. A gentle whisper. A silent invitation. We know the voice of our shepherd (John 10:27). It isn’t really a question of if we hear. No… the question is are we listening?
As we embrace this holy season of advent, let us take notes from nature. Let us rest and wait on the Lord through our surrendered cooperation. The victory is in the surrender. Isn’t it humbling to think that it all begins with quietness and trust (Isa 30:15)? ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts (Zech 4:6).
The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27, TPT)
In quietness and trust you will be made strong. (Isa 30:15, TPT)
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. (Zech 4:6, NKJV)
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