No. 809
“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psa. 27:14)
The expression, “Wait on the Lord,” does not imply so much a rendering of service to the Lord as it does a waiting for the Lord, patiently watching until we learn what our Lord would have us do. Each child of God should wait to be guided by Him, and not run on ahead of Him, unmindful of the Lord’s purpose for him. As the Wise Man counseled: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6)
Having committed our ways to the Lord, we should go forward only as He leads us. If we are not clear as to His will, let us not be in too great a hurry, nor try to guide ourselves, but present the matter to the Lord in earnest prayer, asking that we may have no will or way of our own, but may be guided only as He wills. Then let us wait, watch, and follow as He seems to lead, leaving the results with Him. We are not to follow our own choice, without evidences that it is God’s will. If we have not as yet clearly ascertained the Lord’s will in the matter, we should consider the Word of the Lord, to see how His instructions seem to apply in this situation, and pray over the matter, that we may be guided properly.
From outward appearances, those who wait on the Lord do not always seem to be the most prosperous, but the Psalmist declared that we should “be of good courage” as we thus wait on God. We make no mistake when we wait on Him – we are pursuing the right course and shall have His blessing. Others may seem to be getting ahead of us at first, but we are to “wait on the Lord,” taking no step unless we feel sure that the Lord is directing and guiding.
Watch for the meaning of His providences. Study His Word and do not let your faith depart from its moorings. “Good” courage means courage of a good degree, not merely a little courage. Strong courage “shall strengthen thine heart.” The word heart here may be understood to mean the soul, the being – especially the intelligent part of us. The Lord will support us and fortify us. He will make us strong to bear all and strong to do His will as it is made known to us. They that wait on the Lord will not want for any good thing.
TRAITS NECESSARY TO SUCCESS
Courage, fortitude, and persistence in the service of the Lord are very necessary to the child of God. Such traits are needed even by the worldly, as whoever lacks these qualities of character is pretty sure to have poor success in life. Lack of courage and hope is one of the chief causes of failure in the world. Our opening text does not refer to the world, however, but to those who belong to the Lord. The precious promises of God’s Word, which are only for those who are wholly His, give us every reason for hope; we have full authority to be strong and of good courage. The children of God will have trials and experiences similar to those of the world, in addition to experiences and trials peculiar to them as followers of Christ. These do not come to us in a haphazard way, however, as they do to the world. They are instead under the direct supervision of the Lord.
Those who are new in the service of the Master might think for a time that matters should run smoothly for them, that they should not have the difficulties common to the world. They might think that now that they are God’s children, He will protect them from afflictions and mistreatment. But as they study the Lord’s Word, they soon see that this is not true; they see that they are to walk by faith, and not by sight. They learn that they are not to expect to have outward and tangible manifestations of His favor, but that they are to walk in the footsteps of the Master and suffer with Him. (1 Pet. 2:20-21; Acts 14:22) They learn that they must be obedient, and they come to see what obedience means.
They see how the Master learned obedience: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Heb. 5:8) Following in the Master’s footsteps is not an easy path. If we accept His Word fully, in time we come to see that, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31) If matters do not go as we had expected, if trials come, we will say, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” (Rom. 8:28)
As we are guided by the Word of the Lord, we learn that we are to be of good courage as we pursue our onward way. There are many difficulties to be surmounted, and it requires courage to surmount them. But the courage born of faith in God and in His promises strengthens us when otherwise we might be overwhelmed. It gives us a strength to which all others are strangers.
TRUST WHERE WE CANNOT TRACE
If a child of God becomes discouraged and loses his hope and strength, it is because he has lost his hold upon the Lord’s promises to help. To lose courage is to lose faith. Loss of faith and courage makes a child of God powerless before his foes. We must trust our Father even when the meaning of His providences is veiled from our eyes, and when our efforts to serve Him seem to be hedged in.
Looking back at the Apostles and their experiences, we see the Apostle Paul was very desirous of carrying the message of the Gospel to others. Several times he tried to go into Asia, but he was not permitted to go. He began to wonder why this was, why his efforts continued to prove failures. But the Lord revealed to him that he was to go into Greece instead. In his first Epistle to the Church at Thessalonica, he wrote, “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.” (1 Thess. 2:18) But we are sure that the Lord caused the machinations of Satan to work to His own glory, and that the lesson of patience and submission proved to be a blessing to His children.
We see that in the Garden of Gethsemane our Lord had not lost faith in God, but He was fearful for a time. As He came to the closing hours of His experiences on earth, He wondered whether or not He had faithfully conformed to all the Father’s requirements. He knew that the slightest infraction of God’s Law would mean His eternal death. Had He completed His sacrifice acceptably? Would He be ushered from death into Heavenly glory by a resurrection? Then He received from the Father the assurance that He had been altogether faithful. All the trials and difficulties which the Master underwent in the laying down of His life preceded Him as a sweet incense, a precious perfume, beyond the veil, into the Most Holy as shown in the type. (Lev. 16:12-13)
A PROPER FEAR
In the type, after the Jewish high priest had crumbled the sweet incense upon the fire of the golden altar, after its fragrance had penetrated beyond the second veil and had covered the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, he then himself passed beneath the veil. The high priest probably feared every time he raised the veil to pass under it, for had he failed in any particular to carry out his sacrificial work acceptably, he would have died as he passed under the veil. Our Lord Jesus likewise knew that His work must be acceptable in the most absolute sense, else He would forever forfeit His existence. He would become as though He had not been; He would lose all.
There was no earthly being to give our Lord encouragement in this matter. There was no one to say He had done everything perfectly, so the Master went alone to the Father for this assurance and for strength and courage. He prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42) The Father heard His prayer and gave Him the needed assurance and strength, and during all that night and the following day, up to the hour of His crucifixion, He was calm and courageous.
So, the Lord’s people should have a proper fear. Proper fear is good for them, but it should not proceed to the point of hindering their efforts and dissipating their courage. They should have the fear enjoined by St. Paul when he said, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Heb. 4:1) The Master had this proper fear. He never became discouraged, never held back from the work which the Father had given Him to do. His fear was one befitting a son, engendering watchfulness and care, a circumspection of walk and of life, that He might be wholly pleasing to the Father. All Christians should have this fear, and should watch lest they neglect some privilege or duty.
This proper fear will lead us to careful inspection of ourselves. We should ask ourselves what we believe and why we believe it. We should go over in our minds again and again the proofs of the correctness of our faith. By so doing, the Lord will strengthen us in the faith; He will strengthen our heart. If we hope in ourselves, leaning mainly upon our own strength, it will be to our advantage for the Lord to allow us to experience discouragement, that we may realize our utter helplessness, weakness, and our need to lean wholly upon the Lord, looking constantly to Him for guidance and support. If the Lord’s children learn to wait upon Him, the promise will be fulfilled to them: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa. 40:31)
PATIENCE NEEDED
The Christian who finds himself impatient and restless evidently is lacking in faith toward the Lord; for otherwise he would be able to rest in the Lord’s gracious promises, and wait for their fulfilment. After using reasonable diligence and energy he should be content to leave the results, the times, and the seasons with the Lord. The Apostle Paul wrote, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:36) Our Lord instructed, “In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19) The Apostle James explained, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (Jas. 1:4) Among the Lord’s people patience surely must be preceded by faith, and the degree of patience very generally measures the amount of the faith.
The will of God is in one sense of the word the standard of God – full perfection – that we should be like our Father which is in Heaven. But God remembers that we are fallen creatures, and that we cannot do perfectly. Doing God’s will does not mean that we must do the will of God in the perfect and complete sense; but rather, as the Apostle said elsewhere, ours is a reasonable service. God does not expect us to do that which is impossible.
What is this will of God? Stated in concrete form, it is the complete devotion of the will to God: “This is the will of God [concerning you], even your sanctification.” (1 Thess. 4:3) We are doing the will of God when we fully consecrate ourselves to Him, but it is His will to put us to the test. How much do we love God? How sincere are we? A soldier in an army might be loyal in time of quiet, but how would he be in time of stress? Would he desert the flag then, or would he prove himself a good soldier? He would need a great deal of patience. If he says he loves his country, his endurance and faithfulness will be tested in her time of need. He must go on picket duty; he must sometimes do menial work. He must endure wearisome marches, and many privations. All these things are required of a faithful soldier. If he is faithful, he is likely to be promoted, honored, for his faithful service.
We are likewise tested as to our loyalty. What are we willing to endure for Christ’s sake? How fully are we submitted? How deep does our submission go? Are we wholly in harmony with the will of the Lord? Is our interest merely superficial, or does it enter fully into our hearts? The question is not merely whether we make the consecration, but to what extent will we manifest patient endurance, obedience, and loyalty.
THE ESSENCE OF THE PROMISE
When, where, and what is the Promise? The promise includes all that God has in reservation for them that love Him – that love Him more than they love houses and lands, or children, or parents, or friends, or husbands or wives, or self, or any other thing. Undoubtedly the promise will be received in the resurrection.
The particular promise that the Apostle referred to above is The Promise. All our hopes and blessings are centered in the original Promise made to Abraham, when God brought him out of the land of Chaldea into the land of Canaan. God promised Abraham that in his Seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. That has been the great Promise for encouragement to the Seed, to give them patience and fortitude. This is the essence of the Promise – that those who receive the Promise shall be the Seed of Abraham to bless the world. The faithful in Christ will be associated with Him in His Kingdom – will have the honor of blessing all the families of the earth under this Kingdom. Every creature of God shall then be brought to a knowledge of His Truth, and shall have the opportunity of being restored to perfection, if they are willing, restored to all that was redeemed on Calvary.
EXAMPLES OF PATIENT ENDURANCE
St. James exhorted the Church saying, “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.” (Jas. 5:10) Those whom the Apostle addressed already knew of the sufferings of Jesus; they already knew of the faithfulness of the Apostles. Now he was calling the attention of their minds to something additional. He was urging them to look back into the past, and see that patient endurance has been characteristic of all who have lived holy lives. These examples should be lessons of encouragement to us, in addition to those we have in the living brethren around us.
There is always something to be gained in casting the mind backward. The things close at hand are too near to be seen in their proper light. It was fitting that the Apostle should call attention to those faithful ones of the past, so that we might be encouraged to note what God desires. In those who are His, He desires a willingness to endure patiently and loyally, thus manifesting true character, that which greatly pleases Him.
As we look back over the Old Testament record of the Prophets, we notice that many of them displayed this very quality referred to by the Apostle as loyalty to the Lord, a willingness to suffer afflictions for His sake, and not as experiences brought through chance upon them by the people. We see Moses – how willing he was to suffer affliction because of his faith in the Promise made to Abraham and his conviction that the Promise would come true. He preferred to suffer with the people of God rather than to live at ease in the royal family of Pharaoh, into which he had been adopted.
We see in Job another example of patient endurance of tribulation and of strong opposition for a considerable time. We see the same in Jeremiah – how much his faithfulness cost him of hardship, and how patient he was. We see the same in Daniel the Prophet – his faithfulness to the Lord, his patient endurance of whatever God permitted to come against him. It was likewise with others of the Prophets, and we read that their experiences were written for our admonition, our instruction. Although they belong to one dispensation and we to another, yet their experiences furnish us good lessons. (1 Cor. 10:6, 11)
Applying these lessons to ourselves, we can say that to whatever extent we may be privileged to speak the Word of God and to suffer persecution as a result, if we take it with patience, it will bring us a corresponding blessing and commendation from the Lord. If we were to do otherwise, it would not be taking His Word for it that all things work together for our good if we love God. (Rom. 8:28)
When Job was rich and prosperous, God tested him by taking everything from him – his family, his wealth, and his health. He even allowed his wife to turn against him. Yet in all this, Job did not turn against God. He did indeed express wonder, but he looked to the Lord in faith and trusted he would yet receive the manifestation of His favor, and learn the meaning of the experiences and afflictions. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” (Job 13:15)
After his testing was accomplished, God gave him back his children, houses, lands, and friends. This foreshadowed the blessings of Restitution, showing how the tribulations of mankind will eventually work out for good to those who will love God. If those who now suffer affliction because of their loyalty to the Lord will take those afflictions and trials joyfully, they will surely work out for their good.
DISCERNING GOD’S WILL
The Lord does not intend for us to walk by sight, thus having no difficulty in discerning His will. Therefore, He arranges matters in such a way that both our obedience and our perseverance are tested, for we are to walk by faith and not by sight. In order to do this, we should daily take everything to the Lord in prayer. We should not undertake anything without seeking to know the will of the Lord respecting the matter. “Teach me thy way, O Lord.” (Psa. 27:11)
We are not always able to discern God’s will, however, because we have no miraculous insight through which we may know what His will is in all the details of everyday life. When the matter is one about which the Scriptures give instructions, then the way is clear; for the only course which the child of God desires to follow is that of obedience. But when the matter is such as depends upon one’s own judgment, then the way is not so clear. Realizing that our judgment is not sufficient, we should not tax our minds with what we know is beyond our power to decide, but should leave the matter to the Lord.
We know if we put ourselves under the Lord’s care, He can direct our course in whatever way He chooses. So, at the beginning of the day we can say something along these lines: “Lord, here I am; I thank Thee for the privilege of another day, which I hope will be full of opportunities for serving the Truth and the brethren. I ask Thee to direct my thoughts, words and conduct, that I may serve Thee acceptably.” Then we may go forth and use our best judgment. If the Lord wants to lead us in one direction or another, that is His choice, not ours. We have solicited His guidance, and our eyes are alert to know and to do His will at any cost. In this attitude we may rest easy, knowing that God is able and willing to overrule all things for His glory and our profit.
Some have taken the approach of going to the Lord for guidance in their affairs by opening the Bible at random and considering whatever verse their thumb or finger happens to touch to be the Lord’s message to them. This method does not appeal to our judgement, although sometimes the text may seem a remarkable answer to their prayers.
Our method of seeking divine guidance should be instead to search and study the Scriptures, taking all of the verses bearing upon the subject under consideration, and trying to find the underlying principle of God’s dealings and teachings. There is surely a reason why right is right in every matter; and we should desire to know the reason. We should desire to know why God wishes a matter one way rather than another way, not because we doubt His wisdom, but so that we may enter into the spirit of His regulations.
By this method, we can have much more happiness than we otherwise could have. By following the other method, we could not know whether God or Satan or mere chance would open the Bible to a particular spot. We much prefer to follow what we believe to be the teaching of the Word of God – that is, to commit all to the Father in prayer, asking Him to guide both reason and judgment, and then go out and use that judgment and reason to the best of our ability. Even if God should permit us to use our judgment in a way that afterward appears not to have been the best, the Father may nevertheless use it to bring some great blessing or profitable lesson. By judgment, of course, we mean our understanding of the Father’s Word and of His providential leadings. Thus doing, we know that all things will work together for our good.
DOING GOD’S WILL IS OUR RULE
The Golden Rule, that one should do unto others as he would have them do unto him, is the acknowledged standard for all mankind. To make a distinction between the Golden Rule and the Christian’s rule for life will doubtless be considered by many as a distinction without a difference, but this is not true. The Golden Rule is a simple rule of justice. All should recognize it and follow it, and none can dispute it. The Golden Rule is applicable to all mankind.
The rule for Christian living, as taught by the Master and exemplified by Him, is far more exacting, however. Of course, those who become followers of Christ are subject to the Golden Rule, but they voluntarily place themselves under a far more stringent rule. Their Covenant with the Lord is that they will always stand ready to sacrifice everything, even life itself, in the doing of His will – the doing of righteousness. This is what the Apostle meant in declaring, “For even Christ pleased not himself.” (Rom 15:3) Even though His will was a perfect one, He renounced His rights, privileges, and liberties that He might serve humanity, and thus lay the foundation for carrying out the Heavenly Father’s glorious purposes for the human race.
St. Paul declared, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1) This entreaty is for those who have the same mind as our Lord: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5) It is a call to sacrifice, but this sacrificing is not to be done in a foolish or aimless way. We are not to sacrifice the things that are right and proper, simply that we may suffer. Right and proper things we may enjoy, except as God opens our eyes to see privileges and opportunities for self-denial which would enable us to forward His cause, and to minister grace and truth to those for whom Christ died.
The Apostle also said, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” (Rom. 14:7) This lesson should be viewed from the standpoint of the consecrated people of God. These words could only apply to Christ and His consecrated followers. As for the world, they do live to themselves and die to themselves. That is to say, their own personal interests stand first with them. By the terms of their Covenant, God’s people are to live unto the Lord – to do His will and not their own will, to serve Him and not to serve self, to lay down their lives in fighting a good fight against sin. To these, therefore, apply the words, “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Rom. 14:8) This being true, the Christian is to have no will of his own as respects his living or his dying, or any of his affairs. Everything is to be fully committed and submitted to the Master.
JUDGE OURSELVES ONLY
The Apostle proceeded to show that we are not judges one of another, but that all judgment is vested in the Head, the Redeemer of all. Each must ultimately stand the inspection of the Head of the Church. The Apostle’s argument is that we should avoid condemning one another, and content ourselves with encouraging each other in the good way. Since it is written that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to God, this proves that our final accounting will be to God, or to our Lord Jesus as His Representative.
Instead of judging and condemning our fellow brethren, we should be full of sympathy for them. We should realize that we do not know thoroughly their trials, their difficulties, their environments, their heredities. Our keen sense of justice, our love of righteousness, our hatred of iniquity, should find its principal exercise in self-examination. Many find it easy to excuse their own weaknesses while being critical of the shortcomings of others. The Lord warned His people against such an attitude saying, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.” (Matt. 7:2) If we could but remember that the merciful will obtain mercy, how glad we all would be to be extremely merciful to others. (Matt. 5:7; Jas. 2:13)
The Lord is not in this establishing a low standard, wishing His people to think lightly of their own weaknesses and failures and those of others. He is, on the contrary, setting up a high standard of love, sympathy, and kindness. Love is the principal thing in God’s sight. Whoever, therefore, has love and sympathy most highly developed, the Lord may well esteem as highly developed along the lines most essential in His sight, most essential for a place in His Mediatorial Kingdom.
(This paper is based on various Reprints, including 5711, 5332, 5212, and 5323.)
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The date of our Lord’s Memorial is April 10, 2025 after six p.m.
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