No matter what we are facing at this point in our lives, we have God’s promise that he will be with us. The bible instructs us in Psalm 37 to not worry about “evildoers.” Instead, he shows us a plan to finding God’s favor:

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

⁴ Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

⁵ Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

First, he gives us guidance, and then he tells us what will happen if we obey. Every answer you need can be found in the word of God, so it’s important to read it. I know. My life gets overwhelmingly busy, too, but this year I am really trying to focus on getting my priorities straight. It’s true that we have a tendency to try to work everything out on our own, but sometimes, our independent selves, forgets that to have success in navigating the course of life, we need a compass! That compass is the word of God. Prayer ushers us into his presence, where we can give our petitions, but reading the word helps us to know what to do.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who never listens? They talk and talk and talk and when you try to speak, they are still having their own conversation, or they may even get distracted and walk off to talk to someone else who will listen. It can be frustrating, but isn’t there times when we treat prayer this way? Always whining and complaining to the Lord, but never just spending time in his presence and listening.

Sometimes the Lord whispers our name. It’s time that we learn to shut out all of the voices that say we are worthless, going to fail, never succeed, mess up, get sick, go broke, and anything else negative; and start to open up our spiritual ears to listen to what the spirit of the Lord has to say about us:

Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

² To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

³ To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

⁴ And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

⁵ And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

⁶ But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

⁷ For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

⁸ For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

⁹ And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

¹¹ For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

Can you hear the hope in these verses of scripture? Yet, we allow the enemy to try to steal our joy when we should be putting him under our feet. The Lord is offering us peace, today, and not only peace but a “peace that passes all understanding.” The question is, are you willing to lay aside every weight, and pick up your sword (the word of God) and defend yourself? You have no need to fear, because The Lord has already won the battle. He needs for us to trust him.

This week’s Lattereign, shows us how and why we need to Wait on God’s Promises to Unfold.