Topic: Ready, Set—Wait [RICK WARREN Devotional 29 February2024]
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Ready, Set—Wait
BY RICK WARREN — FEBRUARY 29, 2024
FROM THE INVISIBLE WAR
“The LORD is good to everyone who trusts in him, so it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us.”
Lamentations 3:25-26 (GNT)
When life seems to be falling apart, your best and most “spiritual” response may surprise you: Get alone with God, and wait.
The Bible tells us in Lamentations 3:28, “When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The ‘worst’ is never the worst” (MSG).
Most of us don’t know how to “enter the silence.” We’re always anxious. We don’t like to wait on God because it stresses us out. We like to be in control.
What does it mean to wait on God? You sit down, close your mouth, and just listen. You may read your Bible. You may pray. But most of all, you’re quiet in front of God.
Anxiety comes when we’re not “waiting for hope to appear,” as Jeremiah tells us. God wants to talk to us. He wants to give us the hope we crave. But we’re way too busy to hear him.
If we want to listen to God and experience the hope he has for us, then we have to get alone with him. We must “enter the silence” and be ready to hear him.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (MSG).
Get honest with God, and your focus will shift from just seeing your problems—no matter how overwhelming they seem—to God’s grace.
Lamentations 3:25-26 says, “The LORD is good to everyone who trusts in him, so it is best for us to wait in patience—to wait for him to save us” (GNT).
Before you go out and try to solve your problem on your own, let God save you. No matter what obstacle you’re facing, you’ve got to wait for his timing. He’ll time your next move perfectly.
Get still, and listen. Then, wait for hope to appear.
Talk It Over
- Can you think of a time in your life when acting too quickly led to a disastrous outcome?
- Why is it difficult to wait for God when you’re struggling through difficult times?
- What needs to change about your schedule and priorities so that you can get before God, be quiet, and wait?
Are you ready to find rest in God?
The first step is to make peace with God by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You can start by praying this simple prayer:
“Dear God, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. You have promised that if I believe in Jesus, you’ll forgive me for everything I’ve ever done wrong, you’ll show me the purpose of my life, and you’ll accept me into your family and bring me to heaven one day to live with you for eternity.
“Jesus, I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. I trust you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I ask you to come into my life as my Lord. Today, I commit my life to you.
“I want to live the way you created me to live—at peace—and to use the remainder of my life to serve you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
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