The Necessity of Christians Knowing and Understanding God’s Great Faithfulness, and thus Wait Patiently on Him!

25 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 August 2026   Psalm 40:1.

Psalm 40:1.          I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Ah friends, we’re into the last Tuesday of August; next week Tuesday we’ll be talking about September. (smile) But today, as many of the previous August days, it’s sunshiny and warm, so there’s still hope for August to finish up as a good month. And since we’re running a li’l bit late, (my fault) let’s get to today’s topic right away. And that’s this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional.

So, please pray with me: ‘Lord, sometimes I wonder if you hear my prayers – the waiting is so long, the ache so deep. But You’ve never left me – You see me when I feel invisible, when I feel as if I don’t matter. Nothing is too hard for You – no prayer too repetitive, no situation too broken. You turn mourning into dancing, emptiness into fulness. Help me hold on to hope when doubt tries to creep back in. I’ll never stop saying it: You are faithful. In Jesus’ name, amen.’  

And that last statement about God’s faithfulness is absolutely true! All of us who have spent anytime in God’s presence know that to be a glorious fact, because we have all experienced at least some modicum (small amount) of His faithfulness in our time with Him. And the bible has oodles of verses that talk about it, but we’ll only share a couple of the better known ones here.  

The first one comes from Bruh Paul’s second letter to Timothy, where he is telling him that the word of God is not bound, is not a chain: ‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:11-13) Oh my people, isn’t it wonderful and ever so encouraging to know that God is always God, regardless of who I am, or how I behave! His character is one of utmost faithfulness, therefore He remains steadfast and true even when I am not.

And the second scripture comes from Jeremiah’s famous testimony on the Lord’s faithfulness in his Lamentations. ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:21-26)

Yes my brethren, wiser words were never spoken! And waiting on the Lord can be very long and heart aching, that like the prayer says, we sometimes are led to wonder if He’s heard our prayers. But He indeed hears them all; it’s just that He takes His own time to answer them; whether it be yay, nay, or not now. Our job though is wait patiently and keep on persevering until we get an answer. Know one thing though, the Lord will not leave us in the lurch, whatever answer He has will arrive in good time for us to make the necessary arrangements.

And a man who certainly knew about waiting on the Lord, Bruh David, strongly advises it in several of his writings. In psalm 27, he says: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ Then in Psalm 37: he declares: ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34)

Now listen to the crowning glory of waiting on the Lord. In Psalm 40 – Praise for God’s Deliverance, Bruh David testifies: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (steps). And he hath  put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps. 40:1-4)

And we all know that Bruh David is not talking from hear say, but from personal experience, because after the Lord anointed him king of Israel, he went through many years of trials and tribulations waiting for that to happen. And it would never have happened if he had not waited on God, patiently in faith. And we also know that waiting patiently in faith is not easy, especially when our circumstances seem to be pulling us under quicker than we can blink, but that’s where our faith and trust in God is expected to show up.

But there are a few things we need to know and believe. Firstly, that the Lord never leaves nor forsakes us, that’s His promise. (Heb. 13:5) So although we may not see or feel His presence, rest assured that He’s always there with us. As Jesus assured the disciples at the end of the Great Commission; ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) We could not desire better assurance than that my fellow believers.

And when the song says: ‘You turn mourning into dancing, emptiness into fulness,’ Bruh David corroborates those sentiments in Psalm 30, when he declares: ‘Hear O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth (the sackcloth of my mourning), and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory (my soul) may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.’ (Ps. 30:10-12)

Yes friends that’s exactly how it ought to be; us continually giving thanks to God for His LOVE, faithfulness and everlasting goodness to the children of undeserving men! Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice! ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

So let’s go out now and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…weeping may endure for a night…but joy comes in the morning…  (Ps. 30:5b)

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 August 2023 Psalm 30:5b.

19 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 30:5b.       …weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

And it’s a cool and windy but sunshiny lazy-day Saturday! So there’s nothing to complain about; just oodles of time to laze around in good weather. (smile) Unfortunately though, some of us don’t have that luxury, we have to be about our Father’s business. And since my lazy time has been cut short, I’ll be selfish and take you along with me. So please accompany me as we declare (yesss!!!) our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

Altogether now. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And without fail, that simple, heartfelt prayer touched something in me, opened up a pathway, as it were, that led directly to God’s awesome presence. It’s the kind of thing that happens when you open up your heart to the Lord and pour out all that’s in it. When you pray for things like God’s unceasing nearness, His awesome LOVE and peace, and the ability to know Him more, His presence just naturally shows up and quietens our hearts. It’s like Bruh David cried out in Psalm 30 – Praise for God’s Holiness. 

He unashamedly proclaims: ‘I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave (Sheol, the place of the dead): thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit (grave).’ (Ps. 30:1-3) Yes friends, it’s the Lord who keeps us and our souls alive and refreshed, and not mired in the pit of unrighteousness. 

Therefore, as Bruh David continues: ‘Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness (His holy name). For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ (Ps. 30:4-5) And how wonderful is that eh my fellow believers? It certainly is, for there’s no other god like our God, who doesn’t retain His anger at us, or hold our sins over our heads for ever and ever. But for that very reason we have to be humble and not boast or be prideful when we receive the Lord’s favour. 

As Bruh David said: ‘And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved (shaken). Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit (grave)? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord be thou my helper.’ (Ps. 30:6-10) 

Ah my fellow saints, you see how quickly the Lord can take away His favour if we allow His goodness to make us become proud and haughty. Regardless of how much favour and LOVING-kindness our God pours out on us, He expects us to remain humble and obedient to His every word, not get too big for our britches and stop considering or forget where our prosperity came from. 

But sadly, that’s something way too many of us do. The Lord blesses us, and we are joyful at the moment, but soon forget it, or become so accustomed to His blessings that they longer move us the way they ought to. But please remember that just as blessings can be bountifully bestowed, they can also become non-existent if our behaviour becomes inappropriate. Remember too that the Lord is no respecter of persons; be we big or small, weak or strong, our positions in life doesn’t matter. It’s all about how we react to Him and His favour. 

So, apparently Bruh David got a li’l too big for his britches and the Lord removed His favour, which troubled him, and he came back crying for help, for mercy. But even that shows the kind of person Bruh David was. He wasn’t too proud to beg when he’d done wrong. But some of us are so proud and arrogant, that even when we know we’ve done wrong, be it before the Lord or our fellow man, we refuse to apologize and/or ask for mercy. We’re just so full of ourselves and our supposed importance that apologizing or asking for mercy and help are beneath us. But that’s why we suffer so many setbacks and disappointments. 

Meanwhile those who drop the false pride and ask for forgiveness and help, usually receive it, because our God is a forgiving and merciful God when He sees the sincerity of our hearts. Consequently, Bruh David could afford to write: ‘Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth (the ragged clothes of my mourning), and girded me with gladness. To the end that my glory (my soul) may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.’ (Ps. 30:11-12) And that’s how it ought to be my people! 

Now the scholars tell us that there’s no certainty of when and for what purpose the Psalm was written, but ‘In later Judaism the psalm was used in the celebration of Hanukkah (the Jewish festival at Christmas) and at the presentation of firstfruits. The main idea of the psalm, in any case, is clearly expressed: Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing (vs.11). The joy and thanks voiced in the final two verses, however, are only the aftermath of David’s thanks (vs. 1-5) for the Lord’s chastening hand on a boastful servant (vs. 6-10).’ 

Please friends, let’s remember God’s awesome truth this lazy-day Saturday. ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children (sons). My son, despise not thou the chastening (discipline) of the Lord, nor faint (be discouraged) when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:5-6) 

Now that’s a most appropriate scripture for us to end on today. So, I implore us to spend some of our lazy-day Saturday meditating, contemplating and pondering on it. ‘It shall be health to our navels (bodies), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to our bones.’ (smile)  (Prov. 3:8) Much LOVE!

… as our dear departed Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) would say…the best way to live this life…is to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ