Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and WAIT PATIENTLY for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Yesterday…he almost succeeded at his scheming…yes, I am talking about the devil. For awhile, he almost had me by his side…but note, I said for awhile. I couldn’t sleep because I needed to hear HIS VOICE last…the voice of THE SHEPHERD. So, I woke up and reached out for my bible and went over to the Psalms. Psalm 37 caught my eye and I started reading. If I had reason to feel upset…I heard HIS VOICE through these words in verse 8; REFRAIN FROM ANGER AND TURN FROM WRATH, DO NOT FRET_ IT LEADS ONLY TO EVIL.
Just a few verses before the Lord had said BE STILL…AND WAIT PATIENTLY. What? What does He mean I wait patiently. God…are you serious? Right there and then…I saw something amazing hidden between the lines of Psalm 37 that I had never seen before: THE LAND...my inheritance. And at the same time, I also saw something else which had escaped my notice up until last night. In Psalm 37 alone,…the word WICKED and EVIL is mentioned 19 times which is 15 more times than the word LAND which is mentioned only 4 times.
DID HE SAY WAIT? Oh my goodness…how can God ask me to wait patiently while all the while evil and wickedness is all that I see and hear all day long? Lord, how can I wait in the midst of so much evil and wickedness? Then He brought me back to the 4 times the word LAND is mentioned.
Psalm 37
4 For evil men will be cut off, but those who HOPE in the Lord will inherit LAND.
11 But the MEEK will inherit the LAND and enjoy great peace.
29 The RIGHTEOUS will inherit the LAND and dwell in it for ever.
34 WAIT for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the LAND; when the wicked are cut off, you will see.
Did He say wait? Now, I understand. You see, before you and I can inherit the land…we need time to develop and exercise the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It takes time to stay in an attitude of HOPE. Its takes time to be HUMBLE/MEEK; It takes time to walk in RIGHTEOUSNESS; It takes time to WAIT PATIENTLY.
Is the Lord asking you to wait? THEN WAIT…PATIENTLY…even though wickedness and the enemy is preying around the corner. Wait…even when your health, your family, your marriage, child or whatever else seems to be slipping right before you. Don’t let the evil and wickedness around overwhelm and consume you.
He said: “WAIT PATIENTLY.” In case you haven’t noticed…the LAND will be yours for ever. The wicked are just but here for only a season.
RAINBOW GULF OF LOVE 
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our God is awesome…
nice post, gladwell.
Hi Gladwell! Thank you so much for your fresh reminder. I needed to be reminded that I am waiting…but God has been so good…that I forgot!
He’s made the journey so full…that’s the word.
Yes, the enemy has tried to distract, frustrate, cajole, prompt me to get off track…AND DID I SAY TEMPT? Well, he’s done that too…
I’m not perfect…I missed it sometimes, I lost my focus sometimes…but when I picked myself up, repented when I had to and pressed in closer…God sustained! And He was saying: The Blessed Assignments I have given you are STILL for you!
With tears in my eyes…I say …Thank You Lord…for Blessing me to wait…I needed the time to grow …and You in all of you wisdom and splendor…YOU KNEW!!! YOU KNOW!!!!
BE GLORIFIED!!!
Thanks Gladwell. Love Lanie
Elaine,
The truth is…the enemy cannot have nor inherit the Land. But thanks be to God…while He makes us wait, He is dealing with the enemy on our behalf. Yes, like you…many a times I have felt tempted to give up on the WAIT PATIENTLY part. But…as always, God always leads us, His children into triumph when we do as He requires of us.
HE SAID…WAIT! So here I am waiting….
Gladwell
Amen. Let us wait in hope and confidence.
Thank you, Gladwell.
Hi Janet,
I am with you…and for you!
Love, Gladwell
After reading this I had to go read Psalm 37 in its entirety. What a blessing we have from our God! Thank you for reminding me of where I need to take refuge in times of trouble and that the Land will be mine when I wait for the Lord to deal appropriately with the wicked. It may seem the land is theirs, but this is only a temporary illusion. God’s Peace to you. Linda
Hi Linda,
By the way, that is the best way to go. After reading someone else thoughts on what the Lord spoke to them in a particular scripture verse, it is best to go and dig out for yourself more and find out what the Lord will speak to you as an individual. The point is…God speaks to us differently even through the same scripture verse. I would love to hear your thoughts on this one too.
Blessings,
Gladwell
Gladwell, Did you mean you would love to hear my thoughts on Psalm 37, or on the idea that God speaks to us differently through the same scripture verses? On the latter point, I completely agree. I can read a verse or longer passage that I have read many times before, and suddenly see something I never had. Maybe it didn’t have relevance to my immediate situation the first time I read it, but now it does. His Word is living and active! I can read it over and over and it is always new. Peace, Linda
Linda,
I meant…what God spoke to you…when you read Psalm 37.
Happy and blessed Good Friday!
Gladwell
Hi dear Gladwell!
Your post today on waiting patiently is like His voice speaking to me. After reading the other comments, and your insight to how we must wait to grow, it seems it is for all of us then. Yeah! I have lots of good company as I wait! 🙂 love and blessings! Thank you for sharing with us so wonderfully! Deb
Hi Deb,
Yes, its true…we all seem to be in a season of waiting of some kind ….but one which we all share for sure is the SECOND RETURN OF CHRIST!
Blessings, Gladwell
Hi Gladwell
Before we moved here to Canada last July, we went down to our hometown, Bangalore (India), and had a thanksgiving dinner with our family and friends. The reason we did was to celebrate what the Lord was about to do in our new lives and to thank Him for His goodness to us. It was certainly strange for many who came there wondering if we were ‘cuckoo’ because we had limited resources, no family or friends to support us in our move, no job in hand, no home, 2 young kids, etc. and we were celebrating?? As you said in your post above, we knew that we are in God’s care and He makes no mistakes and waiting is ‘blessings in progress’ in human terms. Sorry for my rambling but I just wanted to say that God is faithful and continues to be and you have said it RIGHT! God bless you for sharing His inspired word with us each day!!!
Vineet
Hi Vineet,
Thank you, my friend because you might be surprised to know but like you…my family will be on the move in the next couple of months. So…your testimony is a GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT for me/us. Am I afraid of what lays ahead? No…I have faith which cannot be shaken that HE THAT PROMISED IS FAITHFUL TO DO IT. Your story will stay with me for a while and I will thank Him for you and your family tonight!
Blessings,
Gladwell
Waiting, that is a virtue we need to relearn. Instant gratification has ruled the day for a long time now, and it is the polar opposite of waiting. I am learning to wait now, and it is so nice to just have God in control and not worry about keeping up with the race. Thank you my sister.
Jim
Thanks Gladwell. “Waiting” for us is a time of preparation for what He has in store for us. So, while I may get impatient, upset, frustrated, or whatever I feel – I think He would like me to be expectant. To anticipate, like a child, prayerfully and trust fully in Him.
Thanks for Psalm 37 today! –Godspeed, Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
My eyes are seeing things…GOD THINGS! You are blessed and thank you, my friend.
Oh..Gladwell, Now I understand what you mentioned in my blog…Thank you for this wonderful post..It takes time…to wait patiently for Him, to humble ourselves before Him, to know our Master’s heart and to prepare ourselves…so that we will be able to inherit the land kept for us…
Thank you dear…And one more thing…our Master is more closer during those sleepless and troubled nights right??
God Bless,
Rani
Rani,
Oh yes…He seems to speak louder in the still of the night. I love this God moments even though there are rare and far in-between. Meanwhile…I will WAIT PATIENTLY! Our land is sure!
Blessings to you,
Gladwell
Gladwell- what an amazing insight!! I feel so much peace after reading these words. They speak to a situation in my life right now. Patience is so hard sometimes especially when you *think* you need the “land” this moment. The part about us growing first and being able to mantain that growth speaks volumes to me- I can’t wait to share it with my husband. Have a lovely day and thank you again for this insight!!
Anna,
I am also in the LEARNING process…so the lesson was meant more for me. But, I am glad that it ministered to your situation too. I can’t wait to hear your good report…because as He promised…it will come.
Blessings and great day too.
Gladwell
Waiting has been a difficult lesson for me.
I gave you two blog awards over at my place if you accept such things: http://theslamdunktrove.blogspot.com/2010/03/simple-pleasure-and-awards.html
Enjoy your day.
Oh…thank you. I will check it out and paste it on mine.
Gladwell