"For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Psalms 37:9-11
We hear a lot of this idea of "wait upon the Lord" in the scriptures, and just in life in general sometimes. And when we hear about the meek inheriting the earth, it also comes along with the inevitable reality staring us in the face: yes, but not yet.
It's hard for us to wait. Patience takes a lot of effort sometimes, especially if we are in some kind of mental, spiritual, physical, or emotional pain. Indeed, some people lose faith and stop believing God's promise, thinking that if he hasn't delivered us already, or hasn't helped a loved one, or a whole people, or a nation, or with a specific disaster, or solved world hunger or poverty, or blessed us with a certain blessing--if he hasn't done whatever it is by now, that he doesn't care and never will, and we all might as well give up.
And yet, despite our suffering, God does care and he continues to work according to his timing and not ours. When will we see justice, or an end to suffering, or whatever it is that we are waiting for? We don't know the answer, and yet we wait. Why? Because God is more concerned with our *eternal* happiness and well-being than he is for our *immediate* happiness and well-being.
If a child freaks out while learning to walk, ride a bike, or drive a car, we don't withdraw the lesson and save them from the experience, because if we do, then then they will never learn it, or learn how to become independent and navigate life. We're seeing the long-term, even when the child is focused on the anxiety of the now. Similarly, God is thinking very long-term, teaching us how to navigate heaven, and we still have a lot to learn in that regard. We can bail and give up, but it's like choosing to crawl forever.
The reason that those who wait inherit the earth is because they stick around and keep learning. Today, let's be those people. Let's wait upon the Lord with a determination to endure to the end, not just gritting our teeth and suffering, but waiting patiently, with hope and faith, looking forward to the happy ending, and making a positive difference in the meantime.
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
Psalms 37:9-11
We hear a lot of this idea of "wait upon the Lord" in the scriptures, and just in life in general sometimes. And when we hear about the meek inheriting the earth, it also comes along with the inevitable reality staring us in the face: yes, but not yet.
It's hard for us to wait. Patience takes a lot of effort sometimes, especially if we are in some kind of mental, spiritual, physical, or emotional pain. Indeed, some people lose faith and stop believing God's promise, thinking that if he hasn't delivered us already, or hasn't helped a loved one, or a whole people, or a nation, or with a specific disaster, or solved world hunger or poverty, or blessed us with a certain blessing--if he hasn't done whatever it is by now, that he doesn't care and never will, and we all might as well give up.
And yet, despite our suffering, God does care and he continues to work according to his timing and not ours. When will we see justice, or an end to suffering, or whatever it is that we are waiting for? We don't know the answer, and yet we wait. Why? Because God is more concerned with our *eternal* happiness and well-being than he is for our *immediate* happiness and well-being.
If a child freaks out while learning to walk, ride a bike, or drive a car, we don't withdraw the lesson and save them from the experience, because if we do, then then they will never learn it, or learn how to become independent and navigate life. We're seeing the long-term, even when the child is focused on the anxiety of the now. Similarly, God is thinking very long-term, teaching us how to navigate heaven, and we still have a lot to learn in that regard. We can bail and give up, but it's like choosing to crawl forever.
The reason that those who wait inherit the earth is because they stick around and keep learning. Today, let's be those people. Let's wait upon the Lord with a determination to endure to the end, not just gritting our teeth and suffering, but waiting patiently, with hope and faith, looking forward to the happy ending, and making a positive difference in the meantime.
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