It is good that one should hope and wait
quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? § I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You.
Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. § Wait for the Lord, and He will save you. § Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. § See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
Lam. 3:26; Ps. 77:9; 31:22; Luke 18:7–8; Prov. 20:22;
Ps. 37:7; 2 Chron. 20:17; Gal. 6:9; James 5:7
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the
vines, for our vines have tender grapes.
Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. § [Look] carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. § You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ … Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. § The tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell … No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. § Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.
Song 2:15; Ps. 19:12; Heb. 12:15; Gal. 5:7;
Phil. 1:6, 27; James 3:5–6, 8; Col. 4:6
It can be mind boggling to contemplate the vastness of the universe, from the greatest star to the smallest particle. It is so vast that astronomers are now saying that it stretches beyond what we are capable of penetrating, even with sophisticated telescopes like the Hubble. And every bit of it was created by the Living Word of God, Who, even as He hung the stars in space, counted them and called them each by name!
Not only did He create objects of massive size, but He also created such minute, delicate, intricate things as snowflakes, no two of which are the same.
Jesus Christ is the One by Whom, for Whom, through Whom everything was made. Therefore, He knows what’s wrong in your life and how to fix it. Let Him take charge. Give Him the authority to put it right.
He is altogether lovely.
May my meditation be sweet to Him. § My beloved is … chief among ten thousand. § A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame. § You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips. § God … has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. § It pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.
Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.
I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
Song 5:16; Ps. 104:34; Song 5:10; 1 Peter 2:6; Ps. 45:2;
Phil. 2:9; Col. 1:19; 1 Peter 1:8; Phil. 3:8–9
David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. § I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears … They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears … Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
1 Sam. 30:6; John 6:68; 2 Tim. 1:12; Ps. 18:6, 18–19; 34:1–4, 8
Noah was totally helpless to change his situation. There was nothing he could do except to stay on the ark and tend to the needs of his family and those of the animals until God in some way brought deliverance. He had to keep his faith in God while simply waiting out the silence that followed the storm.
Although He had been silent, God had not forgotten Noah. In fact, since Noah and his family were the only living persons on the face of the earth, we can be sure they had God’s total, undivided attention every moment.
Do you think God’s silence in your life means He has forgotten you? Oh, no! God says He has engraved your name on the palms of His hands. He says that a mother could forget her nursing baby at mealtime before He could forget you! You are in God’s heart and on His mind every moment. He is fully informed of your circumstances and will bring about change when He knows the time is right.
He saw that there was no man, and wondered
that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm
brought salvation for Him.
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; my ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” § I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
There is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. § There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Isa. 59:16; Ps. 40:6–8; John 10:17–18; Isa. 45:21–22; Acts 4:12; 2 Cor. 8:9
The enemy.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. § Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.
Luke 10:19; 1 Peter 5:8; James 4:7; Eph. 6:11–16; Mic. 7:8
