Psalm 130:5(NLT) “I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.” The thought of waiting on anything is hard for most of us. Whether it’s waiting in line at the grocery store or our favorite fast-food joint, none of us are too keen with it. We’ve grown too accustomed to the convenience of getting what we want quickly. We may not realize it, but the convenience of our modern times can do a number on our level of patience. We must be especially careful to guard against this. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, and it is required to steward and maintain the bounty of God’s blessings.
In Colossians 3:10(NLT), God commands us, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” This verse makes it clear that there are two natures. There’s a new nature that Jesus Christ made available to everyone who accepts him, and there is an old nature, the nature every living human being has before they accept Christ. The old nature causes us to miss all the wonderful blessings that God wants us to have. It places a wedge in our relationship with Him. He tells us Romans 8:7(NLT), “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.”
Some of us have our wires crossed about the requirement of Colossians 3:10. We’re impatient when it comes to what we want, but we take a very slow approach when it comes to meeting God’s requirements. We must recognize that the pace of our practice to put on the new nature dictates the pace of our preparation to receive. The span of time between our prayers and the manifestation of the blessings we desire is based on our faith, and faith requires patience. It takes us a minute to renew our minds and become rooted and grounded in God’s Word. Many of us say we trust in Him, yet we’re not leaning totally on His strength. We’re not surrendering everything to Him. Instead, we’re going about life the way we always have. We’re not stretching, yet we expect God to bless us as though we were.
Our Heavenly Father is incredibly patient with us, but He will not allow us to bypass His requirement of putting on our new nature. There should be a marked difference in how we live our lives because of our love for God through Jesus Christ. Most of us say we love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, yet we’re not spending more than five minutes in prayer each day. We spend more time on our cell phones than we do with God. The psalmist said in Psalm 130:5 that he was counting on God, and he placed his hope in God’s Word. This is a requirement. To place our hope in God’s Word is to trust in His truth. It’s to trust that He will honor His Word and that when we do what His Word says, our hope will not disappoint.
Psalm 34:7-10(NLT) states, “7 For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! 9 Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.” Let go and let God do what He does, but you do your part and count on Him with your whole heart. Give all yourself to Him by putting on your new nature in Christ. Our Heavenly Father is fully aware of what we’re longing to receive. He hears our cries, and He hears our prayers, and He wants you to hear Him calling you to come closer.
Be patient as God works in you through the Holy Spirit. Partner with His work by learning more about Jesus Christ and seeking to please Him with your life. God is good! He’s faithful to His Word and faithful to us. Take comfort in this, as you’re saturated with hope in Christ. Philippians 2:13 says that God gave you the desires and the power to do what pleases Him, so build your faith by doing what He’s instructed you to do, and count on Him to transform your desires into reality.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Counting on the Lord”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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