Receiving While We Wait
Are you easily shaken?
Verse of the Day
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.””
Today’s Devotional
It seems to me that many people in this world are easily shaken. I have been there, in a place where everything seemed to derail me. Even now, I have days where my mind is on unstable footing. Today’s verse reminds me that the kingdom of God, the love of God, the work of God cannot be shaken. It cannot be changed or moved or misdirected or influenced by the things of this world. So am I standing in that kingdom or am I standing in the world?
We have been talking for a few days about waiting on God for discernment. Because waiting is hard and we need to learn to wait well. As we wait, it’s really important to see what today’s verse says. My favorite two words of this passage are that we “are receiving”. Every single day I am receiving more of the Kingdom of God. His mercies are new every morning. If you are receiving a salary, that means you get paid every couple of weeks, right? Or when given a gift, you received it – past tense. But that’s not what is said here. We continue to receive more of God.
I believe this requires participation on our part. For instance, my shower can be running, but if I’m not standing in the water I will not get wet, much less clean. The “shower” of God’s grace and goodness is constantly flowing. But I must be standing near to God – in his path- to receive the constant flow of his power, revelation, love, grace and mercy. When those things seem to be missing, maybe I need to look at where I’m standing.
My next favorite part is about coming to God with gratitude. Without gratitude for all that God has provided, how can I come to God acceptably? How can I wait well without being grateful during the times of waiting? If I am proud of my accomplishments and I don’t recognize that any skill, strength or talent used to accomplish those things came from God, can my heart truly be in the right place to worship? Gratitude, according to this verse, shows me how great God is, which leads my heart to bow in reverence for his majesty and goodness. If I am grateful, it turns my heart to be in awe of how good God really is.
Case in point: I am sitting outside right now on an absolutely perfect weather day. In a situation like this, I have a few options. (1) I have the option to just sit here and enjoy it and know that tomorrow may be humid and stormy. (2) I have the option to sit here and not even notice the perfect weather. OR…(3) I can sit here and be so grateful that God created this weather today. God allowed these flowers to bloom so that I can view and appreciate their beauty. God allowed this weather to happen today, on a day that I’m not working so I can enjoy it. I can choose to be grateful to God for days like this, days that are refreshing and unhurried and peaceful. My gratitude makes me aware of just how powerful and kind God is. If I didn’t notice those things and choose gratitude, that doesn’t make God any less powerful or kind, but it keeps me unaware. Gratitude turns my heart toward God. It allows me to step into the shower of his goodness.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How can you see that you “are receiving” God’s kingdom, even while you might be waiting?
Where are you standing today – under the “shower” of God’s grace or elsewhere?
What are you grateful for?
Does choosing gratitude change the posture of your heart toward God?
How could gratitude make waiting easier?
How could gratitude help you with discernment?