"Hold On"

Scripture: "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him …" -Psalms 37:7, NIV

If we were to call an ace an ace and a spade a spade, we have all experienced waiting on someone to go to church. In a home with at least two people other than yourself, you find yourself getting dressed and ready to leave. As you make the statement that you are about to leave, two words come out of their mouth emphatically: HOLD ON! Because they scream that, you continuously wait on the individual(s) until they are dressed and ready to go with you. In the Kingdom of God, there are times where you want to do something, but God wants you to hold on for a moment. Why does God want you to hold on? Today's text provides the answer.

Just like yesterday's devotional, today's devotional setting is the book of Psalms. Within this 37th chapter, the author of this psalm is David. The goal of this psalm from David's standpoint was to provoke patience and confidence in God by the state of the godly and of the wicked. Within this chapter as well, we receive clarification on why God wants us to hold on at times.

David begins the text by saying, "Be still before the Lord". Simple enough, right? Well, for most of us, we can't be still or we choose not to be still. There have been times where we have pulled the plug on getting into a relationship with someone, but God was telling you to be still. There have been times where you have went and bought a vehicle and God was telling you to be still. There have been times where you have borrowed money from someone to pay a bill; however, God was telling you to be still. There are times where God wants us to be still before we make any quick moves! He wants to provide for you in your clutch situation! He wants to provide for you when no one else can! He wants you to help you, but He needs you to be still!

Not only are you commanded to be still before the Lord, God wants you to "wait patiently for Him". In other words, HOLD ON! Before you put yourself in dire financial straits, hold on! Before you put yourself in an emotional bind, hold on! Before you place yourself in a spiritual bind, hold on! Before you decide to give up on your marriage, hold on! Before you decide to give up on your child, hold on! If you can be patient with God, He has great things in store for you! He tells us through His prophet Isaiah "That they that wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles, …". In order to soar above your problems, you have to wait! God confirms this in James 1:4 when the writer wrote "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." When you hold on and wait on God's instruction, it will be the best decision you ever made! I often think about the choices I had as far as the one I would marry. I had choices, but suppose if I would have NOT waited on God and picked what Haile wanted. I would have been in bad shape! However, because I was patient and held on, God sent me the right woman to be my mate! There are many of you that have a similar testimony or even greater testimony, but today, God wants to re-affirm in your life that He wants you to HOLD ON before you get burnt!

In closing, it paid for me to hold on and wait on God on a lot of things (mate, school, job, etc.). It has also paid for you to hold on and wait as well. My prayer for you today, my brother, and my sister, is that you will exercise patience, hold on on making snap decisions, and let God direct you and guide you in the crucial elements of your life! Isn't He worth waiting on today?