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Posted: 02/09/2011 at 9:00am
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Waiting Upon the Lord
Wade E. Taylor
I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me... That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.—Proverbs 8:17, 21
The "approbation" or favor of the Lord rests upon those who have fully yielded their lives to Him, who desire to intimately know Him and are willing to spend time in His presence. The result is that these will be able to recognize His presence and will have "understanding" concerning His ways.
If these qualities are to become a reality in our lives, we also must first learn to "wait upon the Lord."
Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors. For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.—Proverbs 8:34-35
When the Lord responds to our waiting for Him, and He manifestly comes into our midst, we then begin to wait on Him.
There is an Urgent Need that We Become Capable of Hearing a "Present" Word
As we wait on the Lord, it is important that we approach Him with a deep reverence in a spirit of worship, acknowledge His presence as being with us, and then tell Him how much we appreciate His coming to be with us. Now we can begin to flow in a cooperative relationship with Him in whatever way that He may lead or direct.
We have become a wheel (us) within a wheel (Jesus). That is, as being a wheel within a wheel, we will be in the right place at the right time, and with the right word.
Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up (opposite) them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up (opposite) them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.—Ezekiel 1:20-21
There is an urgent present need that we become capable of hearing a "present" word.
As the voice of many waters, the Lord is beginning to speak a powerful last day word to bring visitation and judgment to all mankind. Unless we become sensitive to hear His voice, we will miss the sound of His gentle "knock" upon the door of our spirit.
The "Secret" to Jesus' Effectiveness and the Heart of His "Preparation"
Jesus spent much time in the presence of His Father. This is the "secret" of His effectiveness in ministry.
The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.—Isaiah 50:4-5
This is the very heart of the "preparation" of Jesus for His ministry – His being awakened "morning by morning." This is also the means of preparation for our place in the end-time purposes of the Lord.
...The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.—Revelation 19:10
"The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned." This speaks of the spirit of prophecy that which is beyond the gifts, and emanates from relationship. The spirit of prophecy is the result of having become so "at one" with the Lord, that our lives have become the expression of His life (the voice of many waters).
This testimony that the Lord desires to express through us, is imparted within us during our times of communion with Him, as we wait in His presence. As He quickens us, His testimony becomes the spirit of prophecy within us; then it can be expressed through us, to whom He wills. We will then have the right word, at the right time, to be given in the right place, or to the right person.
"He wakeneth morning by morning." To be awakened means that I am lifted into the realm of the supernatural, above the limitation of my natural sense, perception and understanding. When He awakens us, our inner being is alerted to turn aside from all activity, to become sensitive so we will hear what He has to say – a present word.
How to Develop and Cultivate a Sensitivity to the Lord's Voice
Today, His word may seem to be as a "wind," strong enough to knock us off of our feet; but tomorrow, it may be as a gentle breeze. Our hearing today will prepare us for His still small voice tomorrow. We must cultivate our ability to hear and respond to His voice.
David had within him a sensitivity to the presence of the Lord. In spite of his problems, David listened, as he had a heart for the Lord. The Lord had to speak to one of the prophets through a donkey, but to David He could say:
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with Mine eye.—Psalm 32:8
David had such a relationship with the Lord that he sensed the very presence of the Lord. The Lord did not have to speak "words" to David for him to know the desire of His heart. David knew the heart and the mind of the Lord because he had cultivated a personal relationship with Him during the years he was in the fields at night tending the sheep.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.—I Corinthians 2:16
Our mind will be renewed, or progressively brought closer to the Lord's mind as we wait upon Him.
Our taking time to wait upon the Lord will enable Him to enlarge our spiritual capacity, and grant us the tone of authority that comes only by hearing from Him. Thus, our times of waiting upon the Lord will become as a "wheel within a wheel," which will enable us to hear and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and to move with Him in His will as He guides us.
And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.—Mark 3:13-15
The Primary Purpose of God's Calling
The primary purpose of His calling is for us to be with Him. It is essential to our spiritual health that we spend quality time in His presence "waiting upon Him." Only then will we have the spiritual energy to face the challenges, testings, and problems of life.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.—Isaiah 40:31
During these times of intimate fellowship, we are brought into a closer union with Him. In the closeness of this communion, we will receive of His life and strength, and along with this, we will come into a deeper understanding of spiritual principles and the unfolding of His Word, which will draw us yet closer.
...The times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.—Acts 3:19
Our times of waiting upon the Lord are the key to a victorious, overcoming life. Throughout the Psalms, whenever David found himself in difficult circumstances, he constantly reminded himself to wait upon the Lord.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.—Psalm 27:14
It is here, in the Lord's presence, that we will begin to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. There will be a realignment of our lives, and our priorities will change from the natural to the spiritual. Our spiritual senses will be energized by His presence and restored to respond to His purposes.
We are to be changed from one level of glory to a higher level of glory. We may be birthed through a particular ministry and even flow in the same anointing, and echo the same teachings; but unless we "personally" have cultivated the presence of God by spending time waiting upon the Lord, we will simply be reflecting reflected light, a dimmed reflection of the pure glory of the Lord.
As we wait upon the Lord, we will experience a genuine encounter with the Lord. Then, wherever we go, the result of His manifest presence that we have experienced will cut through every bondage and every fear in those who are witnessing the result of our life in His. This will bring others to a knowledge of Jesus Christ.
During these prolonged times spent in His presence, we are "sowing" to the Spirit – enlarging our capacity to flow with the Holy Spirit. It is always costly to the natural man and will probably seem inefficient. Many of our "early morning risings" may seemingly bear no fruit at all, but the continued lifting up of our desire for the Lord, along with our worship and the obedience of seeking after Him rather than things, will in time bring forth within us an accumulative effect that will surprisingly produce a profound spiritual result.
We will have become a prophetic vessel that is available to Him. These times of waiting upon the Lord in His presence do not produce quick results, but rather, lasting ones. Jesus commanded us to abide in Him, adding that it will cause us to bear "fruit that remains." The abiding life – a life that waits in God's presence, will produce fruit that will stand in eternity.
Indeed, the Lord is knocking on the door of our spirit and is seeking to enter into the room of our spiritual being. He is seeking those who will respond to His knock, and will open the door that they might "wait upon Him."
...Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits.—Song of Solomon 4:16
Wade E. Taylor
Wade Taylor Ministries
wade@wadetaylor.org
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Topic: Waiting Upon the Lord - Wade E. Taylor
