25 Apr Waiting Upon God
My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
Forty years have passed since the insatiable hunger took hold, propelling me to become an avid student of The Word. Early on, drenched with wonder at the imagery that fired my mind, a day came when I cried out for someone to walk me through my learning. Shortly after, I was introduced to the work of Andrew Murray. [1]
A missionary pastor who had died long before I was born, he became my spiritual father. He warmed me with confidence page after page, as he interpreted what God was teaching me . He assured me that what I had seen was true: that God sends us something from His very being, which quickens us and makes us alive, if we are able to receive it… feeding our spiritual life moment by moment, day by day. [2] But Murray went further, pinpointing the condition necessary for us to receive what God is sending. For God’s presence, for His thoughts and words to find us, for the evidence of His reality to be seen in our life, Murray taught me that we have to return to our true place. He describes this true place as our absolute and unceasing dependence upon God… where we are waiting upon Him. [3]
Finding our true place is a spiritual practice too little cultivated and yet indispensable to experiencing the phenomenon of God meeting us in our place of need. “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.” Psalm 62:1
Waiting upon God is our true place,
because it answers to His design of us.
For in him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts 17:28
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. Romans 11:36
God designed us to be a vessel through which His attributes could be seen. We were not created to have a fountain of life, strength, power, joy or glory in ourselves; but we were designed to receive these in a steady stream from God Himself…
This prospect of total dependence is humbling—to be told that we do not innately possess life, glory, real strength or power. And yet, our intended purpose is overwhelmingly honoring—that His life, glory and power are meant-to-be seen in us. God, the creator of all things… from the most minute function of the cells within our bodies to the far flung galaxies and every unknown dimension beyond time and space… He designed us so that He could be seen through us. He designed us to be capable of receiving all that He is, so that He could stream through and shine from us.
His design of us purposefully serves the destiny He intends for us.
Therefore, waiting upon God… finding our true place of utter dependence on Him … answers to His design of us.
What happens when we find our true place?
When we find our true place, God’s intention comes through. And His expression of Himself begins to move in us, for which we have been singularly shaped and uniquely wired to show.
When we consent to our utter dependence, finding our true place of waiting upon Him—we apprehend His love being poured out for us, especially in difficult moments. We begin to notice how certain themes keep repeating themselves, as if He is trying to tell us something. We find our self being drawn into the exchange that is meant-to-lead-us to the next discovery He wants us to make … not just because it will cause our heart to leap when we “see it”… but because it will mark the next transition moving us forward. As we wait upon God, we find Him to be our ever-present comforter and teacher. We experience an intimate and very real camaraderie in which we come to know the edges of His ways and the heart of Who He Is.
Once tasted, it becomes unbearable to lose, for He has become our life.
This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God,
and the One You have sent–Jesus Christ.
John 17:3
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[1] Andrew Murray, 1828-1917, South African writer, teacher and Christian pastor.
[2] Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4
[3] Waiting on God, Day 1, p. 1