wait on Him... Isaiah 49:22-23...

Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I will lift up my hand

to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples;

and they shall bring your sons in their bosoms,

and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens

your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground

they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust off your feet.

Then you will know that I am the Lord;

those who wait for me shall not be put to shame."

Isaiah 49:22-23 ESV 

God's Word to His people...

the ones who would soon lose...

their children...

their homeland...

their belongings...

to exile...

Because of their rebellion against Him...

His people would face defeat...

dispersement... to foreign nations...

But He reminds them beforehand...

even in the midst of their rebellion...

He will not forget His covenant...

He will not forsake His people...

When the time is right...

the discipline done...

He will raise His hand to the nations...

return their children to them...

and the kings who pillaged them...

will now provide for them....

the queens who drained their energy...

will now nourish them...

Those whom He used to punish His people...

will ultimately bow down to them...

and lick their feet clean...

For those who remain steadfast to Him in exile...

who wait on Him faithfully in the midst of abuse...

will know that He is Lord...

for they will not be put to shame...

His people will be a source of shame...

for their enemies...

Waiting on Him in the midst of oppression...

pays off in the end...

Do not be tempted to defend... or defeat... your oppressors yourself...

there is no shame in waiting...

for He is Lord...

wait on Him... Psalm 25:1-2...

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame;

let not my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Psalm 25:1-2 ESV

A psalm of David... who knew what it was to have enemies...

King Saul chased him... out of jealousy...

the Philistines despised him for killing their champion...

the Amalekites raided his camp... kidnapped his family...

his own son tried to dethrone him...

David knew what it was to have enemies...

both inside his own walls... and out...

In all the attacks he faced... he trusted the Lord...

lifted up his soul to the Lord...

did things His Way...

David knew what it was to wait on the Lord...

for years he ran from Saul before he received the throne he'd been anointed for...

David knew from experience...

those who wait on the Lord... hope in Him... trust Him...

will not be put to shame... they will not be disappointed...

David had opportunities to take things into his own hands...

twice he could have taken Saul's life...

but he chose to wait on... hope in... trust the Lord...

When we wait on Him in the same way...

we will not be put to shame by our enemy...

Now you may think you have no enemies...

no one trying to kill you... undermine you... deceive you...

but that just wouldn't be accurate...

All Believers have an enemy prowling...

waiting to leap... devour...

only the attack isn't physical... it's spiritual...

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion,

seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Our adversary accuses...

you're not loved...

you're not forgiven...

you are worthless...

you are guilty... beyond saving...

The lies of the enemy attack our hearts...

leave us paralyzed...

filled with doubt and fear...

shamed...

But when we lift up our souls to the Lord...

trust Him... take Him at His Word...

believe Truth rather than lies...

and wait...

we will see the day when the enemy is shamed...

not us...

Remember our enemy is not flesh and blood...

and wait on the Lord...

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,

against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,

against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

learning to live... shame-less...

Shame-less... free from shame...

For so long... I've been walking under the influence of shame...

Uncomfortable... with His call on my life... self-conscious...

How awful... to be so uncomfortable... with what He calls me to... simply because I would prefer a person to call me to the task... validate... what I do...

It's much easier to explain the why of the doing by saying: So-and-so asked me to... rather than... God asked me to...

Minimizing His call in my life... like it's not enough... like it's a stigma...

How truly shame-full... is that...?!

Worrying whether others think I'm raising myself up...

But now... this pouring out... this humble act of self-promoting... has begun to free me... from the fear of man...

Freeing because... to self-promote... I must die to self...

I see now... REPENT NOW... of my shame-full attitude... of the works He has called me to...

The act of obedience... telling others... at His prompting... has revealed my shame of Him... in all it's glory... and has taught me... to release the fear of man... fully embrace fear of Him... and be shame-less...

Thank-full for the lesson...
His grace...
His forgiveness...

Really... it's just too much...

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

Psalm 145:3

[Related fare...

taking the next step... with fear and trembling...

a new release...

pouring out...]