August 30

Morning

Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD! — Ps 27:14 BSB

It may seem like waiting on God is easy, but it is actually one of the hardest lessons a Christian soldier must learn. Fighting and marching forward often come more naturally to us than standing still in trust and patience. There are times of perplexity when even the most willing and eager heart doesn’t know what to do next. In such moments, we may be tempted to despair, to retreat in fear, or to rush ahead recklessly. But what we must do is wait.

Wait in prayer. Bring your situation to God, lay it before Him, and ask for His guidance. When faced with dilemmas or uncertainty, it’s a sweet thing to humble ourselves like a child and wait on God with simplicity and trust.

Wait in faith. Do not let your waiting be filled with doubt, for that dishonors God. Trust that if He keeps you waiting until the last moment, He will still come through at exactly the right time. His promises will never fail, and His timing is always perfect.

Wait in quiet patience. Do not complain about your afflictions but rather bless God for them. Don’t grumble against the circumstances or long to return to the comforts of the world. Accept your situation as it is, and place it entirely in God’s hands, saying, “Lord, not my will but Yours be done. I don’t know what to do, but I will wait on You, confident that You will part the waters or defeat my enemies in Your perfect time.”

Wait, even if it takes a long time. Fix your heart on God alone, trusting that He will be your joy and your salvation, your refuge and your strong tower.

Evening

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved, for You are my praise. — Jer 17:14 BSB

I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, — Isa 57:18 BSB

Healing spiritual disease is the unique prerogative of God. While human beings can help heal natural ailments, it is God who gives medicine its power and the body its ability to recover. But when it comes to spiritual sickness, only the Lord can heal. He declares, "I wound and I heal," and He is known by the name Jehovah-Rophi, the Lord who heals you.

The promise, "I will heal you of your wounds," could only come from the lips of God, and this is why the psalmist cried, "O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony," and again, "Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You."

For this reason, God’s people praise His name, saying, "He heals all our diseases!" Only the Creator of man can also restore man. What a great comfort it is to know that in Jesus "all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form." Whatever spiritual disease you are facing, my soul, this great Physician can heal you! If He is God, there is no limit to His power. Come to Him with your blindness, your spiritual lameness, your weak faith, your anger, your despair—come just as you are, for He, being God, can heal you of all your afflictions.

Nothing can stop the healing power that flows from Jesus. Even legions of demons have submitted to His authority, and He has never been defeated. All His patients have been cured, and you will be one of them if you come to Him and trust in Him tonight.