November 3

It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. — Lam 3:26 BSB

The Lord does not bring His needy children to the throne of grace just to send them away again. His purpose is to show them deeply who they are, to make them value His blessings, to humble them more and more, so they can rise higher in Christ. He teaches them to grow in spiritual profit, writing His laws upon their hearts with the deep engraving of the Holy Spirit—etched not in sand, to be washed away, but in permanent lines, as lasting as the soul itself.

The work of the Spirit in the redeemed heart is radical and thorough, leaving nothing flimsy or superficial. It is a work that endures for eternity. The Lord is preparing His people for eternity, so His work in them is complete, uncovering everything within, as the Scripture says, “exposing the foundation to the neck” (Habakkuk 3:13). Just as the Lord threatened to do to Jerusalem, saying, “I will wipe it as one wipes a dish, turning it upside down” (2 Kings 21:13), He does the same spiritually with His people.

This is why He doesn't immediately answer the prayers of His children when they come to Him. Instead, He deepens the convictions He's implanted in their hearts, making their burdens heavier, hiding Himself instead of revealing Himself. This process is meant to make them wait more earnestly, with greater simplicity and full dependence on Him alone. They come to rely solely on the Spirit’s teaching and Jesus’ sweet revelation of Himself.