From: Beverly French [frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us]
Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2005 5:47 AM
To: Heritage
Subject: February 27, 2005 Greetings

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
 And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you,
 For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who wait on Him."  Isaiah 30:18

Last week we saw that there are often divine delays to answered prayer.  For the Lord has a definite purpose and He waits for the perfect time and circumstance.  Remember He is omniscient and knows what is best for each one.  And we see in our opening Scripture that He waits.  Why? 'to be gracious to you'.  Let's explore verse 18 a bit further.

Concerning God's compassion:
Psalm 78:38,
"But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them;
 And often He restrained His anger,
 And did not arouse all His wrath."
(The Psalmist is speaking here of God's guidance of the Israelites in spite of their unfaithfulness.)

"But Thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious,
 Slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth."  Psalm 86:15

"And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land."  Jeremiah 12:15

"...Then He will have compassion
 According to His abundant loving kindness."  Lamentations 3:32

How gracious was the Lord to His people of the Old Testament, but oh how gracious is He to all His children in Christ Jesus the Lord!!

"But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."  Galatians 4:4

Of His grace and mercy, we see that it is freely given:
"For the Lord is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
 No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly."  Psalm 84:11

"But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done  in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal  
life.  Titus 3:4-7 

"Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ's blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more  [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin's dominion) through His [resurrection] life."  Romans 5:9-10  The Amplified Bible

Our God is gracious, compassionate and just!  And, yes, all those who wait upon Him are blessed!  The waiting must not be with anxiousness or fear, but with expectation, hope and confidence in our all loving, all gracious Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  All praise and honor to our Might God.  Amen.