Quote from Open Up Your Heart by Jeff Syverson

September 19
Who is Waiting?

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 105:16-22 | Isaiah 30:12 – 33:12 | Galatians 5:1-12 | Proverbs 23:22

Today’s Scripture Focus: Isaiah 30:12 – 33:12

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you…blessed are all who wait for him.” (Isaiah 30:18 ESV)

We do a lot of waiting. God does too. There can be many reasons for the waiting, but this passage reminds us that sometimes the reason we are waiting is because God is waiting for us.

“Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you” (30:18). He sometimes waits for us to repent. Sometimes he is teaching us lessons about trust that can be learned no other way. There are lessons in waiting—resting in hope—that can only be learned in the school of waiting (30:15).

Another implication of this text is that God is longing…