WAITING IS AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE
- Shannon McNabb
- Nov 26
- 4 min read
Psalms 68:19 HCSB
“May the Lord be praised!
Day after day He bears our burdens;
God is our salvation. Selah.”
What does it look like to praise? I am going to make a big assumption here that the first thing that comes to most of our minds is the portion of church service where we are lead in songs of worship. Whether your church accompanies with instruments, choir, or a worship band, there is some form of singing. Your congregation may have hands uplifted or resting on the backs of pews.
Waiting is an act of obedience. Obedience is an act of praise.
I want you to imagine with me that you are the one being praised. Perhaps it was only yesterday that your boss praised you for the great work you did on a project. Maybe your mind drifts back to when you were a small child and you were praised by your parents for the improved scores on your report card? Or a well-articulated speech to the student body was met by applause? Have you taken to the stage in a community theater performance and received a standing ovation?
Need a little more to think about? Are you a parent? A grandparent? A doting aunt or uncle? Perhaps you have run alongside a bicycle when the training wheels first came off and the child pedaling pushed those pedals and kept the bike upright. Did you tell them calmly how well they did or did you jump up and down, clapping, and whistling?
Whether it was you being applauded or you giving the applause, there was something to be accomplished to deserve the praise.
Merriam-Webster defines PRAISE this way:
As a verb – “to express a favorable judgment of”; “to glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections”; “to express praise”
As a noun – “to express praise”; “worship”; “value”; “merit”
Merriam-Webster Dictionary also defines half-hearted praise as “implies actual dislike or disapproval”
For me, this brings to mind when someone won a prize that I wished I would have won. I applauded as it was the right thing to do; but, inwardly I didn’t feel favorable towards them in the least. I did not want to place value on them. The only value I saw was in the prize.
Psalms 68:19 “May the Lord be praised….”
What in this verse is worthy of praising? The LORD. Not praising what I get from Him but praising HIM.
Day after day He bears our burdens. Sometimes we know the burdens He is carrying for us because we feel peace where others around us are panicking. Knowledge of God and a life lived with eternity in Heaven in mind, gives peace that this world cannot offer. (see Romans 15:13) However, there are many days when we have no clue as to what God has carried for us. As a child I had no clue what it took for my parents to raise me, providing each day for my needs.
The New Living Translation of Ps. 68:19 says it this way, “Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude.
He carries us…
He carries me.
He carries you.
After a long week of demanding work schedule, piles of laundry, busted pipes, bad news flooding in over the phone, and unexpected bills making their way into the mailbox – our Father is not surprised by any of it. He saw it all coming. He had a plan before your world shook. He is already working on it. That diagnosis – Yes. He knew and He was already waiting to carry you through it. Like a loving Father, He knew the night was coming. He knew you’d be sad or scared. He prepared your bed and is ready to hold you till your heart’s beat steadies to match His heart’s rhythm. He is ready to carry you and to give you peace throughout the night.
Interlude.
The interlude, the Selah, is the waiting space.
At a live performance, I cannot make the curtains part and the performers reappear. I have to wait. There is much to do behind the curtains in order to prepare for the next scene to unfold.
I cannot make a meal cook faster without rendering the food, that was intended to be pleasing to the eye, delectable to the palate, and nourishing to the body, inedible. Rushing the process does not give the same results.
There is joy in the interlude because I know who is not waiting. God. The Father. The Master.
My waiting, being still, means I am trusting. I am trusting the One who is working all the time.
Waiting demonstrates faith. Faith requires obedience. Obedience requires waiting.
In Psalms 66:4 all the earth praises the Lord. While in the waiting…while waiting for the darkness to pass and the sun to rise. I will praise the Lord, with my hands held high, I will praise His name for He is worthy of all our praise. All voices speaking His name. All hands lifted. All applause given. All faces turned towards heaven.
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