Although I’ve done it, I’m not a big fan of ordering groceries online. My kids prefer it to in-store shopping, but I’m old-fashioned. To me, it just seems kind of distant and antisocial. Then there’s the watching and waiting in the grocery store parking lot at the designated posts to hopefully receive what I ordered. There might be a substitute which may or may not suffice. These bags of groceries contain the sustenance I will live on for the next few days. The items inside will nourish my body and satisfy my hunger.
Some people treat their prayer time like their grocery needs. They pray to Him from a distance. They do not press into His presence for what they need. They do not linger in His word to search out and encounter His promises in a personal way. They place their order and hope to receive their needs and their heart's desires from Him.
I’ve been pondering and chewing on this verse for over a month now: “Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My door” (Proverbs 8:34). Let’s look closer at some of the keywords in this verse.
Blessed means “How happy!” Happiness - that’s what everyone wants. Blessings that bring true and lasting happiness are reserved for those who hear His voice. Heareth means “to hear and keep on hearing."
This kind of hearing happens when we watch at His gates. To watch daily is to make it habitual. “Watch” means to watch expectantly and confidently, knowing that His goodness comes through those gates of His presence. Receiving a word that sustains us happens when we watch at the gates of His presence. Receiving happiness, wisdom, answers to our prayers, His promises, strength and the sustenance we need for the day or the season happens when we watch at His gates.
Most of us don’t like waiting. We feel like we don’t have time to wait. Life is demanding and it is moving fast. Waiting and patience have been lost in today’s microwave culture. We wait at the grocery store's designated grocery pickup posts because we must have food. Without it, we die. We must cultivate the patience to rest at the posts of His door. “Posts” is derived from a Hebrew word that is also used for “full or heavy breasts.” Picture the mother of an infant with her breasts full and heavy with milk to nourish her child. The child lingers and receives vital nourishment at mom’s posts. Think about what lies between mom’s breasts. It’s her heart. That infant hears her heartbeat and feels her breathing. These bring comfort and peace to the child. This is a picture of absolute dependency and beautiful intimacy. We must develop the patience to wait at the Father’s breast, listen for His heartbeat, and let our breathing come into rhythm with His. At His posts, we will receive nourishment for our souls. Nourishment that tastes like wisdom, freedom, healing, peace, and life.
His breasts are full and heavy. He wants to nourish, sustain, bless, and make you happy. Are you willing to make your prayer time more intimate, are you willing to press into the gates of His presence, watch, and wait at His breast until you connect with Him in a life-giving way? Jesus said, “Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). A daily download from Him is essential for life and life abundant.
Side note: Someone may point out that Proverbs 8 is about wisdom. Verse 34 is about hearing wisdom’s voice, watching daily at wisdom’s gate, and waiting at wisdom’s doorposts. 1 Corinthians 1:24 tells us that Jesus is wisdom personified. It's His voice we must hear.
**************************
Check out my book: The Greatest Romance www.debbiewelty-blog.com/books
Subscribe to my blog: www.debbiewelty-blog.com
Comments