I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me

I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me

Scripture: But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.       Micah 7:7-8

Observation: In Micah 7, the first 6 verses paint a terrible picture of the condition of Israel. Farmers go their vineyards to gather fruit but find none. Rulers and judges demand bribes. Everyone lies in wait to take advantage of each other. There is no one anyone can trust. Even family members – father and son, daughter and mother-in-law become enemies. In spite of this dreary backdrop, we see a glimpse of great hope in the words of Micah, which he speaks even on behalf of Israel.

Consider the words “But as for me”. This shows a contrast between the attitude of Micah and the rest of Israel. The people in Israel have lost faith and hope. They take matters into their own hands in a dog eat dog world. It is everyone for himself, and survival of the fittest. But Micah does not turn to evil or selfishness for survival. In this passage, we can learn three powerful things about the actions of Micah.  

Firstly, Micah watches in hope for the Lord. Watching is a powerful word. It speaks of vision. Though there is nothing Micah can see with his physical eyes, he continues to watch in faith that the Lord will come and deliver. In watching, there is an expectancy of salvation and deliverance. As the Scripture tells us, faith is the substance of things not seen yet hoped for. Paul exhorts us to fix our eyes not on things which are seen which is temporary but things which are unseen, which is eternal.

Secondly, Micah waits for God his Savior. Waiting speaks of patience and perseverance. He further exclaims “my God will hear me” which shows us that Micah is waiting as he prays. The discipline of waiting and prayer is not an easy one but yields great rewards. In the garden of Gethsemane, the Lord exhorted his disciples to watch and pray so that they would not fall into temptation, and was disappointed that they fell asleep.

Finally, Micah did not let circumstances discourage him but continued to hope in the future. Though he had fallen, he saw himself rising. Though he was in darkness, he continued to believe that the Lord would become his light.   

Application: Like Micah who watched in hope for the Lord, we too must learn to watch likewise. Sometimes we may lose our vision, and we may need to close our eyes and see with our spiritual eyes, putting our hope in our Lord in Heaven even if we do not see him physically here on earth.

Also, we would do well to cultivate a discipline of waiting and prayer. In this we need great patience and perseverance, but as we do this, our faith will grow stronger, and our confidence that “my God will hear me”.

Finally, we may be facing difficult circumstances and feel like we have fallen into a hole and can only see darkness. Do not lose hope but believe in the Lord – that He will become our light, that He will lift us up in due time.

Prayer: Father Lord, open my eyes that I might see You. Let me not look only at temporary things, but let me learn to look beyond at the things unseen, the eternal things that are of true value. Give me strength and discipline O Lord to learn to spend time in waiting and prayer with You. O Lord, You are my strength, even when I fall. You are my light, even when I walk in darkness. My hope will be in You forever. In Jesus name, Amen.