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READ HOSEA 12:2–10WEDNESDAYNOVEMBER1Maintain love and justice,and wait for your God always.Hosea 12:6Waiting Is a Spiritual ImperativeWaiting in daily life is an inevitableand often tiresome experience.We’re put on hold during phone calls.We sit in waiting rooms for medicalappointments. We wait in line to pay foritems in stores. We take a number in arestaurant and wait for it to be called.practiced, and the rich seemed to thinkthat money could conceal their sin(vv. 7–8). Jacob had similarly soughtto deceive for his own advantage, andhis descendants were following in hisfootsteps (vv. 3–5). They should haveknown better (vv. 9–10)!Sometimes spiritual waiting feelslike that. Yet as we’ll see this month,waiting on the Lord is an importantand exciting biblical theme. In fact, astoday’s passage reveals, waiting is aspiritual imperative, an activity in whichall believers must engage (v. 6). Duringour study, we’ll consider how and whythis is so, what biblical waiting means,how waiting is an essential part ofsalvation, and how and why to cultivatethe associated virtue of patience.Verse 6 presents the standard for whatGod’s people should have been doingand what they had to do to return toHim. Their priorities must be love,justice, and waiting on the Lord. Faithfullove (the Hebrew word is hesed) is atthe heart of the relationship betweenGod and His people. Justice is also awell-known imperative from verses suchas Micah 6:8 and Amos 5:24.In today’s passage, the Lord chargedIsrael with sinfully abandoning hercovenant responsibilities and Him(v. 2). Fraud and injustice were being6The surprise on the list is the thirditem: “Wait for your God always.” Howamazing that waiting on the Lord is heremade equivalent with pursuing love andjustice! This deserves our attention.APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USWe may think we already know what waiting isand what it means. But as this study proceeds,we encourage you to set aside your personalpreconceptions and cultural ideas—especiallythose related to productivity and the fast NorthAmerican pace of life—in order to see the biblicalmeaning and significance of “waiting on the LORD.”Please uphold in prayer our boardof trustees who faithfully serveMoody Global Ministries withtheir expertise, experience,and time. Pray for the continualeffectiveness of their leadershipand service.TODAY IN THE WORD

READ ISAIAH 26:1–9THURSDAYWe wait for you; your name andrenown are the desire of our hearts.NOVEMBERIsaiah 26:82To Wait Is to Desire God’s GloryScripture’s use of rock metaphors,points out the Dictionary of BiblicalImagery, “has the desert as itsbackdrop. The sight of a rock in abarren, sun-parched wilderness liftedthe spirits of the hot and weary traveleror soldier. . . . The rock might containa spring of water as well as providingwelcome shade from the burning sun. . . .[R]ock formed a sound foundation;a rock was a stronghold, a fortress anda refuge.”“Trust in the LORD forever,” today’sreading proclaims, “for the LORD, theLORD himself, is the Rock eternal” (v.4). This is part of a song of praise forGod’s deliverance (v. 1). The people whodwell in His secure city are righteousand trust entirely in Him (vv. 2–4). Hegives them perfect peace (v. 3), perfectjustice (vv. 5–6), and a straight, smoothpath because He removes obstaclesand difficulties (v. 7). This is all possiblebecause God is the Rock, the UprightOne who humbles the proud and bringsvictory to the poor and oppressed.In this song, waiting is described asbeing essentially connected with twoactions that are themselves connected:obeying God’s law and desiring God’sglory (v. 8). One cannot wait on theLord and at the same time disobey Hiscommandments, nor can one wait onthe Lord and at the same time pridefullyseek one’s own glory. The phrase“desire of our hearts” indicates thatHis “name and renown” are our centralmotivation, consuming passion, andsoul’s deep yearning (v. 9).From this perspective, God’s judgmentis a good thing, because His power isdisplayed, His victory is accomplished,and—since they see Him for who Heis—“the people of the world learnrighteousness” (v. 9b; cf. Phil. 2:9–11).APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USThe classic hymn “Rock of Ages” uses this biblicalmetaphor of the Lord as our Rock: “Rock of Ages,cleft for me, / let me hide myself in thee; / let thewater and the blood, from thy wounded side whichflowed, / be of sin the double cure; / save fromwrath and make me pure.” Sing or listen to thissong as part of your personal worship.During this Thanksgiving season,Dr. James Spencer, VP and deanof Moody Bible Institute, invitesthe Moody family to thank Godfor the Moody faculty who,together with our wonderfulstudents, make Moody a leaderin Christian education.MOODY GLOBAL MINISTRIES7

READ 1 CORINTHIANS 4:1–5FRIDAYNOVEMBER3Wait until the Lord comes. He will bringto light what is hidden in darkness.1 Corinthians 4:5Waiting for God to Reveal What Is HiddenWe are often waiting for information tobe revealed. What grade did you earnon the recent exam? Which movie willwin the Oscar? What did your friendbuy you for Christmas? Whom will yourfavorite sports team draft in the firstround? Which politician will win theelection? Wait and see!In the same way, spiritual waitinginvolves waiting for God to reveal whatis hidden. As we continue to examinefoundational aspects of what it meansto wait on the Lord, we see the contrastbetween His infiniteness compared toour finiteness. He always knows whatwe do not and He can do what wecannot. He’s always in control, and Histhoughts and ways are far higher thanours (Isa. 55:8–9). From this vantagepoint, waiting on Him is always wise.In today’s reading, Paul made thispoint in the context of evaluating8human motivations and actions (v. 5).Ultimately, merely human opinionsand judgments don’t carry any weight(v. 3). God will bring to light all that ishidden, whether we like it or not, andHis judgments are entirely truthful. TheCorinthians had been quarreling aboutchurch leaders, and Paul had beenaccused of exalting himself and of notbeing a genuine apostle. In response,he asserted that leadership was notabout pride or position but about beinga servant of Christ entrusted with themystery of the gospel (v. 1).As a minister of the gospel, Paulacknowledged God alone could knowhis heart (v. 2). The opinions of others,and even of his own conscience, meantnothing compared to the accurate,omniscient judgment of His Lord andSavior (v. 4). The only reward he soughtwas “praise from God” (v. 5)!APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USWaiting on the Lord and deferring to Him iscountercultural in a society that promotes self andrejects patience. One way to focus on waiting forthe Lord is by memorizing His Word. Any of ourpassages this month would be a good option,and you could start with our key verse for today,1 Corinthians 4:5.Today and tomorrow, please prayfor Moody’s Intercultural Studiesfaculty. Pray for professorsClive Craigen, Maria Mocuta,Mary Cloutier, and Stephen Clark,who bring academic trainingand missions experience tothe classroom.TODAY IN THE WORD

READ ISAIAH 64:1–9No eye has seen any God besides you,who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.SATURDAYNOVEMBERIsaiah 64:44God Acts for Those Who WaitThe newly liberated Israelite slavesfound themselves trapped, or so itappeared. In front of them lay theRed Sea; behind them was the wellequipped Egyptian army. The peoplecomplained to Moses, “What haveyou done to us?” He responded, “TheLORD will fight for you; you need onlyto be still.” And indeed, God openeda pathway through the Red Sea. TheIsraelites walked through on dryground, while the Egyptians were sweptaway and drowned (see Exodus 14).This story is one of many biblicalexamples confirming that God acts forthose who wait (vv. 4–5). This is thefourth and final of our foundationaltruths: Those who wait for the Lordare never disappointed. This doesn’tmean we get what we want whenwe want it. It means that God neverforgets, never breaks a promise, andnever fails. A person might stand usup, misremember, or lie. None of thesethings will ever be true of the Lord.Waiting for Him is a certainty.In today’s reading, Isaiah called onGod to act on behalf of His people.His awesome power would disruptthe status quo and inspire holy fear.Because of sin, our resulting failureto call on the Lord, and His givingus over to the consequences of ourown actions, we don’t deserve Hisintervention or rescue. Nonetheless,we remain His people. The Potterwill forgive and continue to work withthe clay.God acts for those who wait. This isone of His fundamental characteristics.He’s incomparable, the only true God,and He “acts on behalf of those whowait for him” (v. 4). Waiting is not sittingaround twiddling our thumbs but rathera choice of hope and faith, as we’ll seein the next section of our study.APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USWaiting on the Lord does not depend on us but onHim. Do you feel as though your sins have sweptyou away (v. 6)? Do you think God has abandonedyou, or that He’ll leave you twisting in the winduntil you get your act together? Not true! He lovesyou. His character and promises never fail. Wait onHim, for He will act on your behalf!Keeping the Intercultural Studiesfaculty in prayer, please addRichard Wilkinson, SamuelNaaman, Timothy Sisk, andMichael Rydelnik to your list. MayGod continue to empower theirministry to students, future globalambassadors for Christ.MOODY GLOBAL MINISTRIES9

READ MICAH 7:1–7SUNDAYNOVEMBER5I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait forGod my Savior; my God will hear me.Micah 7:7Waiting Is Hoping in the LordStruck blind by an unknown disease inthe middle of his career, English poetJohn Milton wondered in a famoussonnet what God expected him to do.Were his literary and other talents now“useless”? “Doth God exact day-labour,light denied?” In the poem, Patienceanswered, reminding him that God doesnot need our work: “They also servewho only stand and wait.”Biblically, waiting is not just waiting forGod to do something—it is waiting forGod Himself. In other words, our hopeis founded upon the character of God.This kind of hope is not tentative butguaranteed. Godly waiting is thereforeaccompanied by a joyful anticipationand strong faith that He is on the way:“In the morning I lay my requests beforeyou and wait expectantly” (Ps. 5:3).Waiting on the Lord is part of ouroverall relationship with Him. It is anorientation toward God—an attitude ofthe heart, mind, and will. We’ll exploredifferent elements of this relationship,orientation, or attitude in the next fivedays in order to see a definition ofbiblical waiting.Today’s reading reveals hope as a keyingredient in spiritual waiting. Micah’slament for Israel mourns that prettymuch everything that could go wronghad gone wrong. Harvests failed (v. 1),people acted in hurtful and violent ways(v. 2), and corruption and exploitationwere rampant (vv. 3–4). Relationshipswere broken at every level, includingcommunity, friendship, even marriageand family (vv. 5–6). The only bright sidewas God Himself—but He is enough!Waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean a “waitand see” attitude, nor is it mere humanoptimism. Instead, Micah watched inhope. He waited for the God he knewwould be a Savior. And he boldlyasserted, “My God will hear me” (v. 7).APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USWaiting might not be easy, but Scripture promisesthat God is present even in our waiting and Hewill strengthen us to hope and to trust. Keep thisverse nearby as a reminder: “Those who hope inthe LORD will renew their strength. They will soaron wings like eagles; they will run and not growweary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isa. 40:31).Moody’s president, Dr. PaulNyquist, requests your prayers fortoday’s performance of Handel’sMessiah at Moody. Pray for allparticipants on stage, behindthe scenes, and those in theaudience. May the name of God’sSon be lifted up!10 TODAY IN THE WORD

READ PSALM 27MONDAYWait for the LORD; be strong andtake heart and wait for the LORD.NOVEMBERPsalm 27:146Waiting Is Trusting in the LordSpeaking on Psalm 27, English preacherCharles Spurgeon highlighted twodangers to avoid in the Christian walk:“All who have gone on pilgrimage tothe Celestial City have found a roughroad, sloughs of despond and hills ofdifficulty, giants to fight and temptersto shun. Hence there are two perilsto which Christians are exposed—theone is that under heavy pressure theyshould stay away from the path whichthey ought to pursue—the other is lestthey should grow fearful of failure andso become faint-hearted.”Waiting on the Lord helps us avoidthese two mistakes, enabling us insteadto stand firm with faith and trust in Him.Faith and trust are essential ingredientsin godly waiting, unlike ungodly waiting,which involves fear, worry, or anxiety.Believers confidently rely on the Lordrather than their own finite and flawedunderstandings (Prov. 3:5). Such trustis closely connected with hope: “Faithis confidence in what we hope for andassurance about what we do not see”(Heb. 11:1).The psalmist’s confidence was notpie-in-the-sky. Despite his negativesituation, David felt sure he would “seethe goodness of the LORD in the landof the living” (vv. 2–3, 13). He had morecertainty about God than about his ownparents (v. 10)! Though waiting washard, he was encouraged by the truththat we have nothing to fear with Godon our side (vv. 1, 13–14). The “day oftrouble” is just a prelude to victory andcontinued worship (vv. 5–6).Unaided, however, David could notstand firm. His enemies were too many.He needed God’s presence (v. 4) andstrength even to wait for Him! If the Lordwould teach him His ways (v. 11), then hecould stay on the “straight path,” and hisfaith-filled waiting would bear fruit.APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USPrayer is an important part of standing firm andwaiting on the Lord. We can come before theLord at any time and in our own words, and whenwe struggle to find the words, He provides uswith Scripture that we can use to pray. Make thewords of this psalm your own prayer of praise andpetition to the Lord as you wait for Him in faith.Dr. Junias Venugopal, provostand dean of Education, leadsMoody’s education ministry onour three campuses. Today, prayfor students and faculty of theSpokane, Wash., campus, wherea two-day Missions Conferencestarts today.MOODY GLOBAL MINISTRIES 11

READ JOSHUA 18:1–10TUESDAYNOVEMBER7How long will you wait before youbegin to take possession of the land?Joshua 18:3Waiting Is Not PassiveSamuel had told King Saul to wait untilhe arrived at Gilgal to offer sacrifices.The Israelite army had gathered thereto fight the Philistines. The purpose ofthe sacrifices was to seek God’s helpin the upcoming battle. Saul waitedseven days, but then felt he could waitno longer. His army was “quaking withfear” and some of his men had evenfled and hidden. So he offered thesacrifices himself, disobeying Samuel’sinstructions. This failure to wait wasa key negative turning point in hiskingship (see 1 Samuel 13).Because waiting is about faith, it isalso about obedience. Faith does notmove forward when God has said holdback; neither does faith hold backwhen God has said move forward. Saulmade the first error. The Israelites intoday’s reading made the second. Their“waiting” indicated a lack of faith andshows clearly that waiting on the Lordis not passive. Whether one holds backor moves forward, faith must be activeand obedient. Waiting on the Lord inpart means waiting for His direction andincludes going where He leads.Godly waiting, then, is an active andcourageous orientation, as opposed tobeing passive, timid, or fearful. Joshua’squestion, “How long will you wait?”(v. 3), was a rebuke to the Israelites.One now-dead generation ago, theyhad “waited” and refused to enter thePromised Land based on the fearfulrecommendations of ten spies. Theyhad lost forty years and paid a heavyprice for their disobedience. Were theygoing to repeat this tragic error?This time, Israel got it right. By surveying,mapping, and dividing the land (vv.4–10) before actually taking possessionof it, they demonstrated faith in God’spromises. And by casting lots, theybowed before God’s sovereignty.APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USToday is Election Day in the United States. We cancast our ballots in a democratic system and at thesame time acknowledge God’s sovereign controlover all human political processes and powers.As you pray and vote in local, state, and nationalelections, give thanks to the Lord for His lovingrule in your life.Moody’s Spiritual EnrichmentWeek presents a good opportunityto pray for our students as theyattend chapels every day and hearpowerful biblical messages. Askthe Lord to teach them and drawthem closer to Him this week.12 TODAY IN THE WORD

READ HEBREWS 6:13–20WEDNESDAYAfter waiting patiently,Abraham received what was promised.NOVEMBERHebrews 6:158Waiting Because God Keeps His PromisesIn his song, “Soul Anchor,” musician andwriter Michael Card celebrated God’sfaithfulness: “We are so sure of whatwe’re waiting for / And certain of thethings we do not see / For we are toldby the One who cannot lie / And in thishope is our security / It’s a soul anchor,hold on to the hope / It is a soul anchor,and hold on to your courage / Beforewe call, He answers us with hope.”We can wait with hope and trustbecause God keeps His promises. Butit’s just as certain that waiting is difficult.This is why the next key ingredientof waiting on the Lord is patience orperseverance (v. 15). Patience is rootedin God’s covenant faithfulness, that is,knowing that God keeps His promisesenables us to be patient. Otherwise,why would we wait? Uncertainty pushesus to wait impatiently, or hopelessly, orperhaps with an angry or complainingspirit. Patience, by contrast, rests inthe absolute certainty that God alwayskeeps His promises and that nothingcan prevent Him from doing so.Abraham exemplifies this kind ofpatience and faith. From God’s initialpromise to the birth of Isaac was 25years—a long time to wait! Not tomention that his and Sarah’s agesmade the promise humanly impossible.Yet Abraham believed that God wasabsolutely trustworthy, and in time he“received what was promised” (v. 15).Patience was possible because theresult was guaranteed. God had notonly promised but double-promised.It’s impossible for Him to lie in anycase, but to encourage Abraham Hehad made His purpose and promiseeven more clear (vv. 13–17). We arelikewise encouraged, for waiting onGod’s promises is part of our spiritualexperience as well (vv. 18–20).APPLY THE WORDPRAY WITH USThe anchor was the symbol used most in art andworship by early Christians, often carved on tombsalong with messages of hope in Christ. Spendtime today reflecting on the image of an anchorin verses 19 and 20 in today’s reading. How is theLord your anchor? How can this biblical imageencourage you to wait on God?Dr. Timothy Arens, vice presidentand dean of Student Life, and histeam work hard facilitating thelearning process and enrichingour students’ experience onMoody’s Chicago campus.Will you pray for their ministryto the students?MOODY GLOBAL MINISTRIES 13

READ PSALM 33:12–22THURSDAYNOVEMBER9May your unfailing love be with us,LORD, even as we put our hope in you.Psalm 33:22Waiting Because God Loves UsDid God still love His people? WasHe still present with them? Theyoung priest-in-training Ezekiel mighthave asked such questions after theBabylonians conquered Jerusalem,destroyed the temple, and took him andother Jews into exile. God answeredwith a resounding yes! First, He gaveEzekiel a vision of Himself, then Hecalled him to be His prophet (seeEzekiel 1–2). Jerusalem or no, temple orno, exile or no, God loved His peopleand remained present with them.God’s love is always faithful andnever falters, no matter what thecircumstances or our own feelings.Spiritu

wait on the Lord: “Wait for the L ‚ƒ; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the L ‚ƒ” (Ps. 27:14). We wait for the Lord in anticipation, trusting in who He is. We wait for God to answer our prayers, knowing He hears our cry and supplies our needs. We wait