This is the burden against Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?” — Isaiah 21:11

The watchman cries out: what of the night? And the answer is that the night is nearly over; the day has drawn near—salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The fig tree is budding, the signs are clear, so watch and pray and don't be found asleep. The bridegroom is coming, and those who wait for him with longing hearts will not be ashamed.

Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: — Lamentations 3:41

Lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven—that's the posture of the true worshiper, not just hands raised but a heart lifted to the one who is high above all. David didn't go through the motions; he lifted his soul to God, thirsting for him like dry ground. That kind of worship pleases the Father because it's born of real hunger for his presence.

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water. — Jeremiah 2:13

God calls himself the fountain of living waters, and yet his people go looking for broken cisterns that hold nothing—what foolishness! With you is the fountain of life, and Jesus stands and cries out, 'if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink'. The water he gives becomes a spring welling up to eternal life, and you don't have to pay for it—come, buy without money.

The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. — 1 Corinthians 12:12

As the body is one and has many members, so also is Christ—he is the head, and every believer is a living member of his body, not saved to be an island but joined to Christ and his people. God chose you in him before the foundation of the world and fitted you exactly where he wanted you. Each member supplies what the others need, and the whole body grows up into Christ.

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” — John 13:7

What i do you don't understand now, but you will later—Peter couldn't fathom why the master would wash his feet, and you can't always see the purpose in the trial. God led Israel through the wilderness to humble and test them, and he passes his children through the furnace to refine them. The affliction is temporary; the glory is eternal—one day you'll see, and you'll worship.

“Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi, “until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he has resolved the matter today.” — Ruth 3:18

Sit still, my daughter—those words come to us when everything in us wants to run ahead and fix things ourselves, but the Lord says be still and know that i am God. Mary sat at Jesus' feet while martha bustled about, and the Lord said she chose the good portion. Rest isn't laziness—it's confidence in God's ability to act, because he who believes will not be in haste.

“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” — Genesis 3:4,5

The serpent's oldest lie is still the most popular: you shall not surely die, you'll be like God—he twists God's words, questions his goodness, and promises freedom while delivering bondage. Don't be naive about his tactics; the only way to stand is to put on the full armor of God—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith. He's a defeated foe, but he'll keep lying until the day he's cast into the lake of fire.

Unleavened bread shall be eaten during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders. — Exodus 13:7

Leaven in Scripture pictures sin and hypocrisy—a little spreads through the whole lump, which is why the Lord commands: let no leaven be seen in all your quarters. Search your heart and put away everything that offends him, not so you can be saved, but because Christ our passover has been sacrificed for us. We're called to be holy as he is holy, and that means dealing ruthlessly with the leaven of sin.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. — Psalm 23:2

He leads us beside still waters, settles our anxious hearts, and feeds us with himself. Cease striving—be still in his presence and let your soul find its rest in him.

Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD! — Psalm 27:14

Waiting on the Lord isn't passive—it's active trust, looking to the one who never grows faint or weary and who strengthens the weak and upholds the falling. So be of good courage; the waiting itself is part of the work, producing patience and maturity. Those who wait on the Lord don't wait in vain.