Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord; be strong, and may your heart be stout; wait on the Lord.”
Nobody likes to wait. We have fast everything these days and patience isn't the virtue it used to be. But the Bible does tell us that it’s actually a good thing. God encourages us, not to just wait, but to wait on Him.
What am I waiting for?
What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Sitting around, doing nothing, scrolling Facebook or re-tweeting until He decides to act?
Actually, yeah. But it’s more active. Waiting on the Lord means trusting Him. If you are willing to wait for Him to answer, you are trusting that He might know a bit more than you do. By being patient you acknowledge that He cannot be late and that He is not only able to act but willing to be precise with His timing.
God always has a reason for His timing, a reason to "make us wait". It's never arbitrary or unnecessary. He does know more than you do and His timing is perfect. He knows what He is doing. Are you willing to trust Him on that?
But waiting sucks!
But waiting for anything is difficult. Especially waiting for Someone who could actually do something right now if He wanted to. He knows this and keeps us company while we wait. He also makes everything we need while we wait available to us. He gives us what we need to keep up our strength and make sure our hearts are stout.
Some of the things that might come in handy? The fact that you are not waiting alone. (Matthew 28:20). And our waiting partner isn't deaf. We can talk to Him, in fact, He wants you to (1 Thessalonians 5:17). So go ahead and tell Him how you feel, how much the waiting sucks. It’s ok, to be honest with Him. He loves you. He is there right by your side, not because He is sadistic but because He loves you (1 John 3:16). As you sit there praying and meditating He says you will find yourself with two things you will desperately need in order to keep waiting and trusting. Strength and endurance (Philippians 4:13), as well as the ever-coveted peace (Isaiah 26:3).
What is the alternative?
Taking matters into our own hands, because we think God is taking too long or is incompetent or cruel. This method has been tried and truly leads to heartache and bad decisions, guaranteed. Case in point? Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands when, according to them, God was taking way "too long" to give them that son He promised. Long story short: They ended up with a big mess of their own making, broken hearts all around. If only they had waited on the Lord.
And I yield, they were in their 90’s. From a human viewpoint, there was no way that He could still do what He said…Right?! Wrong. Oh, so wrong. If only they remembered that verse from Matthew that says “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”. Oh yes, they didn't have the New Testament. What about. Job 42:2 then? “I know that You can do everything and that no thought can be withheld from You.”
Make yourself comfortable…actually… buckle up.
Is it easy to wait? Nope. Will it take active effort, mental stamina, and a lot of spiritual dependence? You bet. Do you have to wait alone? Not a chance.
My prayer is that you will not only be willing to wait on the Lord but that you will realise how He gives you everything you need to be strong and stout of heart while you wait. And don't be too surprised if you find yourself BLESSED while you wait. After all, it does say in Isaiah 30:18 "Blessed are all those who wait for Him".