The Wait

 

Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭NKJV‬

 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah‬ ‭64:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.

We are not hopeless.

We are not aimless. 

Our hope is secure. 

Our hope is secure.

So, we live in expectancy.

We lift our heads.

We fix our eyes on Him.

Knowing He is good in all things.

We choose to delight ourselves in Him.

Our hope is secure. 

Anchored in the Most High King.

His love endures.

The waiting will not be wasted.

He is faithful.

He is faithful.

I am not a fan of the in-between stage, the transition state, the desert stage. Perhaps that last description was a tad dramatic but allow me to explain. Waiting is difficult and it has the potential to feel like a desert. Dry. In desperate need of refreshment and sustenance. In those seasons of waiting, it can feel like God has forgotten us. It can feel like He is blessing everyone else but us. It can feel like we are being left behind while everyone else is caught up in the tabernacle of blessing. However, the truth is that God has not forgotten us. He knows what is best for us. He is the giver of good gifts, and He makes everything beautiful in its time ( Ecclesiastes 3:11). We can trust Him because He is absolutely trustworthy. His plan for us is good and not evil. He loves us immensely. God will strengthen us as we wait on Him. It takes courage to wait, to hope amid the seemingly unanswered prayer. But God will refresh us. Isaiah 64:4 states that God acts for the one who waits for Him. God is not passive. He is active, passionately pursuing us.  While we are waiting, we are growing in trust and dependence on God. While we are waiting, our strength is renewed day by day. Let us not grow discouraged. Rather, let us remember these truths about the wait.

1. God is good and does only good( Psalm 119:68). This is truth. God is good and He does only good. Let us allow that truth to saturate our situation. God’s thoughts toward us are good, not evil. He has a perfect purpose for us and knows what is best for us. He delights over us and desires good for us as His children. Let us remember that God loves us dearly. He knows why we must wait. Let us dare to trust Him or He will not disappoint or let us down.

2. Be honest with God about the difficulties of waiting. Let’s be real with Him. Let’s pour out our hearts to Him because He is our refuge ( Psalm 62). He cares for us, and He knows that waiting is hard. He promises that He will strengthen our hearts. He will see to it that we will be able to wait. God already knows how we are feeling. The waiting will help us to develop intimacy with our Creator and draw us closer to Him as we invite Him into our waiting.

3. In the seasons of waiting, God is refining our character, conforming us in the image of Christ. He is cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, one of them being patience. God is interested in us resembling Christ and He knows that seasons of waiting assists us in our spiritual formation. Our aim and our desire are to look like Jesus.

Yes, waiting is difficult. Yes, it can seem like an endless desert. But God has promised us refreshment. He has promised us rivers in the wasteland. Let us wait on the Lord and He will strengthen our hearts.