Strength in the Wait

"Wait on the LORD: 

be of good courage, 

and he shall strengthen thine heart: 

wait, I say, on the LORD."

Psalm 27:14 KJV

It's hard for me to sit still while I'm waiting.  If I'm waiting for a ride to pick me up, I set up surveillance out the window, pacing around the house, watching the clock.  If I'm in line waiting for my turn at the checkout, I keep my eyes busy, taking in everything around me.  I try to hold a conversation, but it is hard to concentrate as I wait. It seems like the act of waiting brings about a spirit of restlessness within me.  I consider waiting to be a negative thing.

In God's book, however, waiting is a good thing. He tells us in Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) that, ". . . they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  

Waiting produces strength.

I may be waiting for healing, a heart to soften, circumstances to change or my acceptance of those circumstances to develop.  I could be waiting for deliverance, answers or understanding.  Sometimes I'm waiting for help, release from a difficult situation or to see a sliver of light piercing through the darkness.  

Whatever I'm waiting for, God will use it to strengthen me.

Heart

It's easy to feel discouraged, especially when hard things keep happening in my life. I feel like quitting, giving up and letting go.  But God has a plan, and keeping this in mind helps to give me hope.  As long as I'm alive, there's always hope!

It reminds me of a story I read about former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo.  When he was a child, a 40-ft Blue Spruce from his family's yard was uprooted during a storm.  As it lay in the street, his family despaired. All, that is, except Mario's father who rallied them together to lash ropes around the tree and, as a tiny band of five warriors, strained to right the tree.  With the strength of his father's determination, they came together and accomplished the amazing feat of replanting that tree where it still stands to this day!  

It would probably never occur to me that a large tree like that could be stood up and have the chance to grow again.  Maybe this is part of the reason I lose heart; I fail to see the possibilities.  My vision is too short.  My expectations are low. 

When Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel as recorded in Luke 1, she asked how she would become pregnant since she was a virgin.  The messenger explained how God's spirit would come upon her and that, "Nothing is impossible with God." (v 37)

Remembering God's sovereign power works to encourage me and give me hope.

My heart can be strengthened when I remember that with God, the sky's the limit and anything is possible.  

Faith

I can buy creams that claim to firm my skin, conditioning treatments that promise to strengthen the hair, and toothpastes that declare their ability to fortify the tooth and rebuild enamel.  All of these assertions go against science which tells me that growth only occurs from the inside out.  Very little, if anything, can be done to strengthen these tissues with topical applications.

It's the same with my faith.  It takes training to grow my faith, not an application of truths from the outside.  Simply reading about or learning of God's Word will not grow my faith.  Instead, it must be tested through trials and difficulties when I get the opportunity to trust what I've learned about God.  Will He really deliver?  Can I trust Him with my life?  Does He love me?  All of these questions will be answered as I struggle through the hard times at His side. 

 My faith is strengthened through the training found in life's trials.

Resolve

We live in a culture where it's easy to fade into the background and fail to stand for anything.  There are so many voices telling me that all religions are the same, marriage takes on many different forms, or there really is no such thing as truth.  

As a follower of the Truth, I know there is only one Way to God, that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and that Jesus is the Truth. 

Paul encourages me to, ". . .stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)  Since I know I have the hope of heaven and the resurrection, there is nothing to fear in this life.  I have everything to look forward to through faith in Christ.  I should live this life with abandon, determining to do my best to stand firm for what is important.

My resolve is strengthened when I remember to what I have to look forward.

Waiting on the Lord is difficult.  Sometimes I'd rather take matters into my own hands and speed things up a bit.  But if I do wait on Him, I will be encouraged with the power of God's sovereignty,  I will learn that God can be trusted as I struggle through the trials, and I will stand firm as I keep in mind the eternal reward that awaits me.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will remember the value that comes with waiting patiently.

How do I show my disdain for waiting by the way I choose to wait?

In what ways can I choose to take a stand for God in a culture that disregards His Truth?