**Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.** Psalm 27:14
Life is full of discouragements, trials and heartaches. This past year has had more than it’s share. There have been moments when each of us have wanted to escape the incessant media sensationalism, the lunacy in our politics, and the hate that has manifested in our nation. Many have experienced personal losses and will need to rebuild their lives without their loved ones.
But escape is not the only answer to these troubles. The Lord is close and wants to comfort our hearts. He offers us hope and encouragement even on our darkest days. Even when we cannot see any way past today’s trials, and we don’t know how to find the heart to go forward one more day, the Lord holds out his hand to connect with us and strengthen that which is weakened by the hardships.
When David writes this Psalm, he is remembering the many times that the Lord stood by his side on his most difficult days. He remembers his guiding and loving hand. He remembers how it felt to be bathed in his love and grace. And he encourages himself as well as any who are suffering with the word WAIT.
Wait is not a popular word. Our children hate for us to tell them to wait. We hate to spend time waiting for anything. We want our answers and our needs met now! But the psalmist tells us to wait…wait next to God.
Because for David, wait doesn’t mean we can’t have something. It means we should stay close…we should expect the Lord to do something extraordinary, and it means to be patient while He gets it all into place.
Wait tells us to stay as close to God, now, in our troubles as we possibly can. Believe that He really, truly is doing something beautiful and that the wait will only make it even more amazing when the need is fulfilled. So, be brave, be bold in your faith within yourself as well as in front of others.
In the meantime, God will make our hearts stronger. He will give grace for every hour as we lean on him to get through the frustration and heartache. So, just wait, expecting that the Lord is about to do something exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think. Don’t try to fix it yourself. You can’t. God gives us trials that only He can solve. Give him the time and space He needs to bring you an answer to your prayers. Don’t run in front of him. Let him take and stay in the lead.
The hardest thing to do is to wait. But when we can wait on God by faith…believing and trusting that He knows what He is doing is pure, childlike faith. And that pleases God and brings glory to his name. Lean hard into him. He will not fail you.