Psalm 27:14
Thoughts from Pastor Stuart
Dive Deeper
“Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14
Behind the Scenes
Waiting is hard. Especially when it’s for something you want, something you are nervous about, or something that requires attention. Waiting makes us anxious. Waiting is uncomfortable. Waiting is nerve-racking or just plain annoying.
For me, waiting not only tests my patience but it tries the inner “control-freak” in me. Waiting takes the control out of my hands when often I just itch to do something instead of sitting still. Waiting requires trust, relinquishing control and choosing to be patient. It requires stillness instead of action, reliance instead of independence, and trust instead of self-sufficiency.
God often calls us to wait on Him in the midst of circumstances and trials that we would more naturally be prone to rush ahead. He calls us to a stillness that feels unnatural or ill-placed sometimes. Have you ever noticed this in your life? Have you ever felt the Spirit bidding you to wait when logic tells you to move?
David understood this struggle. He wrote this Psalm at a time in his life when he was being pursued to be killed by the very people who should have loved him. Can you imagine? And Yet, God calls him to be still and to wait. He calls him to trust that God will take care of the issue instead of himself.
I imagine that this waiting was incredibly hard. David may have wanted to rush out and defend himself. He may have wanted to try to negotiate and make them see his way. He may have even wanted to just fight it out. Either way, whatever inclinations he was feeling, David surrendered to the truth that God would fight for him, that God would lead him down the right path.
In one verse before, David writes, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” This verse is so telling of the inner battle waging in David’s heart and mind. The thing that fuels his patience and his ability to wait in the mist of trial is his trust in the Lord. He acknowledges that without God and the assurance that he would see the goodness of the Lord, he would be lost.
Make it Real
I love the pattern we see demonstrated here- one that if we could employ it in our toughest situations would help us to wait more patiently on the Lord’s leading instead of our own. Let’s take a look:
First, David acknowledges the struggle, he doesn’t hold back his fears or his feelings from the Lord. But instead, he takes his fears, his issues, his hurt to God first and wrestles it out with Him. He doesn’t buy into the lie that somethings are better kept to ourselves. He knows that his source of strength is in God, so he engages fully, holding nothing back from the Lord.
Second, David claims the truths he knows even if he doesn’t feel it. He trusts that he will see God move even when it feels dark. He acknowledges that God is at work even when he can’t see it.
Third, he waits on the Lord instead of rushing to fix it himself. I love that David links waiting with being strong and courageous. Often times, waiting can feel weak or like a failure. But it actually takes immense strength to wait on the Lord when you want to move. David calls us to “let our hearts take courage” implying that the courage we need is ready and available, we just have to choose to take it up.
And just in case we missed it the first time, he repeats “yes, wait on the Lord.” Any time the Bible repeats itself we should take note. It’s as if he knows that our hearts need to hear it one last time before moving on.
Just wait…
How is it hard for you to wait on the Lord’s leading instead of your own? Are there areas in your life you have rushed ahead to find a solution instead of waiting on the Lord? How can you take steps today to be strong and courageous enough to wait on the Lord?
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Lord,
Slow my steps today so that I can wait on Your perfect timing, Your perfect provision, and Your perfect will. Teach me to surrender even in the hardest moments. Help me to trust You more today than I did yesterday, always growing in my reliance on You alone. Thank You that I know You are a faithful God. You are good and patient with me. Thank You for lovingly seeing me through every trial I face.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen!