Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14
Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. We want to be people of action. Wefeel better if we are doing something to address our need, but waitingforces us to rely on God. David learned what it meant to wait. He waschosen by God to be the next king of Israel, then spent years waitingfor the day God’s Word would come to pass in his life. As he waited, aparanoid, egocentric king occupied the throne that had been promisedto him. David spent his time hiding in caves and living among hisenemies. As he waited, he saw good friends murdered and his family and possessions taken.
He saw Israel’s enemies wreak havoc on his nation.Perhaps no one ever faced greater adversity while waiting upon God’spromise than David did. He certainly understood what it meant tobecome discouraged and fearful. But David also enjoyed the reward forwaiting upon the Lord. He became the greatest king in Israel’shistory, and, more importantly, through his trials he became a manafter God’s own heart. The psalms David wrote during his days as afugitive have been cherished words of encouragement for millions ofpeople through the ages. Through David’s descendants came the Messiah.David’s willingness to wait has blessed us all. Times of waiting onthe Lord can be some of the most precious moments in your life (John11:1–6). If you are waiting on God for something, read Isaiah 40:31and find encouragement as you wait for Him to fulfill His promises toyou.
