What does it mean to wait on God? What do we do when things start falling apart and God seems distant? What exactly are we waiting for? Admittedly sometimes our lives feel that way. We are told to wait even during times when we fall apart. During those moments, we feel like God is far away and we desperately hope for things to just fall back into place.
Waiting on God according to Psalm 27
We are not alone in this predicament. David was in this very same situation that we sometimes find ourselves in. He was on the run from his enemies, was parting from his parents, and was a subject to slander. During these times, David was probably in a very bad place physically, emotionally, even spiritually. In times like these, it may very well be the result of our own sinful ways and it is merely us feeling the consequences but other times, it’s not. Other times, we get caught in bad situations and it’s not necessarily out of our own doing.
However, David closed his Psalm by saying:
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14
Waiting in this context meant trusting God. Instead of looking at his own unfortunate situation, David instead looked upon the greatness of God and was confident that if God wills it, the Lord will get him through. Instead of looking at the position that he is in, David instead focused more on who God is. David, instead of asking for instant comfort, hoped for what God has promised for him which was to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. (v.4)
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
David was not seeking for personal security, he was not seeking for personal peace nor he was seeking for an escape. Instead, David sought God’s own heart. David looked at the eternal security, peace and salvation God has already given to him. David had confidence in the Lord and asked God to teach him through his predicaments, to lead him in a straight path because of his oppressors. (v.11)
To wait does not mean you just sit around doing nothing, it means to look forward and look for eagerly. It means looking back on God’s faithfulness and while in your current situation, you look forward for Him to be faithful as He was. To wait means to trust God’s promises knowing He keeps His word.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently
Romans 8:24-25
And like David during these times, we too should wait on the Lord. May the Lord bless you and keep you always!
