I wrote in a recent post that "Waiting is NEVER easy!" : http://www.janfrank.org/blog/2014/8/4/waiting-is-never-easy.
We are currently waiting for our first grandchild to be born! Our daughter is 7 days overdue. We know the baby is coming so we are waiting with the "eager expectation of something we know will occur."
When David wrote Psalm 27 he started out by saying:
" 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?"
He is reminding himself of who God is and has been in his life. Do you ever do that? Do you rehearse the ways God has been faithful in your life? I find myself doing this especially in times of waiting. I think back to the ways God has met me in previous times, how He has been faithful to come through even when it seemed hopeless. I've heard some pastors describe this as "preaching to yourself." It seems as though David, the Psalmist was doing this same thing. Even though there were adversaries lurking in the shadows, David told himself the truth about who God was and is.
David's conclusion to this Psalm has personally encouraged me throughout my spiritual journey. He writes:
" I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."
David is saying he can't be swayed. He believes God's goodness will come forth at the right time and he and others will witness it.
Are you waiting for God to answer a prayer? Have you taken the time to "preach" to yourself about who God is and how faithful He's been in your life? Do you have the confidence David expressed--that you will see God's goodness in your lifetime?
David gives us a final admonishment in verse 14 when he tells us to:
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
We already talked about how "wait" in this scripture means to "hope in; to look for" and wait with "eager expectation for what we know will occur." To "be strong" means to "establish oneself firmly; to rally strength". And finally, to "take heart" means "to be alert; steadfastly minded".
If you're in a place of waiting right now:
- Preach to yourself the truth about who God is and remind yourself of His faithfulness.
- Establish your position and rally your resolve to wait for the LORD, no matter what.
- Be alert to what God is doing in you as you wait--what is He teaching you about yourself and about Him?
- Wait for the LORD--trust Him with all your heart, with your desires, your dreams, with your family, with everything you are:
