The Wait

Psalm 119:84 - "How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?"

Nobody enjoys waiting. Nobody!

When I first read this verse, I was going to focus on David's desire for his enemies to be punished. But, I believe that the bigger lesson here is the waiting. Can you feel the anguish that David is going through as he writes this verse? He is tired. He has been waiting for God to act for a long time, and it seems like God has been silent or slow in coming David's rescue. What seems like such a cut and dried answer to David, is not being acted upon by God in the way that David hopes. And, I'm sure that you can relate.

Dear God, please heal my mother . . .

Dear God, please heal my finances . . .

Dear God, please heal my marriage . . .

Dear God, please bring my husband back to You . . .

Dear God, please help my child to make a friend . . .

The prayers go up all the time. And, sometimes God chooses to act the way that we wish, and sometimes He chooses to act the opposite way.

So, how do you survive the wait? How do you respond when God doesn't act as we want him to?

Jesus gave us a hint when he was crying out in the Garden of Gethsemane for God's intervention. Mark 14:36 records his words: "'Abba,[e] Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'"

We need to recognize that God's will must be priority number one in our lives.

Second, we need to recognize that waiting sometimes allows for more clairty.

When we are praying for wisdom about a decision, sometimes God chooses to give the answer over the period of a long time. That way, when the decision is made, we can have greater clarity.

When we are praying for the salvation of a loved one, or for a sick friend, waiting can seem almost inhumane. And, then we realize that God isn't human. His ways are not our ways. And, He is worthy to be trusted.

Dear God,

Somtimes we don't want to wait. Sometimes we don't want to trust. Give us the faith and the strength to accept the things that are hard to accept, and to love You with all of our hearts.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.