“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (NKJV)
Waiting times can be challenging for most people. For me, waiting has felt like a test. During these seasons we are not being called to do anything – but this feels like the hardest thing of all!
Interestingly, waiting seems to precede almost anything good in life; one has to wait for a meal to cook, a cake to bake, a baby to form in the womb, a sickness to be healed (although there are many supernatural instant healings), a plant to grow forth from the earth, or a flower to bloom, (especially orchids!). Almost everything in life needs time to manifest in its fullness – waiting time.
There’s no one reading this who hasn’t had to wait, for a breakthrough, an answer to prayer, or even to see their doctor or wait for the results of a blood test. So what is the weight that a wait carries in our lives? What is its spiritual significance and purpose? In this fast pace world we live in where everything seems to happen virtually or instantly, how do we face the situations where we feel like we are in a hiatus? There are multiple ways to wait; we can wait grumbling and offended – with God, with people, with circumstances; we can wait in silent stress and anxiety; or we can wait in the strength and the peace of the Lord.
Psalm 27:13 says “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Waiting is always hard for me because there are so many thoughts that arise – especially when there is some past trauma connected to the present situation. It feels like the worst possible outcomes often seem to pop up in my thoughts when I am waiting for something to happen! In this life where waiting for something is a part of every day, how can I wait in an optimum state? David writes in Psalm 27 verse 13: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” David knew God and trusted in Him, and had “confidence”, (faith) in God’s goodness. Even spiritual giants face the reality of negative thoughts when facing a crisis but there is something we can take from David here. He says that he remains “confident” of seeing “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Friend, this is where I believe I should start. I am not going to try to drum up my faith and “faith” it, or make the Word “work” for me, or motivate myself with positive affirmations. Instead, I am going to begin to see/envision the goodness of God. What does the goodness of God look like to me? Has He done good and powerful things in my life? Has He come through for me when I needed a breakthrough, a miracle? Has He been there for me in past challenges and brought me through victorious? Yes He has – every time! That’s what the goodness of God looks like to me in this situation, and this is what I will begin to envision.
David says “Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord.” Some situations suddenly occur, like when you find yourself waiting in the waiting room of a hospital, or you are in the middle of a highway after a collision and waiting for the police to arrive. David is showing us that the way to step into a season or place of waiting is to strengthen yourself, to “take heart”. To me this means I need to strengthen my connection, to spend time with God and let the Holy Spirit refresh me. It means I will receive a Word from the Lord to keep me as I wait. It means I will be conscious of the fact that I do not wait alone – I wait in the heart of my Abba, sustained and nourished by His love. I wait completely confident that with my rational mind I don’t know how things will turn out, but my spirit knows that the outcome will be nothing but my Father’s best for me. I focus on the goodness of my Lord. I see His kindness, His mercy and compassion to me in the past, and I take heart; I take strength from the Lord. And as I wait from moment to moment, from hour to hour, from day to day, it is easy to lose my focus, to listen to other voices and to let my heart get discouraged and dismayed; but I will choose to remain confident of seeing His goodness right here and now. I will stay conscious of keeping my focus. People may distract me and take me away from my vision of His goodness. Numbers, reports, professionals in the field may draw my attention away; but “Bring me back to where I see You, Lord. Bring me back to the visions of your goodness. Let me come back to feasting on the love, compassion and kindness You have poured upon my life. You are good and You always have been good to me. I choose to trust you in this season of waiting!”
Finally, there is so much power in the waiting. It is your opportunity for a spiritual (and physical) upgrade! Isaiah 40:31 says: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” Stay conscious of the fact that you are in fact waiting on God. It could be that a judge has to give you a verdict, or it could be that someone has to come back to you with an answer and you want it to be “yes”. Maybe you are awaiting the outcome of an interview, or some health test results. God is above it all! As you do your part and fulfill whatever you have to do, stay still and know His goodness, His GOD-ness; let His peace flood your being, and know that you are waiting on the Lord.
Hang in there precious one. God is with you in this season. As you wait for the shift, you have the opportunity to become a fine fragrance or a bitter potion. You have the opportunity to see the goodness of the Lord right where you are. Which would you choose to be? It is completely up to you!
