Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (Psalm 27:14)
Many times I encounter people in counseling that are going through hard times or struggling with life issues that have tried offering up a prayer to God asking Him to help. Sometimes, they may even ask others to pray about it too, but when they do not see an answer to their prayer right away, they assume that their prayer did not work or God does not answer prayers so they do not bother praying about anything. When this happens, I usually ask them details about the issue and their prayers. After determining that they understand how they should be praying and if there is anything in their life that might be hindering their prayers, then we focus on God’s timing (Psalms 66:18; Jeremiah 7:16-20; Isaiah 59:2; 1 Peter 3:7).
Too many times we pray, thinking that God will get right on the issue as fast as we get an order filled at our local favorite fast food restaurant. However, what we fail to understand is that God’s ways are not our ways and His timing is not based on our timing (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Isaiah 55:8-9, Lamentations 3:25-26, 2 Peter 3:8). This is because He is an all knowing, all wise God who sees a much bigger picture than we do (1 John 3:20). Sometimes, we may think that something needs to be addressed right then, but God knows that if it is addressed at a later time, we will learn patience and gain experience in an area of our life that we need. Likewise, we do not consider that there may be other people affected by the issue that need to grow in their faith and experience too (1 Corinthians 7:16; Romans 12:18-21). Or, there may be someone that God has in mind that needs to be part of the solution, but they need to be prepared to do their part (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).
In today’s Scripture, David is calling out to God for his power and protection to keep him from harm by his enemies. David asks God to teach him His ways and to be there when David needs Him. At one point David realizes that he must wait on the Lord and be courageous even though he sees the danger that is all around him. He reminds himself that God cares for him even more than his own parents and has David’s best interests at heart. We learn from this Psalm that like David, we must also be willing to do the same. Then when the time is right, God will do what needs to be done. In the mean time, as we draw close to God, He gives us peace and comfort in the time of storm and changes our hearts to be more like His Son’s so that we will see God more as a father that we can trust. Praise God for His love.
