Wait for the Lord

September 19 – Wait for the Lord

Scripture

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.” 

Psalm 130:5 (ESV)

“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.” (KJV)

Encouragement

Waiting can be one of the hardest parts of prayer.

We pray, and then we wait.

We ask God for direction, but the path remains unclear. We pray for a loved one, but nothing seems to change. We ask for a door to open, but it remains closed. We bring the same burden to God again and again, wondering when the answer will come.

Psalm 130:5 shows us what to do in that space between our prayer and God’s answer.

“I wait for the LORD.”

The psalmist was not simply waiting for his circumstances to change. He was waiting for the Lord Himself.

And while he waited, he had somewhere to place his hope: “in his word I hope.”

That changes the way we wait.

Our hope is not based on seeing signs that things are beginning to work out. It is grounded in what God has already said. His character has not changed. His promises remain true. His wisdom is still perfect. His faithfulness does not depend on how quickly He answers us.

Waiting does not mean God is doing nothing.

There may be things He is accomplishing that we cannot yet see. He may be preparing circumstances, working in someone else’s heart, protecting us from something we do not know about, or doing a work within us as we learn to depend more deeply on Him.

We do not need to understand everything God is doing in order to wait faithfully.

We can keep praying.

Keep trusting.

Keep returning to His Word.

And keep hoping in the Lord while we wait.

Prayer

Dear loving heavenly Father,

Waiting is difficult when I want an answer now. Help me not to measure Your faithfulness by how quickly my circumstances change. Teach me to wait for You and place my hope in Your Word. When I cannot see what You are doing, remind me that You are still trustworthy. Give me patience to keep praying and faith to trust Your timing and Your purposes. In Jesus’ almighty name, amen.

Thought for Today

While I wait for God’s answer, I will place my hope in His Word.