“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14, ESV)
It was a terribly long month for a family living in Oklahoma in 1923. The weather had been awful. The snow melted early in the year. Then, there weren’t as many usual spring rains. Then, a dry spell hit during early summer. A drought was upon them. The Johnson family had seen such dry spells before, but this one was a doozy. All during that terribly long month, Grandpa Joe urged the family to conserve water. Bathing for the family was curtailed. Water from the nearby creek was hauled in to feed the animals. The farm pond was monitored and replenished as often as possible. Day after day, the family worked long hours to care for the farm and conserve precious water for the animals, the crops, and each other.
Then, on a particularly warm summer day, the tired family members realized that they would have to work all day in order to keep up with the need for water. Multiple trips would be taken to the creek, which was drying up. Water from the creek was getting more and more muddy. Water had to be purified, boiled where needed, but always conserved. Every family member had worked twelve or more hours every day for weeks just to keep the farm going. The children were getting ragged. Father had lost weight. Mother hadn’t had a bath in more than a month.
The lunch meal that warm summer day was sparse. The men and boys only had time for a prayer and a quick bite anyway. With everyone on edge, Grandpa Joe called the family together. He told them to take the rest of the day to lay in bed, heal up, and pray. He told them to “let their souls catch up with their bodies”. Most urgently, he told them to pray for rain. All of them took to their beds to rest and pray. All fell asleep praying.
Just before sunset, the sky darkened. As dark closed in, lightning could be seen in the distance. That night, there was a loud, booming thunderstorm. The thunder kept the family members from fitful sleep. Around midnight, lightning struck the barn. If not for the quick work of family members, the barn would have burned down and the animals with their extra feed would have been lost. Still, as the tired family went to sleep that night, they thanked the Lord for the wonderful, refreshing rain.
The next morning at breakfast, the oldest boy said to grandpa, “I’m sure glad we all prayed and slept yesterday. Otherwise, we’d have been so tired we would have slept right through the storm and not seen the fire break out!” The boy made a very important point.
Grandpa Joe turned to the boy and said, “I sure hope you included a long thanksgiving to God in your prayers this morning for just that! You know, son, sometimes it’s better to pray and be watchful for when the time is right.”
Sometimes, it’s more important to show strength by waiting on the Lord than throwing a bunch of work at a problem. Sometimes, reflection in the Spirit trumps rolling up your sleeves and working hard into the night. It takes a wise person to know when to be strong, how to devote your energy, and when to “wait on the Lord”.
The scripture for today from Psalm 27:14 is a reminder that there will be important moments in your life when waiting on the Lord to answer or provide is the best course of action. This verse is a call to “be strong, and let your heart take courage” from the Lord. However, sandwiched between this call to “be strong” and “take courage” are two reminders to “wait for the Lord”. Did you notice that “wait for the Lord” is repeated twice in this verse? The Bible only repeats something when it is trying to drive home a point. In this case, your “strength” and “courage” must be tempered with a desire to “wait for the Lord”.
So many good people want to solve problems in life by doing one of two things. They either procrastinate or they devote all their energy to fix things. This scripture doubles down on the phrase “wait for the Lord” to remind the faithful that a third way of doing things in life is crucial. If you just procrastinate or if you impatiently throw money or effort into solving all problems, you may be thwarting God’s will. Sometimes, patience is required. Sometimes, moments of prayer trump strength and courage.
In the devotional, Trusting God with Today, the following words illuminate our discussion:
“When you find yourself in this place of uncertainty, observe the following cautions. First, don’t confuse unanswered prayer with being unheard. God always pays attention to your pleas. Trust that He is working in the unseen rather than ignoring you. Second, when you fear the Lord isn’t responding to you, you may be tempted to go elsewhere for information and guidance. Don’t. Continue to wait for Him. Third, be honest with yourself. Humility and transparency are crucial for God to work effectively in and through you. Examine your life and make sure you are obeying everything He has instructed you to do. If not, go back to the last thing He said and submit to Him immediately. In everything, trust that your heavenly Father hears you and that He will answer you at the right time. Be strong, take heart, and wait for Him to show you what to do.” (p. 253).
One of the greatest marks of spiritual strength is knowing when to “be strong”, when to “take courage”, and when to “wait for the Lord”. Very few faithful people master which of these three courses to take. To “be strong” or to “take courage”, you may even have to “wait for the Lord! Make sure you take the time and effort to know which way is God’s way.
In closing, I ask you two simple questions. Why would the author of our scripture repeat the phrase “wait for the Lord” in just one verse of the Bible? Could it be that what is most often missing in the spiritual life of the faithful person is the willingness to “wait for the Lord” before making a decision, saying something emotional, or doing something you might regret later?
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh…. a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–7, ESV)
A time to act… and a time to “wait for the Lord”……..
Then, on a particularly warm summer day, the tired family members realized that they would have to work all day in order to keep up with the need for water. Multiple trips would be taken to the creek, which was drying up. Water from the creek was getting more and more muddy. Water had to be purified, boiled where needed, but always conserved. Every family member had worked twelve or more hours every day for weeks just to keep the farm going. The children were getting ragged. Father had lost weight. Mother hadn’t had a bath in more than a month.
The lunch meal that warm summer day was sparse. The men and boys only had time for a prayer and a quick bite anyway. With everyone on edge, Grandpa Joe called the family together. He told them to take the rest of the day to lay in bed, heal up, and pray. He told them to “let their souls catch up with their bodies”. Most urgently, he told them to pray for rain. All of them took to their beds to rest and pray. All fell asleep praying.
Just before sunset, the sky darkened. As dark closed in, lightning could be seen in the distance. That night, there was a loud, booming thunderstorm. The thunder kept the family members from fitful sleep. Around midnight, lightning struck the barn. If not for the quick work of family members, the barn would have burned down and the animals with their extra feed would have been lost. Still, as the tired family went to sleep that night, they thanked the Lord for the wonderful, refreshing rain.
The next morning at breakfast, the oldest boy said to grandpa, “I’m sure glad we all prayed and slept yesterday. Otherwise, we’d have been so tired we would have slept right through the storm and not seen the fire break out!” The boy made a very important point.
Grandpa Joe turned to the boy and said, “I sure hope you included a long thanksgiving to God in your prayers this morning for just that! You know, son, sometimes it’s better to pray and be watchful for when the time is right.”
Sometimes, it’s more important to show strength by waiting on the Lord than throwing a bunch of work at a problem. Sometimes, reflection in the Spirit trumps rolling up your sleeves and working hard into the night. It takes a wise person to know when to be strong, how to devote your energy, and when to “wait on the Lord”.
The scripture for today from Psalm 27:14 is a reminder that there will be important moments in your life when waiting on the Lord to answer or provide is the best course of action. This verse is a call to “be strong, and let your heart take courage” from the Lord. However, sandwiched between this call to “be strong” and “take courage” are two reminders to “wait for the Lord”. Did you notice that “wait for the Lord” is repeated twice in this verse? The Bible only repeats something when it is trying to drive home a point. In this case, your “strength” and “courage” must be tempered with a desire to “wait for the Lord”.
So many good people want to solve problems in life by doing one of two things. They either procrastinate or they devote all their energy to fix things. This scripture doubles down on the phrase “wait for the Lord” to remind the faithful that a third way of doing things in life is crucial. If you just procrastinate or if you impatiently throw money or effort into solving all problems, you may be thwarting God’s will. Sometimes, patience is required. Sometimes, moments of prayer trump strength and courage.
In the devotional, Trusting God with Today, the following words illuminate our discussion:
“When you find yourself in this place of uncertainty, observe the following cautions. First, don’t confuse unanswered prayer with being unheard. God always pays attention to your pleas. Trust that He is working in the unseen rather than ignoring you. Second, when you fear the Lord isn’t responding to you, you may be tempted to go elsewhere for information and guidance. Don’t. Continue to wait for Him. Third, be honest with yourself. Humility and transparency are crucial for God to work effectively in and through you. Examine your life and make sure you are obeying everything He has instructed you to do. If not, go back to the last thing He said and submit to Him immediately. In everything, trust that your heavenly Father hears you and that He will answer you at the right time. Be strong, take heart, and wait for Him to show you what to do.” (p. 253).
One of the greatest marks of spiritual strength is knowing when to “be strong”, when to “take courage”, and when to “wait for the Lord”. Very few faithful people master which of these three courses to take. To “be strong” or to “take courage”, you may even have to “wait for the Lord! Make sure you take the time and effort to know which way is God’s way.
In closing, I ask you two simple questions. Why would the author of our scripture repeat the phrase “wait for the Lord” in just one verse of the Bible? Could it be that what is most often missing in the spiritual life of the faithful person is the willingness to “wait for the Lord” before making a decision, saying something emotional, or doing something you might regret later?
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh…. a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–7, ESV)
A time to act… and a time to “wait for the Lord”……..