Wait on the Lord

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)

Can God count on you to hang in there until He finishes His work? You may be feeling trapped and stir crazy in the season of struggle or pain or difficulty or waiting that you are in. But if God decides that you are not coming out of it today, can you hold on and present yourself before the freshness of potential possibilities tomorrow, or next week, or next year?

Four masked men came into a church with assault rifles, screaming at the preacher and members during the worship service. Can you imagine that? They said that anyone who would deny their faith could leave safely, but the pastor had to stay and face the outcome. Silence filled the church. One after another, people began to rise from their seats and make their way to the exit. Church was now less than half full. The gunmen checked one last time to see if anybody else wanted to leave. Some people were sobbing. Some were praying. Some were looking steadfastly at the cross with eyes filled with tears. They were ready for whatever was about to come. The leader who gave the instructions gave one last command. Here's what he said: “Now preach, preacher. Here are your real members.” The men left quickly without anybody knowing who they were. The stunned people looked at each other and at all the empty seats and it dawned on them just how many were in the company week to week but had not bowed at the foot of the cross to wait on God or to trust Him in troubled times.

I don't know when God is going to release you from your time of trial or loneliness or fatigue or pain. I have no idea when the floodwaters are going to recede. I don't know when trouble is going to subside, but I know God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And with how faithful He has been to you in your past, can you not give Him more time? And if week after week you have to deal with your personal hardship, and deal with COVID, and deal with racism, and deal with all the struggles that plague you, isn't His good plan for your life worth the wait? The Bible tells us that while you're waiting, you may as well be of good courage, because if you can do that, He will strengthen your heart.