Food for ThoughtPsalm 27:13-14 Waiting
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

Psalm 27:13-14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

13. I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

14. Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

If you are like me, nothing is as it seems. When you think you are headed in one direction suddenly something happens that causes you to make a sharp turn into unknown territory.

I have had many diversions such as this in my life and at the time they don’t seem too alarming nor does it feel necessarily wrong.   But after awhile I am faced with laying down another area or layer of fear at the feet of Jesus.  

We see the signs and we are prepared as best we can be to make the necessary adjustments in those developing situations and then suddenly, we realize the signs we had studied for so long have been torn down and the once familiar road has been reconstructed into something we don’t feel comfortable with or know how to navigate through.   

When this happens do you find yourself getting upset, angry, frustrated or perhaps scared?

At first we are very capable of accepting this change but as time moves on without us, we realize there is nothing happening.   Suddenly our once clear vision is muddled with disorientation. What once met our curiosity becomes dulled in the never ending time of waiting.  Now, in this place of waiting God’s voice is stilled; our direction or purpose is unclear and time chips away at our hope.

What we cannot see is that this waiting place is our new direction for the season.   

This verse is very telling of God’s understanding about what waiting does to us.   

Waiting is about trusting in God in that moment of surrender.  When we do it well, the time of waiting is not so long.   It is when we allow frustration, anger or fear and anxiety to take over that it seems like God has abandoned us.  

But the truth is that God has not abandoned us in these times of waiting.  If we would make these waiting periods a time of meditation and rest, depending on God’s silence to mean that He is right there watching, it would not appear as long.   

Sometimes it is a time of testing; to see if we have the maturity and fortitude to move forward. This time of waiting is just that, a time of waiting. It is not our destination though it may feel that way.

This is the time to take hold of courage and to listen well to the positive and uplifting messages around us.   This time of waiting has to happen so instead of grumbling and complaining, take a different approach.    

Challenge: Thank God for this opportunity to reflect and and see if there are any areas that need to be addressed.  Feel the feelings and speak to God about them.  Be honest and direct.  Ask God to bring to remembrance all the times He has restored, renewed and rescued you from situations.  Encourage your heart with memories of God’s faithfulness.  

God bless

Marni

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lamb-rightThe purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.