When the waiting is difficult

David Bowman June 3, 2021

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

iStock

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. King David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the LORD's presence, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began his reign; he reigned for forty years. ~2 Samuel 5:3, 4 (CSB)

Two refrains accompany one another in the pages of the Bible. God's message to individuals and groups alike is often, "Wait." Individuals and groups, likewise, often ask, "How long, O LORD?"

Psalm 13 is one of those texts where a mighty man of valor, the king in waiting, asked, "How long?" This is how he begins:

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long will I store up anxious concerns within me,

agony in my mind every day?

How long will my enemy dominate me?

David had been successful in everything he had done. Lion, bear, and giant? Every battle he fought, he won. He also became the Hide-and-Seek champion of Israel as he always managed to escape from his father-in-law King Saul who wanted to kill him.

In those long years of waiting, half of his life until he was finally crowned king, he prayed. He sang. And he waited some more.

Consider me and answer, LORD my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes;

otherwise, I will sleep in death.

My enemy will say, "I have triumphed over him,"

and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

Waiting is hard. It is especially challenging when you are not merely paranoid and someone really is out to get you. How do we handle these kinds of problems?

But I have trusted in your faithful love;

my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.

I will sing to the LORD

because he has treated me generously.

We can do what David did. We can remember how generous and gracious God has been to us in the past. As good and kind as he was then, so is he today. His goodness and kindness are worth the wait.

Waiting creates capacity. It enlarges the space in our lives only God can fill. It stimulates hunger and thirst nothing but God can satisfy. Waiting on God is a grace.

What are you waiting for? If you are waiting on God to fulfill a deep desire in your heart that honors him and serves others, keep waiting and be prepared for that special moment when God says, "Go."

Our Father, stretch us as far as necessary to learn how dependable and trustworthy you are. Enlarge our capacity for your goodness. Turn our desires away from anything that would challenge the satisfaction we find in you alone. We will wait on you, and we will go when you say, "Go." Amen.

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

David Bowman, (DMin, PCC) is the Executive Director of Tarrant Baptist Association in Fort Worth, Texas. He also serves as a Multiplying Trainer for Future Church Co. Learn More »

• The power of an unoffendable heart (by Tom Crenshaw)
• How did Jesus deal with animosity? (by Chris Bolinger)
• Why does the term "social justice" divide so many? (by Chris Bolinger)
• Why a pastor did not survive a difficult church: an interview (by Thom Rainer)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now