Psalm 27:14
David’s cry for help doesn’t end with an account of God’s sudden and miraculous provision. Instead, the songwriter commits to doing what comes least naturally to people in fear. He committed to doing nothing. He chose to wait on God. Read that again—aloud.
Exhortation to Wait
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:14)
It’s a fitting conclusion, but completely unexpected. David levels an exhortation to himself to wait! He realizes that the pressure would not suddenly leave. He knew his enemies would not do an about-face and depart immediately after he rose from his knees. He was realistic enough to know that anything worth having is worth waiting for. So, in the final lines of his song, he tells himself to relax, to enter into God’s rest, to cease from his own works. (See Hebrews 4:9–11.) Strength and courage are developed during a trial, not after it is over. Waiting on God is essential.
The term “wait” is from the Hebrew verb kawah, which eventually carried the idea of eagerly looking for something. It originally meant “to twist, stretch.” The noun form means “line, cord, thread.” The literal definition became a word picture involving tension or eager anticipation. Isaiah 40:31 uses this same term: “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength.”
If you are waiting for God to work this week, keep on waiting! In the wait there will come strength and courage. I urge you to review the truths in Psalm 27 each time you are tempted to be afraid. Don’t become paralyzed and ineffective. Take yourself out of the grind of fear! Look upon each threatening circumstance as an opportunity to grow in your faith, rather than to retreat. How? Follow David’s example.
First: Call to mind what you know to be true about God.
Second: Express what you need boldly.
Third: Wait. Let the fearful circumstances become God’s opportunity to strengthen you.
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Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Living the Psalms: Encouragement for the Daily Grind (Brentwood, Tenn.: Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., 2012). Copyright © 2012 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved. Used by permission.