Waiting on the Lord
Waiting on the Lord
By: Bethany Gessler
To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies exult over me.
Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
Make me know Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
Psalm: 25:1-5
When God says to wait, I often interpret it this way: “Be anxious, despair and give up all hope.” But He is saying the exact opposite. He is saying, “There is a hope and your future is not cut off from you. Wait for Me and keep my way and I will renew your strength. There is something coming.”
In waiting for the Lord, there is a hope, anticipation, and an expectation, “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the RIGHT time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:5-6; see also Eccl. 3:1-11)
The month after I turned 17, my Dad died of a heart attack. I wanted to get married right away because I wanted to fill that void in my life. Now, over five years later, I am so thankful that I did not get married nor date in those years. I know now that I would not have brought much good into a marriage, I would only have sought out what I wanted and needed, and would have drained my husband instead of meeting his needs. It was hard to wait, but I am now very thankful that God is sovereign and righteous in all of His ways and He does have perfect timing. If I had gotten married when I thought I should, then I would have been missing so much of who I have become today through the healing and the waiting. I have still never dated anyone, but I know now that I will be able to go into my marriage as a help meet, instead of a hindrance.
Waiting on the Lord requires faith to believe that what He said, He will do and He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (see Rom. 4:17-21). I find that I have a hard time believing Him sometimes because I lean on my own understanding of the situation. I am convicted and comforted though when I remember that His word says to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” This is a promise. He wants us to be in constant communion with Him so that we will not waver in faith when all around, others are telling you to “forget about your marriage, there’s no hope.”
“Why wait until you’re married to have sex? Come on, why torture yourself?”
“Get him back; you don’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“Live it up! Have fun now, for tomorrow we die.”
You can remember this: your life is hidden in Christ and your reward is with Him. You also receive a reward on earth when you trust in the Lord and live in obedience and submission to Him.
The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward. Prov. 11:18
If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner! Prov. 11:31
The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. Prov. 13:13
Adversity pursues sinners, but the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity. Prov. 13:21
The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life. Prov. 22:4
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3
Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him. Heb. 11:6 (see all of Heb. 11)
I was recently convicted of my desire to take things into my own hands. I felt like God wasn’t moving like I thought He should, so I began to get upset with Him asking, “When??” And I soon came across Acts 1:6-8 which says, “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
I realized that it’s not my right to know the times that the Father has set for me in His authority. But I know that my job is always to be His witness in all the earth, no matter what I am waiting for. As in Psalm 37, our job is to be faithful wherever He has us.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
“Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.” –Ps. 37:3-5&34
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
-1 Corinthians 15:58
