Week 20: What to do while you wait

Devotional readings on Psalm 27, 28, and 138

Meditation

Go to the Bible readings and reflection questions

If my life is characterized by one thing, it is waiting. No matter how hard I try to tie up loose ends, it seems like I am always waiting for one last piece to fall into place, waiting on a reply, or for a situation to change, or for an opportunity to arrive.

Waiting feels like a roadblock to progress: "Enforced inactivity," as I like to call it, seems like an unproductive use of my time! Which it usually is because, truthfully, I tend to waste time when I'm in a waiting period--doom scrolling is so much easier than being mindful or finding purpose in the waiting. I don't think I'm the only one who strugges. Look around the next time you are waiting in a line--most everyone in line with you will be on their phones, trying to avert boredom. I'd like to find a different solution to the problem of waiting, something that doesn't involve anesthetizing my bored mind with cheap distractions.

God, in His far-reaching wisdom, offers a solution in His Word. This week's psalms teach us how to redeem the time we spend waiting and turn it into growth with three simple encouragements:

Be strong, take courage, and wait for the Lord.

You can find those words in Psalm 27:14 (NASB):

Wait for the LORD;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the LORD.

Let's start by understanding what these words meant to the original author, King David:

Strong: To strengthen and repair; to prevail; to encourage and make bold.

Courage: To be bold and alert, determined; to persist and be firm.

Wait: To continue on with expectation and hope.

Isn't it interesting that all of these words are actions? When David says, "be strong," he's saying that a waiting period is a time to prepare and repair. When he says to "take courage," he's telling us to hold fast to our convictions and say no to compromise even if that makes the waiting time longer. And when he says "wait for the Lord," he's telling us not to hide until the waiting is over. No, friend, we should stay on the lookout so we don't miss seeing what God is doing.

If we truly want to live out the principles of“Be strong, take courage, and wait for the Lord,” we need to ask ourselves these three questions whenever we find ourselves in a state of waiting:

Be strong: What can I do now to strengthen myself for the future?

Don't just think mental strength here--consider how you can strengthen yourself physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually for what happens next. Our natural tendency is to sit still in the waiting, but what if we made intentional personal progress instead? Don't waste the waiting time.

Take courage: Are there any areas where I am compromising my convictions to make the waiting go more quickly or feel less uncomfortable?

Sometime we all need a break from stress, and distraction is a great technique. But being courageous means we need to keep an eye on our choice of distractions to make sure they are God-honoring and life-affirming. We also need to guard against compromising our deeply held convictions. Ending the waiting sooner through compromise of Godly principles will not improve the outcome.

Wait for the Lord: Where do I see God at work in my life and in the lives of those around me?

The stress of waiting weighs us down, but God wants us to lift our heads and look to Him. He is never absent and those who seek Him will find Him! When we wait with expectation and hope, we will see God move in everyday circumstances and our faith will grow stronger in the waiting.

My prayer for you this week is that Psalm 27 and the other passages we study will change your perspective on waiting. Let's not wait passively. Let's prepare ourselves for the future, strengthen our convictions and keep watch for the hand of God at work in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Readings and Reflection Questions

Monday's reading: Psalm 27

This psalm describes a waiting time in David's life. What did David know about God that gave him courage in the waiting? Make a list of the qualities and actions that God had already shown David. Verses 4-6 give a hint about how David kept himself strong spiritually. What do you learn from those verses? What could you do to keep yourself spiritually strong in a waiting time?

Tuesday's reading: Psalm 28

How is David feeling in this psalm as he describes another time of waiting? What truths about God's character does David preach to himself in his desparation? How do these truths about God encourage you as you wait for Him?

Wednesday's reading: Psalm138

In this psalm, David is thanking God for His intervention in David's life. In verses 7-8, David makes several assertions about how God will take care of him in the future. What are these assertions? How has God proved to be the same for you as for David in the past?

Thursday's reading: Philippians 1:12-21

In this passage, Paul shares that he is going through a time of waiting: He is in prison! How has God worked through Paul's imprisonment? Paul talkes about hope and courage in verse 20. What is he waiting for expectantly? What is Paul's conviction in verse 21? What expectation and hope might you have for your time of waiting?

Friday's reading: Hebrews 10:32-29

The author in this passage is reminding the readers of God's faithfulness in the past. How has God proven Himself faithful to you in past waiting periods? The word "endurance" in verse 36 has the same idea as "wait" in Psalm 27:14. Why does the author encourage the readers to have endurance? What is your motivation to endure?

Weekend reading: II Corinthians 4:16-5:1

Paul encourages us to look to the unseen things when we are experiencing suffering. What unseen things can you focus on in a period of waiting? Even though we should work on our personal strength--physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, and social--eventually our mortal strength will fail. But Paul says there is something eternal which will never fail. What is that eternal thing we are looking forward to?