The Waiting Game

Read Psalms 25:1–28:9

1. The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
2. When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
3. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.
4. The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.
5. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
6. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, sing-ing and praising the Lord with music. Psalm 27:1-6

Waiting can feel like torture when you’re afraid. David wrote Psalm 27 at a time when he was terribly afraid, but he didn’t panic. Instead, he called upon the Lord and pleaded his case before him. Then he waited patiently for the Lord to rescue him. Any scared person knows that fear can cause people to make hasty, unwise decisions, and cause them to act before they’re ready. Fear can make people impatient and reckless. As you read this psalm, learn from David’s example about taking your fears to God.

The three other psalms in this reading also have something to say about times of fear: when you’re afraid of losing your honor (Psalm 25); your reputation (Psalm 26); or even your life (Psalm 28).

David’s men wanted him to kill Saul. David knew that it was not his job—the fulfillment of God’s promise would come about in God’s own timing. So David placed his trust in God and waited for the Lord, despite his fear (Psalm 27:14). As it turns out, David had to wait fourteen years before being crowned king.

Waiting for God takes effort. It may seem as though God has refused to answer our prayers or doesn’t feel the urgency of our situation. But God knows much more than we do. Lamentations 3:24-26 urges us to hope in and wait for the Lord because often God uses waiting to refresh, renew, and teach us.

David trusted God to do what was right. Trust in God’s timing and make use of your times of waiting by discovering what God may be trying to teach you.