Psalm 27:14 - Waiting On The Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NKJV) Wait on the Lord; Be of
good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14 (NLT) Wait patiently for the
LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently
for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14 (ESV) Wait for the LORD; be
strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for
the LORD!
Psalm 27:14 (AMP) Wait and hope for and
expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and
let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait
for and hope for and expect the Lord.
WORD STUDY
To wait on the LORD is to demonstrate
confident expectation. The Hebrew word for wait may
also be translated hope. To hope in God is
to wait for His timing and His action (40:1;
Isa. 40:31). [Nelson SB]
INTRODUCTION
David knew from experience what it meant
to wait for the Lord. He had been anointed king
at age 16, but didn't become king until he was
30. During the interim, he was chased through
the desert by jealous King Saul. David had to
wait on God for the fulfillment of his promise to
reign. Later, after becoming king, he was chased by
his rebellious son, Absalom.
Waiting for God is not easy. Often it
seems that he isn't answering our prayers or
doesn't understand the urgency of our situation.
That kind of thinking implies that God is not in
control or is not fair. But God is worth waiting
for. Lamentations 3:24-26 calls us to hope in and
wait for the Lord because often God uses waiting
to refresh, renew, and teach us. Make good use
of your waiting times by discovering what God
may be trying to teach you in them. [Life
Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Engaged and Eager
After only two seconds, internet users
begin abandoning videos that are slow to load.
After five seconds, 25 percent have clicked away.
By 10 seconds, 50 percent have left. To
discover these rates, Ramesh Sitaraman, a university
computer science professor, studied the habits of 6.7
million web users. He now suggests that our
society's ability to wait is dwindling.
Our era desperately needs King David's
instruction to "Wait on the LORD." In modern life, it's
tempting to distract yourself while waiting,
particularly with the smartphones many people carry. But
King David's waiting was different. The Hebrew
word indicates an eager watching, like a child
peering out the window, waiting for Daddy to come
home.
This kind of engaged, eager waiting takes
courage. It requires acknowledging the present
circumstances while also making space for hope. During
seasons of depression or difficulty, it's easy to
self-medicate with distractions or feel hopeless. David
acknowledges the need for courage with a second
instruction and a promise: "Be of good courage, and He
shall strengthen your heart." The Hebrew
definitions for courage and strength are very similar,
including ideas of resoluteness and firmness. There's
an interesting dichotomy here: You are
instructed to be strong and, at the same time, are
promised that God will strengthen your heart. In
other words, God's promised strength involves
cooperation between the human and the divine. As you
take the courageous first step of waiting with
expectation, God will provide the strength you need.
What difficult situations are you in
today? Where do you need the Lord's strength? Stay
engaged and faithful as you wait for Him to work in
your circumstances. As you step out in courage,
you'll find His strength waiting for you.
Dear Lord, I believe Your help will come
right on time. I claim Your promised strength as I
wait with faithful expectation. [The Most Amazing
Bible Promises by Amazing Facts]
COMMENTARY
A Necessary but Challenging Lesson
Believers must learn to wait upon Him.
Have you ever wondered why the psalmist
coupled the admonition to wait upon God with
encouragement to be strong and courageous? The reason is
that sometimes delaying is the hardest thing to
do.
Modern culture is in such a hurry. Gotta
have it now! Gotta do it now! Can't wait! We've
been primed to stay in a permanent state of
readiness. It takes courage to be still when the world
is rushing past. Everything in us hollers,
"Go!" while God whispers, "Wait." But people are
quick to act, because they are afraid of missing
out on something. Believers who buy into that
attitude make a move and then hope God will bless
them.
God leaves nothing to chance. He does not
place a decision before us with the hope that
we'll make the right choice. That would be
irresponsible and out of character. The Father is more
than willing to show His children what to do,
because He is personally interested in their
welfare. But until the Lord makes clear what is the
way forward, we've got to pause and wait.
Waiting upon God is not passive. It is
not lazy. It is not an excuse to be careless. In
fact, the opposite is true. [In Touch Daily
Devotional by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
Remember that prayer is the source of your
strength. A worker cannot gain success while he
hurries through his prayers and rushes away to look
after something that he fears may be neglected or
forgotten. He gives only a few hurried thoughts to
God; he does not take time to think, to pray, to
wait upon the Lord for a renewal of physical and
spiritual strength. He soon becomes weary. He does
not feel the uplifting, inspiring influence of
God's Spirit. He is not quickened by fresh life.
His jaded frame and tired brain are not soothed
by personal contact with Christ. 7T243
Often your mind may be clouded because of
pain. Then do not try to think. You know that
Jesus loves you. He understands your weakness. You
may do His will by simply resting in His arms.
{MH 251}
All you are expected to do is to rest in His
love. Do not worry. Jesus loves you, and now when
you are weak and suffering, He holds you in His
arms, just as a loving father holds a little
child. Trust in Him in whom you have believed. Has
He not loved and cared for you all through your
lifetime? Just rest in the precious promises given
you. {TDG 313}
CLOSING THOUGHT
We need strength for the battle and strength
for the journey, and God abundantly provides. Be
sure to take time to wait on the Lord (Isa.
40:31). If you run ahead of Him or lag behind, you
will be a perfect target for the enemy. [Chapter
by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Psalm 27:14 - Waiting On The Lord.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190915-1300.html
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160723-1753.html
Psalm 27:14 - Waiting With Hope And Trust In
The Lord Will Strengthen You.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2006/20060925-1211.html
Psalm 31:24 - Take Courage As You Hope And
Wait In The Lord.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240425-0828.html
Ephesians 6:10-13 - Christian Warfare.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240423-0827.html
Colossians 1:11 - Power To Endure Everything
With Joy In The Lord.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231027-1108.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
