Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14 NKJV)

October’s colorful leaves marked five months since surgery, which changed my life. I was still waiting… waiting for spinal healing, Waiting for my energy to return, waiting for my nerves to repair, and waiting for doors in my ministry to open.

As this verse popped out at me, I realized something. I was waiting on what I wanted God to do. I wasn’t waiting for Him to do what He wanted to do. Perhaps healing needed to take longer. Maybe ministry opportunities would come in a different form. Ever since this painful journey began over a year earlier, I’ve been learning to submit to God’s will, not Carolyn’s.

Let’s unpack this verse. When we wait on the Lord, we must have an active obedience. Like I said earlier, I was waiting on what I thought should happen. We have to understand that we might be waiting on something quite different than what we expect. If we don’t open our hearts to God’s will, we might miss out on His perfect plans for us.

Be of good courage! We must possess an active faith during our waiting. How many times do we lose faith and hope while waiting? The past year has been filled with hopelessness and faithlessness for me. Unbearable pain and complications pushed me off my firm foundation. An active and living faith helps us wait.

When we trust confidently in the Lord, He will also strengthen our hearts. He will meet us in our desire to keep faith alive while we wait.

In the Christian life, we wait while we work. We aren’t seated in a waiting room. We’re not placed on hold listening to elevator music. Waiting isn’t a time to be passive, but active. We can’t be active about the thing we are waiting on, but there’s something else we can do in the meanwhile. A lot can be written about what happens in the meanwhile.

Are you waiting? I’m not going to ask you what you are waiting for. That would imply what you want to happen. You are waiting on God’s answer for your problem. Don’t miss His answer with selective vision.

Wait with an active faith. Encourage yourself in the Word daily. Ask God to strengthen your heart. He promises here that He will.

Wait with activity. You are in the meanwhile, the time where much transpires. Get busy with whatever God directs you to do in the meanwhile.

I’m writing this in February, and yes, I am still waiting, but I’ve been encouraged by the hope of this verse and I look forward to what God will do. I also am eager to hear what He is doing in your life, my friend.

Heavenly Father, while this dear friend and I wait, fill us with a living faith. Let us not waver in our trust in You. Help us hold on to hope, peace, and joy. We long for the waiting to be over, but until You say it’s over, equip us for the meanwhile. Amen.