Courage in the Waiting

It takes courage to keep waiting. And it's in the waiting that God builds courage in you. No time is wasted when He is with you. Read more...

​Psalms 27:13-14 - I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Protracted periods of waiting can sap our courage. We sometimes lose the will and heart to keep holding onto hope. All sorts of lies about the character of God can run through our minds. Worst case scenarios often dominate our thinking.

The Israelites waited at the foot of Mt. Sinai for almost forty days. Where was Moses? He should have been back by now. And where was that mountain-shaking God? He definitely hadn't shown up in the last few weeks. So, the Israelites decided to stop waiting on God. They stopped believing that he was on their side.

Their unbelief turned into idolatry and sexual immorality. When we make the choice to stop trusting and waiting on God, our object of devotion turns quickly to idols. For we need something to fill the void.

In the New Testament, we read of Simeon, a righteous man, who was waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Luke 2:25-32 God had told him that he would see the Messiah before his death. And so Simeon waited. Finally, the day came for Jesus to be presented at the temple. Simeon's waiting was over. Could you imagine how happy he would have been that he kept waiting and didn't give up? The fruit of his waiting was that he could actually hold the Messiah in his arms.

Don't get weary in your waiting. Be strong and take heart. You will reap a harvest if you do not give up. Galatians 6:9 God wants to use this time to build courage within you, if you let him. So, don't let go of your promises. Hold on. Keep holding on. Fruit will come.