“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good for one to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:24-26
Wait. A word that I think we hear a lot especially as Christians. “Wait on the Lord,” people always tell you when you're going through something difficult, when you're pondering making an important decision, or when you are hoping for something to happen. But what does that actually look like? It is something that is learned, at least for me. I can tell myself to wait as many times as a want, but how do I know that I am actually waiting on the Lord?
These verses I chose a while ago to memorize, mostly because of the first line. God is my portion! It is such a beautiful yet difficult thing to proclaim. Is He really my portion? When I get down to it, yes! He is; He is all I need, all I want, all that matters and all that satisfies me. Psalm 145:16 says, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” And God keeps showing me the truth of this verse. He satisfies not just every need, but every desire and longing that I have. I am lacking nothing in Him, I am complete because HE is my portion. And with that I have hope! If I know that He is the one who satisfies my every desire, then I will wait for HIM to fulfill my needs and desires. When I am impatient and try to make things happen on my own, I am saying, “God, you are not enough. I don’t see you as my portion. I don't think that You really will satisfy my every need and desire, so I have to take action.” But waiting on the Lord is believing that He really is my portion, it is resting my hope fully on Him and trusting that He knows best and His timing is best. How amazing is the Word of God! It tells us here that the Lord is good to those who wait and seek Him. His goodness is demonstrated to us everyday, but there is a special sweetness that you experience from the Lord when you wait on Him. Not only is there a blessing in waiting, but we are told that it is actually good for us! From a physical standpoint, we are always told what is good and not good for us, and I think most of us try and do what is good for us- whether it is eating healthy, spending quality time with family, exercising or whatever. How much more should we take heed to what is good for us spiritually? Hope and wait quietly on Him! It is something that is good for you. What is the opposite of this? Disbelief and taking things into my own hands. Or even waiting without hope and complaining- I’ve done that! “But God, I have been waiting! Why aren't you doing anything???” Isn't that the attitude we have a lot of times? But remember, if He is your portion, you will have hope! And hope is what enables you to wait quietly without complaining but with faith the God knows best.
So whatever it is, wait. Remember that He satisfies every desire. Remember that He is your portion and in Him alone there is hope. Remember to always pair waiting with hope and to do it quietly without complaints or disbelief. Don’t just tell yourself to wait, actually wait. And remember that God is good to those who wait on Him and seek Him! And it is good for us spiritually to wait.
Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, wait, I say, on the Lord. -Psalm 27:14
