Waiting in Courage

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Waiting in Courage

In today’s world, waiting well seems to be a skill most of us do not possess. We have become used to instant communication, instant gratification, and fast-forwarding through whatever we don’t want to watch. We order things that we don’t really need, and then we get convinced that we have to have those things by express mail.

So when we hear these words about waiting for the Lord as a strength, as an act of courage – it strikes us as surprising news. Why do we want to practice waiting for the Lord? Why don’t we just get busy and do whatever needs doing ourselves? There are times, and right now might be one of those times, when we really don’t know what to do. We want to do something – we want to act in some profound way to change what feels wrong that is around us. But we don’t know how or where to start.

We need, particularly in times like these, to say yes to waiting for God’s help in discerning how to move forward from here. We need to listen, to pay attention, we need to practice kindness and compassion. Then, when we feel a sense of peace, when we get a view of the way forward that is ours to take – that’s when we take a deep breath and join in what God doing in the world. That’s when we act on the courage that we let develop in us through the waiting, and take the strength that we have practiced holding in our hearts so that we might step out in faith.

Reflection Questions:

1) What helps you when you are having trouble waiting?

2) Do you remember a time when you were glad you waited to act?

3) What prayer of waiting can you offer to God today?

Prayer:

Dear Lord, Help me to pay attention to how you might be calling me to wait, and then follow you into what you are doing in the world today. In Jesus Name, Amen