The Courage of Faithful Waiting
The Courage of Faithful Waiting
Daily Reflection: Psalm 27:14 — 12/14/2023
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord. — Psalm 27:14
Once, King Saul and Israel were preparing for battle against the Philistines. Their history suggested that it was prudent to wait and put their trust in the Lord, for He had delivered them countless times when they had no business winning the fight.
Therefore, before engaging the enemy, they waited seven days for the prophet Samuel to come and offer the sacrifice before going to war. Then, we read these words:
“But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him [Saul].” — 1 Samuel 13:8
An enemy was bearing down on them, the promise of God’s help had been delayed, and the people were losing faith in Him. What would Saul do? Indeed, what do we do when it seems to us that God is delayed? The fearful response is to anxiously take matters into our own hands and make things happen, even if it means forcing God into action. That’s what Saul did.
So Saul said, “Bring burnt offerings and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled and offered a burnt offering.”
What compelled Saul to act?
Fear. “I felt compelled,” he said.
By what? The army bearing down, and the people's wavering faith. So instead of waiting on Samuel, on God, he acted fearfully.
We often misunderstand waiting as a passive thing — “do nothing and let God handle everything.” There isn’t one place in the Bible where waiting meant passivity. To wait on the Lord is one of the most courageous acts one could take. As Asbury’s John Oswalt wrote:
Biblically speaking, ‘to wait’ is to manifest the kind of trust that is willing to commit itself to God over the long haul. It is to continue to believe and expect when all others have given up. It is to believe that it is better for something to happen in God’s time than for it to happen on my initiative in my time.
Waiting, therefore, is committing to God, believing in God, expecting God. None of those suggest passivity, but require patient action; commit, believe, expect.
Instead of offering the sacrifice, King Saul might have reminded the people about when the Israelites waited on God between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, or when they waited on God for 40 years in the Wilderness, or seven days marching around Jericho. Those are ways of waiting that strengthen one's heart and raise expectations of what God could do.
Next time you find yourself thinking that God is delayed, remember that God’s timing is not like ours (2 Peter 3:8); remember that God is faithful to His promises (Hebrews 13:6), and take active steps to begin to raise your expectations in the God who always opens up new doors and opportunities where none previously existed.
Whenever God seems to be delayed, we are invited to experience His salvation in ways that will be biblical.
Heavenly Father, you call us to wait on you, not because you are slow, but because you desire that we will discover how very great you are. Often times we are afraid to wait because we take our eyes off of you and place them onto our own version of the Philistines. Forgive us. Teach us to encourage ourselves by rehearsing stories of your deliverance, and give us the strength to persevere while waiting in faith and hope, that you will come. For Jesus' sake and for our salvation, we pray. Amen.
