“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 ESV
Reflection: what does it mean to “wait” for something?
We live in a very impatient culture. The idea of waiting for anything is difficult for most of us, as we are bombarded with marketing telling us that we can have what we want, no need to wait. Even things that will take years to pay off. Let’s say you really want a different car. You image trading in your current car, and driving off the lot with one that suits your needs much better. So one day you see the perfect one, slightly used, and you decide to stop by the dealer. They seem very nice, answering all your questions, even the money part. They will take care of that with a “low monthly payment” that you can afford. So you go for a test drive, and everything just seems perfect. And, suddenly you remember, God. Probably should ask Him what He thinks about this, if this car and timing is in His will, to make that clear to you. So you pray.
When returning to the dealership, they take a look at your current car that you want to trade in. But, instead of offering you a fair price, their offer is significantly below market value, which you have researched. You are shocked. Everything seemed so perfect up to that point. After a few back and forth, it becomes clear to you that the dealer will not come even close to your expected trade in value. So question now is, what do you do? You remember that you had asked God to make it clear. And it certainly is pretty clear. But the car you had found just seemed so perfect. You decide to wait, to keep your current car a little longer, perhaps finding a different dealership that will offer what your current car is worth. But you keep wondering, why couldn’t they have offered a fair price?
We all face similar practical situations in life, whether it is a car purchase, changing jobs, relationships, or whatever. And we read from Psalm 27 in our focus verse today, the words of David to “Wait for the Lord”. But in our day to day living, practically speaking, what does “wait for the Lord” really mean? If you believe you are ready for a different job, should you just pray and then wait for the Lord to find something for you? Or, if you have gotten sick, to wait for the Lord, as opposed to seeking medical help? For someone who is truly wanting to align their path with the Lord, to walk with Him, this could become paralyzing. But, let’s look a bit closer at what David actually said in this beautiful psalm.
In our culture, use of the word “wait” in English means to delay or stop, to be idle, like waiting for a traffic light to turn green at an intersection. It is a “stationary” position, as opposed to taking action. So that can lead us to think that David says to be idle as we “wait for the Lord”. But the word David used here is the Hebrew word qāvâ which has multiple meanings, including “to wait, look for, hope, expect”. Now, that makes a lot more sense, when we read the psalm for more context. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.” Psalm 27:1-5 ESV.
As we see here, David is not idle, at all. He is in a war, in battle with his enemies. Might be physical, but also we see this is a spiritual battle. And, it is in the battle, in his day to day activities that he says that he will “wait, look for, hope, expect” the Lord to be involved. The Lord to act. He is looking for it. Expecting it. And therefore we see much more of a close relationship, almost a “partnership”, between David and the Lord, as David is “expecting” and “looking for” the Lord to act. And, isn’t that exactly what we also see in our daily lives, when we take the time to look for it? We might pray to God for Him to lead us, that His will may happen in our lives. But are we then actually looking for, expecting Him to act? Even in unexpected ways, such as clearly directing us to walk away from a car purchase? God is very practical.
The Lord does not want us to be idle, in any part of life. Quite the contrary. Paul warns strongly against idleness (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). But as we genuinely ask for the Lord’s leadership in our lives, we need also be a lot more expectant, and really looking for His hand at work, His actions in our lives. Even telling us to hold off on a car purchase. So if we include the broader meaning, the focus verse today would read “qāvâ [wait, look for, hope, expect] for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; qāvâ [wait, look for, hope, expect] for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 ESV
