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Never Grow Weary in the Waiting

By Lori Brown

Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

I do not like to wait. If a drive-through line requires more than three minutes, I get frustrated. If a restaurant tells me 15 minutes until my pizza is ready, then I expect it at the table in 14 minutes. Waiting is simply not a virtue I’ve mastered.

Perhaps like me, you don’t like to wait, especially when the waiting is far from short. Waiting for hot dogs and a cheeseburger in the drive-through line is a minor wait, but when life requires us to wait for a job in seasons of employment, to wait for a spouse after 40+ years of singleness, or to wait for a relative to be healed of a dreadful disease, then waiting becomes worrisome and we find our faith and endurance tested in ways that we would prefer to avoid.

So, what’s a person to do?  One option is to stress, worry, and lose hope. But that option rarely works. Instead, I’ve learned to live through those long, difficult seasons of waiting by resting in the stories of God’s faithfulness to his people during extremely long droughts.

The Israelites waited 400 years to get out of Egyptian bondage, followed by another 40 years until the next generation could inherit the promised land.  Joseph waited 3 years to get out of prison, never knowing that God had a huge plan for him in Egypt; and Sarah and Abraham spent most of their married life barren before the blessing of their son Isaac. God’s people have always waited for God’s higher purposes, and those seasons have rarely been short or easy. Whatever drought of waiting you face today, remember you are not alone and your God is as much with you in the waiting as he was with the Israelites during years of bondage.

Prayer: God, help to me remember the wisdom of waiting for your higher and better purposes so that I don’t lose hope.

Dr. Lori Brown is a southern educator and writer. You can follow more of her devotions and weekly inspirations on Facebook.

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