Wait on the Lord
Lamentations 3:17-26
17 I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” 19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Waiting on God can sometimes feel like an eternity. The more we desire what we want, the longer it seems. Whenever I think of waiting on the Lord, I recall Hannah and Sarah as they desired to have a child and waited desperately for their desire to be fulfilled. Waiting can be difficult because we are so used to instant gratification, sometimes we lack focus to keep our minds on God or there are times when the wait is truly long and it is wearisome. Waiting for extended periods of time can cause us to feel hopeless and become stressed. In verse 18 when the writer says his endurance has passed and he has no more hope left; I think of the times when waiting affects us mentally and physically. Hannah’s grief over her infertility was so deep that she would not eat and while she was in the temple crying out to the Lord in prayer, Eli, the priest, thought she was intoxicated. It’s in these times that we feel stretched beyond our limit and ask; when Lord when? Being focused on time usually makes waiting worse so it is more beneficial to keep our focus on the Lord.
In these scriptures, the author says he recalls the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord; therefore, he has hope. He says the Lord is good to those who wait on Him. Trusting in the character of the Lord helps us to remember that God will not forsake us. He is righteous, caring and loving. In our waiting, we may feel as if God doesn’t care, has forgotten us or doesn’t see our struggle, but it’s not true. These feelings are our emotions or lies satan is peddling to cause doubt and despair. We combat this with prayer and praise and worship. Prayer helps us to share our heart with God; praise lifts our spirit and reminds us of God’s faithfulness and worship increases our intimacy and relationship with Him. In all his distress, Job grew tired and weary as he waited to be healed but after God healed and restored him, Job had a closer relationship with God and a deeper understanding of God’s sovereignty. God’s purposes are always good and so are His intentions toward you. When the wait feels overwhelming, we can remember His goodness and faithfulness. We remember that when the time is right, our longing will be fulfilled.
