Joy in the Waiting

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Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV) I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

What it is speaking to me

Nobody decorates a waiting room to make you happy to be there. The chairs are stiff, the magazines are old, and the TV is always on a channel that nobody picked. Waiting rooms exist to hold you until the news comes, good or bad. Nobody expects joy in a waiting room. You expect anxiety and nervous pacing, and maybe some scrolling on your phone to distract yourself.

David was in a waiting room when he wrote this psalm. Enemies were closing in, false witnesses were breathing out violence, and he still hadn't seen the outcome he needed. But right in the middle of it he writes: "I remain confident I will see the goodness of the Lord." Not "I have already seen it." Not "the waiting is over." He's still in that uncomfortable waiting-room chair, AND he is still confident.

The next verse is almost like he's talking to himself: "wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, wait for the Lord." He says it twice. Like someone coaching his own heart through the waiting, choosing to believe the best before the answer shows up.

That's what makes this joy different from the joy of good news. This is joy in the waiting, not joy at the finish line. And that only works if it's tied to faith. David isn't happy because the circumstances changed. He's steady because he trusts who God is while the circumstances stay exactly the same.

What is it saying to you?

• What are you waiting on right now that feels less like anticipation and more like a waiting room?

• Do you believe God's goodness is still true for you today, even with the outcome still unknown?

• Is your heart more prone to lose heart, or to take heart, while you wait?

What are we going to do about it?

Name the thing you're waiting on, out loud or on paper. Tell God about it specifically, not in generalities. Then ask Him to sustain your joy while the answer is still on its way, not just after it arrives.