Praise in the Wait

Devotional Reading: Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14 ESV

Waiting on God is hard. This world says we should demand things be done our way, get it while the getting’s good. It promises overnight success and drive-thru dreams. Waiting is not a concept the world encourages or admires.

My first encouragement to you in the wait is to praise. Psalms 34:1 says I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. No matter how things appear in this moment, there is always a reason to be grateful, and a grateful heart leads to a praising heart.

Raise your hand if you have ever prayed and then expected immediate answers. If we’re honest, most of us could raise our hands. We ask God to fix things, handle a situation, or change someone, and then we get disappointed when he doesn’t do it overnight. We want things when we want them, and our timeline is usually yesterday.

Instead of rushing God’s perfect process, let’s praise him while we wait. All the good things God wants to give us may not come in our timing. We can still give him glory even if we can’t see an answer yet. We can sing our broken hallelujahs though he hasn’t finished mending our hearts. We can worship him in the wait until the job, healing, or finances come through.

God wants his best for us. And while we wait on his plan, answers to our prayers, or timing, let’s praise God in that wait…however long it may be. His word says we should declare his splendor all day long (Psalms 71:8) while we trust his plan.

Worship, don’t worry.
Choose praise over panic.
Sing hallelujah instead of hurry.

God has a unique plan for each of us. We show we trust him by offering all our praise even when we can’t see anything changing.

Prayer and Confession
Creator God, thank you for choosing me for this wait! Even if I can’t see anything change, I will praise your holy name. I give you all the glory. I trust you and your timing. You are a Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting God and I praise you for the gift of your Son, Jesus. Amen and amen.

Further Reading: Isaiah 25:1