How Long, Lord? When Waiting is Hard Work

Waiting for God is hard work.

Throughout my adult life I have spent long, painful seasons waiting for God to bring…

Healing. Justice. Provision...

Over and over, I have cried with the the Psalmist- “My should is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? (Psalms 6:3)

airport waiting lounge

Where Are You, God?

The hard truth is, God has rarely shown up as quickly as I thought he should when I was hurting. Sometimes, his delay seemed right down cruel. Does that seem harsh? Faithless? Disrespectful perhaps? That is not my intention. I am, however, trying to be honest.

It is best to be honest about our doubts. God prefers our shocking honesty to sugar-coated platitudes. He can WORK with honesty.

Learning to Wait Well

Once, several years ago, I was in a hard wait. Someone I loved and trusted had betrayed me and broken my heart.

I wanted God to hurry up and get me through the grief. I begged him to take the weight off my chest, and the tears from my eyes. I was desperate to feel whole again.

During that time, I came across Psalm 37. As I read it, I realized it contained a lot of wisdom about how to navigate the dark seasons when we are waiting for God.

I read the verses over and over and then, I wrote down 26 bits of good advice I found there. If a particular point appeared more than once, I wrote it down again. I figured the repetition meant God wanted me to pay attention!

Spoiler alert- God says, “Don’t fret” a lot.

Here are…

Twenty-Six Things To Do While You Are Waiting for God

  1. Do not fret. (vs 1)
  2. Don’t be envious of the wicked. (vs 1)
  3. Trust in the Lord (vs 3)
  4. Do good (vs 3)
  5. Be content and rest in God’s faithfulness (vs 3)
  6. Delight in the Lord (vs 4)
  7. Commit your way to the Lord (vs 5)
  8. Trust Him (vs 5)
  9. Be still before the Lord (vs 7)
  10. Wait patiently for Him (vs 7)
  11. Fret not (vs 7)
  12. Refrain from anger (vs 8)
  13. Forsake wrath (vs 8)
  14. Fret not (vs 8)
  15. Wait for the Lord (vs 9)
  16. Be generous (vs 21)
  17. Lend generously (vs 26)
  18. Turn from evil (vs 27)
  19. Do good (vs 27)
  20. Seek wisdom (vs 30)
  21. Seek justice (vs 30)
  22. Love the law of the Lord (vs 31)
  23. Wait for the Lord (vs 34)
  24. Keep His way (vs 34)
  25. Be a person of peace (vs 37)
  26. Take refuge in the Lord (vs 40)

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