* Wait on the Lord

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord! —Psalm 27:14

In Cantonese, a Chinese dialect, the word for wait sounds like the word for class. Making a pun on this word, some senior folks in Hong Kong identify themselves as “third-class citizens,” which also means “people of three waits.” They wait for their children to return home from work late at night. They wait for the morning sun to dispel their sleepless nights. And with a sigh of resignation, they wait for death.

In the Bible, the word wait is more an attitude than an activity. To “wait on the Lord” is to trust Him. Psalm 27 is David’s exuberant declaration of faith in God. He sees the Lord as his salvation (v.1). In times of danger, he knows for certain that God will hide him (v.5). He remembers that God has asked him to seek His face, so he asks God not to hide from him. For, like a child, he longs to see God’s approving face (vv.8-10). In his darkest moments, David declares: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (v.13).

Though no one knows how life will unfold, we can decide to trust God and to focus our mind on Him. For to those who wait on the Lord, the promise is given: Our heart will be strengthened (v.14). — Albert Lee

I know not what the future holds—
What in one hour may be;
But I can wait while it unfolds,
And trust implicitly. —Elliott

Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. —Isaiah 40:31