Waiting in Despair

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalms 27:13-14

Waiting is never fun.  Sometimes the suspense and fear of what might be coming can build up so much that we can’t even think straight.  We fear that whatever we are waiting on will be worse than we thought it would be.  We cause ourselves much physical and emotional distress just imagining what might be coming.  We can even sink into depression and despair stressing over how something mightturn out.  Often the actual result is never as bad as we imagined. 

Jesus had told the Disciples many times what was going to happen to Him as His time on earth came to an end.  He told them he would be killed but would rise again, three days later.  They knew Jesus well, personally in fact.  Yet they still worried and spent the three days after His crucifixion waiting in despair, even in fear.  They had been with Jesus through His ministry.  They had seen Him perform miracles first-hand. But they had a hard time believing the promise He had made that His crucifixion would not be the last time they saw Him.  

Jesus knows how hard it is to trust Him in the waiting.  Even His Disciples struggled with it. Seasons of waiting in life are sometimes short and sometimes very long, even years long. Instead of waiting in despair like we so often do, we need to wait in faith, resting in our Father’s promises and trusting His good will for our lives.  Complete faith is made obvious by complete obedience.  Obedience is moving forward, one faith-step at a time, in the darkness of waiting.  Sometimes we have to grope our way through a season, but the point is not to sit down and wait for the darkness to pass.  Stumbling forward awkwardly in blind faith is obedience! We can eventually find our way to the light.  Relinquishing control and fear about what might happen and what we think should be will free us to live in the hope of Jesus Christ, and what He has for us. To wait in hope and expectation, we have to be completely given to Him and His will for our lives.  We have to be okay with whatever the outcome is.  We have to be desperate for His purpose and plan for our lives.

What are you waiting on today that is causing you despair? What can you do during this time? 

• Open your hands and slip them into the nail scarred hands.  Give it all over to Him.  
• Seek His wisdom and direction and ask for the handwriting on the wall!  Ask Him to help you have the wisdom to know what He is leading you to do.  
• And if you are just to wait, then wait in faith and not despair.  Wait in expectation, not dread.  
• Cling to Him, in prayer and in study. Trust Him. Rest in Him and let Him work.

Trust him in the waiting.  Don’t despair even when the waiting is long.  Believe His promises and wait in faith and hope. 

Scripture to Claim:
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.  Psalm 9:10