I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:13–14
As any good server, in any good eating establishment will attest, “waiting” is NOT a passive pursuit. In fact, it is so rarely done well that those being waited upon by the server will gladly compensate or pay extra in acknowledgement of that rare effort.
David—and later Our Messiah himself (the ultimate example)—understood this intimately and they busied themselves. Both had been anointed and then almost immediately found themselves opposed by very real adversaries. Enemies seeking to take their lives because of their righteousness.
As the Psalmist says in verse 13, and as is echoed of Christ in His ministry, he would not have made it through had his hope and vision been anything less than galvanized in Our Heavenly Father’s promises to redeem and restore His creation.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
—David (Psalm 27:13 ESV)
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
Wait How?
The answer to what to do to occupy themselves comes in verse 14. And this is our answer as well, as we continue to navigate this global pandemic . . .
- Get busy as servants—opportunities to do so are EVERYWHERE.
- Do so boldly.
- Be assured that the strength to do so, in whatever form it comes, will come from Our Heavenly Father.
- Serve each other NOW because it is actually service and glory we give to Him.
Tips for “waiting?” Opportunities you’ve discovered? Please share a comment! Ed.
Thanks, John. I love the idea from 1 Corinthians that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Whatever we end up doing will have value. None of it will be a chasing after the wind.
Thanks for sharing the thought!
When we want to do something but don’t know what to do, calling/texting/emailing someone who is hurting or who we haven’t been in touch with in some time is a great place to start.
Come, labour on!
Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain,
Whilst all around him waves the golden grain?
And to each servant does the Master say,
“Go work to-day!”
“Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.”