Scripture: “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” – Lamentations 3:26
Observation: The beginning of this chapter finds Jeremiah in misery. He feels that God has led him into a very dark place and no longer hears his prayers. However, in this time of despair, the prophet does remember that God is faithful. He realizes that the sins of the people are responsible for their situations, and if they trust in God and wait for Him to act, He will save His people.
Application: “Lord, give me patience right now!” is often joked about, but truthfully, I know I have prayed this a couple of times! When things don’t happen as quickly as I’d like, I have a tendency to find a way to expedite the matter to get the results I want. Unfortunately, when I jump in and manipulate things to hasten the outcome, the results are not always the best nor what I had wanted. I so need to learn how to wait!!
The importance of waiting on the Lord is explained in many verses in the Bible, but waiting is never easy. Why not? Waiting involves trusting God and allowing Him to take the lead. But while it may be hard to learn, here are four amazing benefits that come from waiting on the Lord:
- Psalm 27:14 – “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
- Our heart will be strengthened…not our physical heart, but our spiritual heart. As we search for understanding in His Word, we read about the promises He has already fulfilled and gain confidence that He will do the same for us in His time. Depending on and waiting for God to act grows our faith.
- Isaiah 40:31 – “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
- Our spiritual strength will be renewed as our faith and trust is cultivated by waiting for God to respond. Instead of having a faith that wanes, we find our faith strengthened and renewed as we anticipate God’s deliverance of whatever we face in life. We know that God is unchanging, and in His Word, we see God’s faithfulness time and time again. We have no reason to doubt Him; we just need to let Him lead and trust Him for all outcomes.
- Isaiah 30:18 – “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”
- God’s timing can seem like He doesn’t care, but the exact opposite is true! Here, we read that sometimes God waits so He CAN be gracious to us!! When He demonstrates His grace and mercy in our lives, we are blessed and as a result, we praise Him and exalt His name!
- Galatians 5:5 – “For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”
- It is interesting to note that it is by His power that we are enabled to wait for His responses!! The Spirit of God empowers us to trust His Word and wait on the Lord to act. Our hope of His righteousness being imputed to us happens when we accept Christ’s forgiveness, and then when we pray, we wait, knowing that God will act righteously and faithfully according to His perfect time and perfect will.
Today’s verse reminds us that sometimes we must wait for God to deliver us from hardships and struggles in life, but He is faithful to do so. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 confirms this, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” Remember, Jesus asked us to be followers of Him, not the other way around. As we learn to wait and trust, we are also learning to let God lead. Lamentations 3:25 is an encouragement to all of us on this journey, “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Let us determine in 2026, to “let go and let God”!
Prayer: Dearest Father, thank You for showing me the need to wait on You. Please help me to learn how to do that. Help me to remember that Your ways are so much higher than mine, and help me to trust You for all things, even the ones that require me to wait! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
God picked up a sparrow that could no longer fly
He brushed off its wounds and then watched it soar into the sky
If He's mindful of creation, on this I can depend
I am His child and I can place all my trust in Him
I can trust Jesus, I can trust Jesus
He never once has failed to meet my needs
He is my strong tower, the strength in my weakest hour
I can trust Jesus, He takes care of me
(from “I Can Trust Jesus” by Gerald Crabb)
**********
“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” – Psalm 25:5