One of the most difficult struggles as a Christian is waiting on the Lord. God sometimes makes us wait on things to happen in our lives, even though we can see them on the horizon. It seems like an eternity before things will come to pass. We can rest assured on this one theological truth: regardless of long we wait, something will happen. God will come through in a way to let us know that our wait is over, and our season has come. In the mean time, we have to remain encouraged and faithful when we are waiting on God’s next move in our lives.

This is why David wrote: “Be encouraged—wait on the Lord” at the close of Psalm 27. This Psalm is full of promises from God, including defeat of our enemies, protection, and the reassurance of God’s love for us even if our parents forsake us. There are times in our lives when we feel like our enemies are encamped around us, and that we are exposed to dangers of this life–and we wander how long this will last.

When will God show up and take care of these situations, and when will we experience the movement of God in these precarious times? David closes with some encouraging words: “Be encouraged. Wait.” God will strengthen. We would all like God to act like a fast food restaurant, an e-mail, or a text message, but God does not operate in that way. We often have to wait on God, because God is organizing and developing a plan for our situation.

We have all been in a situation that we wish God would act immediately, and then we waited, waited, and waited. Then it happens. God acts. We are grateful that God took the time to bless us in this way because if it had happened when we wanted it to happen, it would not have been at the right time. It’s often not the right time, because God has to bring other pieces of the plan together. Or maybe we are not ready.

While we are waiting we need to be encouraged, because God is preparing us for the next step. He is also preparing others for God’s next step in our lives. Instead of looking at our watches, getting frustrated with God, and giving up, we need to know that God is getting everything together. This should give us hope and strength.

As we wait on the Lord to deliver and heal us, let us not give in to thoughts that convince us that God is not worth the wait. We should not believe that we have to take matters into our own hands. All we have to do is wait on the Lord.

While waiting on the dentist, my children have several things to do as they wait, including playing video games, reading books, or watching television. We also have options as we wait on the Lord.

We can pray, fast, and allow God to propel us into our destiny and place of deliverance.

If God has put it into our spirits for it to happen, it will happen in due season. Be encouraged. Wait on the Lord! He may not come when we want him, but God is on time!