Be silent before the LORD and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by the one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil. Refrain from your anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated-it can only bring harm. For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the LORD will inherit the land.     Psalms 37:7-9 HCSB

You may recognize the title as a song from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers which was on the charts on 1981. While it is a secular song, I find it interesting that he speaks of faith. The chorus says, “you take it on faith, you take it to the heart.”

As Christians we become accustomed to waiting and the Bible has a lot to say about waiting, but it doesn’t mean we like to wait.

We have grown accustomed to fast-food, high-speed internet, and drive through services. I used to think we are this way because we have been conditioned to be this way, but I think we may be born this way. My beautiful 4-month-old granddaughter wants her bottle right away. The second she is hungry you know it. She doesn’t want to wait the ten minutes it takes to get her bottle warmed and ready. I have tried to anticipate this and have it ready a few minutes before, but it doesn’t always work that way.  There are times when there are ten minutes of very loud and angry screaming until she gets that bottle. She lets us know that she does not want to wait.

We all want what we want when we want it, right? Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us there is a time for every activity under heaven. God’s timing is perfect. We can go back to Genesis and see that God often made His people wait. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years to have their son, Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah would wait 20 years to have their twins, Esau and Jacob. Jacob would work 14 years for the woman he loved. Jacob’s son, Joseph, would wait 20 years to be reconciled with his brothers and reconnected with his father.

We have to wait on God’s timing. Waiting is hard. It’s especially hard when you are waiting on something and have to deal with evil people. It’s hard when you watch these evil people prosper. It’s hard when you watch them perpetrate evil on you or those you love. Just as God’s word has a solution to everything, David gave us some instructions for this type of waiting in Psalm 37.

David began this psalm by warning us not to be agitated by evildoers or those who do wrong. He tells us they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants. He then tells us to trust in the Lord and do what is good.

While we wait, we have to trust the Lord. We have to continue to do what is right despite our circumstances. We must love the Lord and give Him thanks and praise. We must do right even when those coming against us do wrong. We are told in Galatians 6:9 we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

The devil wants you to grow weary in your waiting and he wants you to give up. Have you ever wondered why God makes us wait? Waiting can often be a time of testing. Romans 5:4 tells us endurance produces proven character and proven character produces hope.

There will be times we not only wait, but endure hardships brought on by evil people while we wait. Don’t give up. Don’t let this distract you from loving the Lord and giving Him thanks and praise. Trust in Him and He will bring you through. He will walk with you through these difficult times and sustain you while you wait.

Leave those who perpetrate evil to the Lord. And remember Romans 8:28 while you wait, “All things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” God’s working this out, just wait and see.

Have a great day!