Psalm 27:13-14: I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of God
Psalm 27:13-14
13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.
There are moments when we experience true despair. We may feel or believe God has abandoned us or forsaken us. There are hard and difficult seasons that we experience while following Jesus. Jesus never said this journey would be easy. But He calls us to trust Him in all things. He has given us His word that is filled with continual promises. But our lives must become immersed in the word of God. We must not only read His word, we must meditate upon it day and night.
The land of the living not only speaks to present life, but it speaks to life in eternity. God is a good God. There are times when we find ourselves on the mountain top and there are times when we find ourselves down in the valley. But no matter what we face it does not change the goodness of God. Some will blame God for things and become bitter at God. But the greatest tactic of the enemy is to turn our hearts away from the Lord. Satan understands that if he can isolate us from God that he can cause incredible damage and destruction in our lives.
The Psalmist tells us to wait for the Lord, to be strong and let our hearts take courage. When despair desires to take hold and paralyze us, we must trust the Living God. When we feel like throwing in the towel, we must trust the Living God. Taking courage and being encouraged is the opposite of discouragement. Satan loves to try to overwhelm us with discouragement, but everything the enemy assaults us with is based and grounded in lie and deception. This is why the word of God is so important. The word of God will not only renew our minds and lead to transformation, it will also strengthen us and help us to navigate the journey we are on with Jesus.
His final word to us is to wait for the Lord. I have found that waiting on the Lord is probably one of the most difficult things as a Christian. Continually in the place of waiting the Lord tells us to be still and know that He is God. The Lord calls us to trust Him at all times. But the enemy will try to fill our hearts with lie and deception. In the place of waiting the enemy will try to convince us that God has abandoned us and that which we are waiting on the Lord for will never come to pass.
Today hold fast my friends to the promises of God. Know that as we trust the Lord and seek His face, that He is working to accomplish His good and perfect plans in our lives. He tells us if we seek Him we will find Him, if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. The secret to walking with Jesus and waiting on the Lord is seeking and drawing near to Him. Even in our most difficult moments the Lord will strengthen us and lift us up.
Prayer
Father I come today and ask you to strengthen me in my time of waiting. Help me to fix my heart on the promises of your word. May your word be written upon my heart, and may you carry me in this season. Father there are moments when I feel like giving up. There are moments when it seems the voice of the enemy is overwhelming. But Father through it all I know you are working. I know that you are God and your ways and thoughts are higher and different than our own. May you simply have your way in my life and may my heart be surrendered to you. In the name of Jesus, Amen!