Psalm 27:14 (ESV) – Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

Our concepts of strong people vary. We think about people who are physically strong. There are people that are emotionally or spiritually strong. We know people that have strong character. The image that comes into your mind when you think about strong people varies. But what is interesting is our concepts of strong people elevate them as individuals. In other words, we perceive them as possessing an individual attribute that makes them that way. We don’t think about strong people being dependent. 

Our passage today gives us a peek at how strength is found as we wait on the LORD. The psalmist writes, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”

The psalmist tells us to wait for the LORD. This posture of waiting requires trust in God’s timing and wisdom. We wait for the LORD to bring His promises to pass. We wait to see how His plans for our lives will unfold. We wait for Him to answer particular prayers for us. Waiting marks the Christian life. Waiting produces Christian character. But waiting is hard. The time of waiting provides plenty of opportunity for Satan to attack us with doubts and fears. Having to wait requires steadfast dependence on God. 

This is what leads the psalmist to exhort us to be strong and let our hearts take courage. The expectation of strength exists for believers. We are to be strong by not bowing to our whims or impulses. We are to put impatience to death as we wait. Self-reliance must die as we wait. But this kind of steadfastness comes as we look to the LORD for help, and as we walk with others in community. In other words, individual strength isn’t always about the individual. Strong people often find their strength by the help of others.

Are you strong as you wait for the LORD’s direction and leading in your life? Do you rely upon the LORD to steady you? Are you in community with other believers that help you wait with courage? Ask the LORD to supply you with strength today.

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Look to Him and His promises as your sure guide.
Thank God for the people He has placed in your life that strengthen you.

Reflection & Journal: 
- Why is waiting so difficult for us?
- What are the different types of strength that an individual can have?
- How does this passage help us think about our relationship with God and others as a source of strength?

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