I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
That's easier said than done.
I am not, by nature, a patient person. I want things when I want them, how I want them, where I want them. I don't want to stand around waiting for someone else to do whatever it is they're trying to do. I'd rather just do it myself. Even if that someone else is God.
Why?
I am sure there are a lot of elements involved. Selfishness. Pride. Good ol' fashioned impatience. But I believe there is something else, something more deeply rooted, at work. To be honest, I often lack one essential ingredient required to truly be patient and let God work.
Confidence.
David laid the foundation of patience in confidence. Read the verses above again. Why was David able to wait for the Lord? Because he was confident he would see Him work. David's strength and courage (take heart) came from his confidence in God.
David trusted God. Do we?
Don't get me wrong; I trust God in my salvation, in my eternal reward. I trust God, and God alone, with my heavenly future. Where I struggle is trusting Him with the here and now.
In the Land of the Living.
David was confident of seeing the goodness of God in the Land of the Living. That's here on earth. He was confident that God would intervene, maybe not when David wanted Him to, but when the time was right. David was confident not only that God would do good, but that He would do it for him here, in this life.
When David was being pursued by Saul, he was confident God would deliver him. When facing armies, he was confident God would give him victory. When defeated, he was confident God would raise him up again. When he fell into sin, he was confident God would forgive him. Not only eternally, but practically. Here. On earth. In the Land of the Living.
What about us?
When being attacked by the world, do we have confidence that God will protect us? When faced with opposition, do we have confidence that God will fight for us? When faced with need, will God provide? When unsure what to do, do we trust that God will give us the answer? When we fall, do we believe God will forgive?
Are we confident?
Sometimes we have to wait.
God's timing is not ours. We throw that phrase around, but do we really have the confidence it takes to accept it, embrace it, and live it? It's easy to say; much harder to do.
Whatever comes our way, we must face it with confidence. Not in ourselves, or the world, or anything else, but in God. Be convinced, as was David, that you, too, will see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living.
Be patient . . . God's not done yet!
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