This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of Stormproof – Hurricanes of Hurt (CLICK HERE)
How long is this going to last?
When you are in an hour workout class, you know that the longest you will have to endure is one hour. You know when the end is coming and there will be relief from the workout…until you subject yourself to it again.
When you are in school, you know that if you are really struggling with a class, you have to do your best for the duration of the semester and then it will be done and hopefully you won’t have to retake the class.
When you have a loved one deployed in the military, you generally know the deployment end date and realize that the challenge of being a military single parent will come to an end.
But waiting when the end date is uncertain is very hard.
Waiting is very hard when an end date itself is even uncertain.
Some are in the middle of waiting with no end date in sight.
The emotional hurt still weighs heavy.
The sense of loss is still very real.
The burden of the challenge gets wearisome.
How long, O Lord? How long?
If you have ever asked this question, you are not alone. A number of times in the Psalms the inspired writers have asked the Lord, “How long, O Lord? How long?”
Waiting in the middle of hurt is hard, but sometimes the reality.
So in the midst of the waiting, what do we do? Psalm 130:5&6 say:
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Remember this Psalm was sung as people were traveling to the temple in Jerusalem. Around the temple area were watchmen who would have the all night shift. They knew the morning would come, but not sure when. But when the first light of the sun hit, they would sound their bugles and be relieved of their duty. The morning sacrifice would be offered.
I can imagine at the end of a long shift, you would be longing to see the end where you could go home and rest.
More than watchmen wait for the morning do we wait for the Lord to relieve our hurt.
So what do we do while waiting?
- Don’t lose hope…the morning is coming.
- Be in God’s Word…his promises are real.
One of the best ways to make waiting easier is to be busy. Here the Psalmist encourages us to be in the Word. Read it. Reflect on God’s promises. Revel in the reality that you are still loved, God hasn’t forgotten you and he still loves you. You can have hope that the morning will come and the hurt will be gone…even if that is the moment you experience heaven for the first time.
Apply:What makes waiting hard for you? Pick a reading plan from God’s Word and watch him work hope in your heart as you spend time in his Word.
Prayer: O Lord, I wait for you and your perfect timing to alleviate my hurt. AMEN.