From Panic to Praise: A 5-Day Devotional From the PsalmsSample

Worship While You Wait

Waiting is the worst. Whether you’re waiting for a health diagnosis, a job offer, or to get pregnant, it seems anxiety threatens to completely overwhelm. When David wrote these Psalms, he was in utter agony from waiting. His anguish was so great that his bones ached and he felt faint. Jesus used similar words as He considered the cross before Him (John 12:27). David was worn out from waiting. Anointed to be the next king of Israel in his teens, David had to wait years before the fulfillment of God’s promise. 

Like the psalmist David, we hate waiting as well. We long for God to “hurry up.” However, God uses delay in the life of every believer to set the stage and sharpen His instruments. We see this pattern repeated throughout Scripture. 

Friend, even though it feels like God is moving slowly on your behalf, His timing is perfect. Praise Him by faith that He is moving even when you can’t see it. Praise Him that He is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8). He holds eternity between His almighty hands. His perspective on timing is vastly different than yours. As you wait for Him, lean into the Holy Spirit for the strength to hang in there during the refining process (1 Peter 5:10). Rather than asking, “How long, Lord?” perhaps a better question might be, “God, how can I cooperate with your plan? How do I need to grow through my time of waiting?”

Selah – Pause and Reflect: How has God used seasons of waiting in your life? What lessons have you learned through those seasons?

Pray

Oh Lord, you know how impatient I am. I hate waiting! Oh Holy Spirit, change me. When I feel anxious and impatient, help me to shift my focus to you, the almighty Alpha and Omega. I praise you that you see the beginning from the end and that you hold a different perspective on timing. I praise you that I can trust you timing in all areas of my life.

This devotional is adapted from Psalms for the Anxious Heart by Becky Harling.