Watch, Wait, and Work Out

When challenges arise, you may find concerns taking over your prayer life. You keep a good “faith face” on and tell yourself that you can trust God while constantly worrying and thinking, What am I going to do?

Thankfully, you can go to the Lord about whatever is troubling you like David did in Psalm 27 and encounter God’s protection, deliverance, strength, goodness, hope, courage — whatever He has that you need!

David was faced with overwhelming trouble, and he took time to be in God’s presence and strengthen his soul. But that’s not always our first inclination! When things go wrong and the pressure is on, trusting the Lord and His Word is not as easy as it may sound.

Really, we should be trusting God all the time. But in our human weakness, we need to be fortified with God’s power. The Apostle Paul prayed that we would “be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16, AMPC). Jesus told us that we would experience trouble in this world (John 16:33). We can’t change that. But He also told us to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world.

There will always be challenges to face and overcome by faith. But we can recognize the signs of our own weaknesses and apply the remedy. Once we strengthen ourselves in God, we can do what He helps us understand we must do!

First, ask yourself, What does God’s Word say about this? What has He promised? What would He have me do? Then come to the Lord to inquire of Him and watch to see what He says (Psalm 27:4 and Habakkuk 2:1-2).

While you’re watching and waiting, you aren’t passive at all. It’s not like waiting for a bus, watching the clock to see if it shows up. No, the word wait means “to twist together, be merged with or intermingled with.”

The purpose of watching and waiting is to connect with God and entwine yourself with Him. That’s how it’s meant to be for us as believers!

So today I encourage you to come afresh to God and know that He wants to connect with you. Communicate with Him, and receive His strength to do what needs to be done. One prayer time will become a building block for the next as you go on to enjoy the simple, yet limitless, world of prayer!