by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Waiting for God to Act

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6 English Standard Version

I would assume that many of you reading this devotion started seeing leaves on your trees and bushes a month or two ago. It’s the end of May and my Maple tree is finally nearing full foliage here in Colorado Springs. Though we didn’t have a lot of moisture this winter, we did experience extended cold temperatures. Some of our trees might not grow all their leaves until the beginning of June.

There have been plenty of Praying With The Eyes devotions written on the matter of waiting, and yes, this is another one of them. It seems that we spend much of our time waiting. Waiting can energize us and it can demoralize us.

Waiting can suck the life out of us. In a world that emphasizes immediate gratification, waiting can stir up a sense of hopelessness as if that for which we are waiting will never arrive.

On the other hand, waiting can also give us a sense of energy by creating hope. The psalmist waited for the Lord, he waited for his hand of grace and mercy to touch his life. He cries to the Lord out of the depths of his brokenness knowing that the Lord would not keep track of his sins. He waits with more anticipation for the Lord to act than watchmen wait for the morning to arrive and the fear of the night to pass.

Though waiting for the Lord to act can test our patience, our waiting is rooted in the fact that God has already acted in forgiveness through the mercies of Christ. As we wait on the Lord to act, may we take comfort in knowing that God has already been merciful and kind to those who call on his name.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado