Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
Psalm 27:14
Waiting is hard. It feels passive, like you’re not doing anything. It feels like wasting time when you could be taking action, making things happen, controlling the situation.
But God says: Wait on Me.
This isn’t passive inactivity. This is active trust. This is choosing to let God work instead of forcing your own solutions. This is believing that God’s timing is better than your urgency.
And while you wait, God promises to do something: He will strengthen your heart. The waiting isn’t empty time—it’s the time when God builds something in you that you can’t build yourself.
Wait on the Lord. He’s working even when you can’t see it.
What This Teaches Us
This verse comes at the end of Psalm 27, where David is crying out to God in the midst of danger and difficulty. He’s surrounded by enemies. He’s facing threats. His situation is urgent.
And his conclusion? Wait on the LORD.
Notice that David says it twice: “Wait on the LORD” at the beginning and “Wait, I say, on the LORD” at the end. The repetition emphasizes the importance. This isn’t a casual suggestion—it’s an urgent command David gives himself in the middle of crisis.
To “wait on the LORD” doesn’t mean to sit around doing nothing. The Hebrew word means to look eagerly for, to expect, to hope. It’s active anticipation. It’s watching for God to move while trusting He will move in His perfect timing.
“Be of good courage” means don’t give up, don’t lose heart, don’t let fear win. Waiting requires courage because it goes against your natural instinct to do something, anything, to fix the problem now. It takes courage to trust God’s timing when you want immediate resolution.
Then comes the promise: “He shall strengthen your heart.” While you wait, God is working in you. He’s building strength you don’t have yet. He’s developing endurance you’ll need later. He’s fortifying your heart for what’s coming. The waiting time isn’t wasted time—it’s preparation time.
Your heart needs strengthening because waiting is hard work. It requires emotional and spiritual strength to keep trusting when nothing seems to be happening. God doesn’t just ask you to wait—He promises to give you the strength to do it.
David repeats the command at the end: “Wait, I say, on the LORD!” He’s reminding himself one more time. When everything in you wants to take control, when you’re tempted to force your own solution, when the waiting feels unbearable—wait anyway. Wait on the LORD.
How to Apply This in Daily Life
Recognize that waiting on God is active, not passive. You’re not sitting around doing nothing—you’re actively trusting, actively watching, actively expecting God to work. Waiting on the Lord means you’re looking eagerly for Him to move while refusing to force your own solutions. That takes more strength than just taking action on your own.
Choose courage over fear while you wait. The temptation when you’re waiting is to panic, to give up, to lose heart. God says “be of good courage”—choose bravery, choose hope, choose trust, even when your circumstances haven’t changed yet. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s trusting God in spite of the fear.
Trust that God is strengthening you while you wait. The waiting period isn’t empty. God is working in you while you wait for Him to work through your circumstances. He’s building character, developing endurance, fortifying your faith. Ask yourself: What is God strengthening in me right now? How is this waiting period preparing me?
Resist the urge to force your own solutions. When you’re tired of waiting, you’ll be tempted to take control, to make something happen, to force a solution. But God’s timing is better than your urgency. Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing—just wait, trust, and let God work in His way and His time.
Remind yourself repeatedly to wait. David said it twice in one verse. You’ll need to remind yourself constantly. When you wake up anxious for the situation to change—remind yourself to wait on the Lord. When you’re tempted to manipulate circumstances—remind yourself to wait on the Lord. When you feel like you can’t wait one more day—remind yourself to wait on the Lord.
Remember that God’s delays are not God’s denials. Just because God hasn’t acted yet doesn’t mean He won’t act. Just because you’re still waiting doesn’t mean He’s not working. God’s timing is perfect, even when it feels slow to you. Keep waiting. Keep trusting. He will come through.
Reflection Questions
- What are you waiting on God for right now? How has the waiting been affecting you—are you trusting actively or are you anxious and restless?
- Where are you tempted to stop waiting and force your own solution? What’s driving that urgency—fear, impatience, or lack of trust in God’s timing?
- How might God be strengthening your heart during this waiting period? What character qualities or spiritual strength is He developing in you right now?
- What would it look like to “be of good courage” in your current season of waiting? How can you choose trust over fear today?
Prayer For Guidance and Strength
Heavenly Father, You tell me to wait on You. That’s hard for me. Waiting feels passive, like I’m not doing anything. It feels like wasting time when I could be taking action, making things happen, controlling the situation.
But You tell me that waiting on You isn’t passive—it’s active trust. It’s choosing to let You work instead of forcing my own solutions. It’s believing that Your timing is better than my urgency.
I’m waiting on You right now for [name specific situations]. I’m tired of waiting. I want answers now. I want resolution today. I want to see You move immediately. But You tell me to wait.
Help me be of good courage while I wait. Help me not give up, not lose heart, not let fear win. Give me the courage to trust Your timing when I want immediate resolution. Give me the strength to keep waiting when everything in me wants to take control.
Thank You that while I wait, You’re strengthening my heart. The waiting time isn’t wasted time—it’s preparation time. You’re building strength in me that I don’t have yet. You’re developing endurance I’ll need later. You’re fortifying my heart for what’s coming. Show me what You’re strengthening in me right now.
I confess that I’m tempted to force my own solutions. I want to make something happen. I want to take control. I want to manipulate circumstances to get the outcome I want. But I know Your timing is better than my urgency. Help me resist the urge to force things. Help me wait, trust, and let You work in Your way and in Your time.
I need to remind myself constantly: Wait on the LORD. When I wake up anxious for the situation to change—help me wait on the LORD. When I’m tempted to manipulate circumstances—help me wait on the LORD. When I feel like I can’t wait one more day—help me wait on the LORD.
Thank You that Your delays are not Your denials. Just because You haven’t acted yet doesn’t mean You won’t act. Just because I’m still waiting doesn’t mean You’re not working. Your timing is perfect, even when it feels slow to me. I choose to keep waiting. I choose to keep trusting. I believe You will come through.
Wait on the LORD—that’s what I choose to do. Be of good courage—that’s what I ask You to help me with. He shall strengthen my heart—that’s what I trust You’re doing even now. Wait, I say, on the LORD. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
