Psalm 27:14 (NASB) -“Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage, yes wait for the Lord.”
In Hebrew poetry, repeating words or phrases would carry the same weight as the English usage of bold font or italicising words we want people to pay attention to. And the phrase that David tells himself to pay attention to is ‘wait for the Lord.’
Psalm 27 is hauntingly beautiful as David writes of his great need for the comfort of the Lord. There’s a tender longing that David expresses throughout his song. David’s waiting for the Lord to draw near to him. But at the same time, he is not without hope. David has a long history with God and has no doubt that Yahweh will come through.
Now, let’s go back to verse 13, and we’ll read that with verse 14. “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord.”
Keeping steady is daunting as you wait for rescue, but you can count on God to give you the strength and courage to hold on just a little longer.
Did you notice David didn’t say, “Be strong and be courageous?” No! He told himself, “Be strong and let your heart take courage.”
I imagine the weary warrior wiping tears from his dusty cheeks. He’s on the run for his life. He’s battle-worn, yet he can’t sleep on the desert cliffs of Israel in the chilly pre-dawn hours. At the same time, he can’t go anywhere. It’s too dark. All David can do is wait for the God who has always been there to rescue him. And so, as he longs for the dawn, he takes a deep breath and then another. With each breath in, David allows God’s courage to fill his heart; with each breath out, David releases apprehension. “I’m taking Your courage, Yahweh.” As the dawn breaks in the distance, the weary leader wraps his cloak around him, stands up and calls his soldiers to duty. “Take courage.”
The wonderful thing about God is that He can simultaneously be in our present and future. He can whisper hope, encourage us, and fill us with His courage as we wait patiently for His rescue. Even though we cannot see his answer, our Redeemer is just around the bend.
Take courage from Him, and wait patiently for His answer.
©2022 Katherine Walden