Are You in a Holding Pattern?

Lamentations 3:25-26 reads:

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord."

I have come to love this verse because I have been in a waiting period for years, waiting on the Lord to answer my prayer. This verse has been such a comfort in the midst of waiting as it shows me His goodness and my responsibility during the waiting time. I can know that God is good all the time, even when He makes me wait for something. And where He has me is good, too, because it has passed from His hand into my life.

Now what is my responsibility? I am to accept waiting. If I believe He is good and it is good, I can accept the plan He has for me.

I am to seek Him while I wait. That has been the most wonderful part. He has become my All in all as each morning I crawl up in my chair which at times for me feels like His lap, as I pour out my heart and soul to Him while I wait. I seek Him to learn more about Him, not more about my situation. I seek Him to know Him better because in Him is my comfort and solace in the waiting. I seek Him because it glorifies Him and gives Him great pleasure.

Lastly, I am to wait for him silently. I will have to say that this is the most convicting part for me and the hardest. Silently. This doesn't mean that I don't talk to Him in prayer about my waiting, but I do believe it means that I don't grumble and complain in the midst of my waiting. I can tell him my troubles, but my heart always needs to be in a yielded state of attitude toward Him. And my words to others should never reveal me questioning the place that He has me. Boy, am I guilty of that! It is GOOD that I wait silently for the salvation of the Lord.

Here is what Matthew Henry has to say about these two verses:

"Those who deal with God will find it is not in vain to trust in Him for:
1) He is good to those who do so (v.25). He is good to all; His tender mercies are over all His works; all His creatures taste His goodness. But He is in a particular manner good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. Note, while trouble is prolonged and deliverance is deferred, we must patiently wait for God and His gracious returns to us. While we wait for Him by faith, we must seek Him by prayer; our souls must seek Him, else we do not seek as to find. Our seeking will help to keep up our waiting. And to those who thus wait and seek God will be gracious; He will show them His marvellous lovingkindness.

2) Those that do so will find it good for them (v.26). It is good (it is our duty, and will be our unspeakable comfort and satisfaction) to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord, to hope that it will come, though the difficulties that lie in the way of it seem unsupportable, to wait til it does come, though it be long delayed, and while we wait to be quiet and silent, not quarreling with God nor making ourselves uneasy, but acquiescing in the divine proposals. Father, Thy will be done. If we call this to mind, we may have hope that all will end well at last."


What words of comfort and hope in the waiting period! Yet what a challenge to my soul to wait silently, all the while seeking Him. Father, help me do just that. Give me an unquenchable desire to seek Your face as I wait for You to do a work in answering my prayer. May you do a work in ME in the process.......to look more like the face of Your Precious Son, Jesus Christ. Oh to be like Him!

PRAYING FOR YOUR PASTOR: (From Revive Our Hearts)
Day 21: "Pray that your pastor will not give in to discouragement but will deal with inevitable criticism and conflict by committing himself into the hands of God, who judges righteously." (I Pet. 2:23)

Have your prayed for your pastor(s) today?