“Wait for the Lord, O my soul!”

[Psalm 27:7-14]

A person named Stormie Omartian wrote in an article titled “Why Worry When You Can Pray?” this statement: “We don’t like to wait. We want to act.” I think this is a very meaningful statement. We often hurry to act rather than quietly remain before God, looking to Him and waiting. While waiting, we ask ourselves, “How long must I wait?” and when we feel we can no longer endure or be patient, we tend to take action. Regarding this, Stormie Omartian says it is best to view the “time of waiting” as a time of serving God. She encourages us to consider, “Instead of thinking that you are merely enduring the current situation, think that you are serving God, and it will be much easier to endure.” (Internet)

Today, in Psalm 27:14, David says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.” Here, he repeats the word “wait” twice for emphasis. It highlights the command, “Wait, O my soul!” (the word “wait” here means “be patient” or “hope”). David teaches us the lesson that we must quietly wait for God.

Dr. Park Yoon Sun outlines four things believers should do when facing adversity:
(1) Remember that God is not unaware of the trials we face and wait patiently;
(2) Be amazed at God’s work, which is difficult for humans to understand, and wait humbly at His feet;
(3) Wait with a prayerful attitude, trusting that God will resolve the adversity in His time;
(4) Sometimes, for believers, being still is better for resolving the problem than acting, so it is best to entrust it to the Lord and wait.

Today, under the title “Wait for the Lord, O My Soul!” I want to meditate on and learn three things about what it means to hope in God.

First, those who hope in God desire the Lord’s mercy.

Look at Psalm 27:7 in the Bible: “Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me.” Why did David seek the mercy of the Lord? If it were me, rather than seeking God’s mercy, I might seek His justice, asking God to judge my enemies and wicked adversaries (verse 2). So why did David ask for God’s mercy? The reason is that David feared that the Lord would become angry and abandon him (verse 9). This is because David feared being rejected like Saul (according to Dr. Park Yoon Sun).

Then why was King Saul rejected by God? Because he abandoned God’s word. Therefore, the LORD rejected Saul and did not allow him to remain king (1 Samuel 15:23). King Saul received God’s command through Samuel to utterly destroy Amalek, but he disobeyed that command (verse 3). Why did he disobey God’s word? Because Saul initially considered himself humble, but after winning the war against Amalek, he became proud enough to set up a monument for himself (verse 12). The Bible says that God does not look at the outward appearance as humans do, but looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Saul’s heart was proud, and because of his disobedience born from that pride, he was ultimately rejected by God.

David feared this. He was afraid that, like Saul, he would become proud, disobey God’s commandments out of that pride, and be rejected by God. Interestingly, David feared God more than people, even though he was in a situation where he could have feared people. In other words, David did not fear being rejected by people but feared being rejected by God.

David was in “distress” (verse 5) because of persecution by his enemies and wicked adversaries (verse 2), and he was also in a war situation with armies pitched against him (verse 3). Yet, David feared the holy God more than those enemies. David feared that God’s anger would lead to rejection; he feared that a seed of pride might grow in his heart and cause him to be abandoned by God.

What about you and me? Like David, are we afraid that a seed of pride is growing in our hearts and that God might reject us? Or do we live like Saul, rejecting God’s word and disobeying it out of pride? If we have rejected God’s word and lived in disobedience, then we must hope for and wait for God’s mercy like David. If we hope for God’s mercy like David, we must cry out loudly to God (verse 7). And as we cry out to God, we must wait for Him to answer our prayers.

Secondly, those who hope in God long for the face of the Lord.

Look at Psalm 27:8 in the Bible: “When he says, ‘Seek my face,’ my heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.’” Here, to long for the Lord’s face means to wait with a heart that yearns for the gracious appearance (face) of the Lord (according to Park Yoon Sun). David, who feared sinning against God in the depths of his heart, longed for the Lord’s gracious face because he knew that without God’s grace and help, he would sin in his heart.

Last Sunday, after finishing everything, going home, and having a meal, I shared my thoughts with my wife. The thought was that truly, unless God pours out His grace and works in us, we cannot change even the smallest bad habit. If we cannot correct even a small bad habit without God’s grace, then how could we possibly guard our corrupt hearts from pride without God’s help? David said this in Psalm 27:9: “Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.” David, who longed for the Lord’s face, hoped for God’s help and wished to live a life walking with God by His grace. So he pleaded with God, “Do not reject me or forsake me.” Moreover, David had the faith that “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me” (verse 10).

David not only feared sinning against God because of pride deep in his heart, but he also feared that the Lord would hide His face from him. He was afraid that he would no longer be able to see the Lord’s gracious appearance, just like a baby who fears not being able to see the face of their parents. Therefore, David wanted to see the Lord’s face and prayed for it. In that prayer, David was confident that he would see God’s grace: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (verse 13). What a precious assurance! God shows His face to those who seek it; David, who longed for the Lord’s gracious appearance, was confident he would see the Lord’s grace. David, who feared sinning against God because of pride in his heart, prayed to fill his heart not with pride but with God’s grace by yearning even more for God’s face (verse 8), and he had confidence that his prayer would be answered.

We should beware of pride entering our hearts and, instead, like David, seek the Lord’s face with our hearts. When we, like David, long for and seek the Lord’s gracious appearance with all our heart, the waves of God’s grace will flow through our lives.

Lastly, thirdly, those who wait on God long for the Lord’s ways.

Look at Psalm 27:11: “Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my enemies.” David, who desired to walk with the Lord, sought the gracious presence of the Lord and was confident that he would see the Lord’s grace. In this context, by God’s grace, he prayed to learn the Lord’s way and to walk in it. Here, “the way of the Lord” refers to the ‘righteous way’ (Park Yoon Sun).

David, amid persecution by wicked enemies who acted unjustly, feared, like King Saul, that his pride would cause God to abandon him. Yet relying solely on God’s grace, he prayed to walk in the righteous way taught by the Lord. Also, David prayed, “Lead me in a straight path,” which is a prayer asking for the Lord’s help as he walks in the right way (Park Yoon Sun). Because David’s enemies and wicked adversaries were persecuting him to prevent him from walking the right path, David acknowledged before God that without the Lord’s help he could not faithfully walk the righteous path, and so he prayed to the Lord.

Especially in verse 12, we can understand David’s situation more clearly: “Do not give me up to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.” David’s enemies sought to harm him and spoke false accusations and evil words against him — in other words, they harbored malicious intent and used cruel speech to attack him (Park Yoon Sun). In this situation, David prayed to God, relying on the Lord’s help, to walk in the Lord’s way, the righteous way.

Now one might wonder: how could the way David wanted to walk be a straight or smooth path? This question arises because David’s environment and circumstances were by no means smooth or easy. He was walking amid persecution by enemies, evildoers, false witnesses, and those who spoke evil. How then could the Lord’s way he desired be a smooth path?

When we meditate on the way of the cross of Jesus Christ, we can find the answer. Although it may never appear smooth to human eyes, when each of us denies ourselves, takes up our cross, and follows the Lord walking His way, the Lord rules our hearts with a peace that the world cannot give. In other words, our Lord makes a smooth path in our hearts.

Just as Moses faced what seemed a dead end at the Red Sea, and although the Israelites sinned by murmuring and rejecting God, Moses, looking to God and praying, had the Lord make a smooth path in his heart. Eventually, God parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to walk on dry ground. Similarly, our Lord, when we like David face various trials and hardships and cannot see any smooth path with human eyes, makes a broad way like the highway of Zion in our hearts for those who seek His mercy, His face, and His way.

What a marvelous grace of God this is! Afterwards, just as God parted the Red Sea and made a way, in our lives and circumstances the Lord makes a smooth path and faithfully leads us.

What are you and I hoping and waiting for? Like David, even if we face adversity and dangerous situations, are we looking toward and waiting for God’s mercy and grace, and the Lord’s way? Are you and I faithfully walking the Lord’s path, toward the highest place?

As the first verse of Hymn 470 says, “The path I walk all my life is smooth,” may our Lord, who makes our path smooth now and always, continue to keep our way steady—neither turning to the right nor to the left—so that by longing only for God’s mercy and grace and receiving His help, you and I may faithfully move forward toward our heavenly home.

With a thankful heart for God’s mercy and grace, who strengthens and emboldens my soul through His Word so that I may walk in the Lord’s way today as well,

Shared by Pastor James Kim
(Looking to the Lord of peace who makes a smooth path in my heart)