Suggested reading: Psalm 37 verses 1-11.

During our last meditation we thought of Simeon, who was WAITNG for the Consolation of Israel and was privileged to hold in his arms the One, who would bring this consolation to Israel. His WAITING was, indeed, rewarded!

Today, I invite you to come back to a time before the birth of Christ and consider the counsel that David, Israel’s greatest king, gave concerning the importance of WAITING. Perhaps, like me, you might confess that patient waiting is not one of your greatest strengths. We can even, at times, find ourselves getting impatient with God, if things do not work out as quickly as we would like. It is a challenge sometimes to look on at injustices that take place around us and to remain calm and patient. We would do well to listen to David’s advice: ‘Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity’, verse 1. So often evil men and women appear to prosper and escape justice. We can even be tempted to respond to David’s plea, by saying, ‘It is easier said than done!’ Indeed, it is possible to become envious of the apparent ease with which the evildoers seem to flourish, while the upright suffer! If we are tempted to react like this, we must continue to listen to David: ‘for they (the evildoers) shall soon be cut down . . . trust in the Lord . . . delight yourself also in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord . . . rest in the Lord, and WAIT PATIENTLY for Him’, verses 2-8.

No matter what is happening in the world, we must accept that God is in control and, ultimately, the wicked will not triumph. The hymn writer reminds us:

For what I cannot, He can see, and in His care I safe shall be, forever blessed!

We must, like David, learn to WAIT PATIENTLY for Him!