Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. (Psalm 37:34)
On several occasions and in multiple psalms, David encouraged God’s people to “wait on the Lord.” We all understand what it means to wait, especially in situations where we are powerless to do anything about the outcome — waiting can be torturous. It is in those situations, in the midst of the waiting, that we come to understand another facet of the process, and that is hoping. As it turns out, the Hebrew word קוה kaveh, translated as “wait,” also means “hope.” In fact, this word is related to the phrase Ha’tikvah which is the name of the Israeli national anthem — a song that expresses the Israeli hope of a homeland under the guardianship of the Almighty.
For centuries, Jewish people waited — and hoped — for the day when God would bring them back to the land of their ancestors and establish them once again as a nation. That, of course, became a reality in 1948 with other subsequent developments occurring in later years, such as the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. The point is this: as a people, they waited on the Lord and hoped that He would fulfill His promises — as a nation, they were not disappointed. It took centuries, yes, but He brought them into the land, and immediately after the devastation of the Holocaust no less.
Though on smaller scale and a much more personal one, all of us should take courage in the fact that the Lord is always true to His Word; it may take longer than we would want but He will bring His promise to fruition. Until that time, we wait and we hope for the day when we are exalted over our enemies and are ushered into the fulfillment of His promise to us and to our family. No adversary will be able to stand against it when the Almighty moves on our behalf; in that fact, let us be confident.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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