When in Doubt, Wait

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6 The best work on the subject of hearing God (outside the Bible) is F. B. Meyer’s book The Secret of Guidance. According to Meyer, who writes about these issues in a complete, sane and yet spiritual fashion, waiting is crucial: The circumstances of our daily life are to us an infallible indication of God’s will, when they concur with the inward promptings of the spirit and with the Word of God. So long as they are stationary, wait. When you must act, they will open, and a way will be made through oceans and rivers, wastes and rocks. If you do not know what you ought to do, stand still until you do. (emphasis added) Meditate: Consider first the dread with which many people wait. Now read deeply Psalm 130:5-6. In place of dread, what drenches this waiting? How do you need this in your life now?” —Dallas Willard, Hearing God Through the Year

Waiting on God is not passive resignation—it is an act of hope. Psalm 130 paints a picture of longing not rooted in fear, but in deep trust: “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Watchmen don’t doubt that morning will come—they simply stay alert for its first light. Dallas Willard, echoing F. B. Meyer, reminds us that waiting becomes sacred when it is anchored in God’s Word, the Spirit’s prompting, and the unfolding of daily life. When we don’t know what to do, it’s not failure to stand still—it’s faith. In a world that dreads delay, God invites us to wait in hope, knowing He will part oceans and carve paths through stone when the time is right. —DH