Psalms 27:1-14 Chapter 27 1 Jehovah is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, `Even' mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though a host should encamp against me, My heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, Even then will I be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion: In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me; He will lift me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Jehovah. 7 Hear, O Jehovah, when I cry with my voice: Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 `When thou saidst', Seek ye my face; My heart said unto thee, Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face from me; Put not thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then Jehovah will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; And lead me in a plain path, Because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries: For false witnesses are risen up against me, And such as breathe out cruelty. 13 `I had fainted', unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah In the land of the living. 14 Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. Psalm 28 `A Psalm' of David.

Waiting on the Lord sounds easy—we simply pray and watch for His answer, right? The truth is that believers who desperately want to see a need met often find the process unbearable. The next time God says to wait, remember these requirements for keeping a steady vigil until He answers:

Waiting on God requires faith in Him. Walking by faith means trusting in God even without knowing when or how He will resolve the situation. And faith cannot function without humility. Instead of demanding that God intervene as we desire, we should trust in His way and timing.

We must submit to the Lord, knowing there is nothing we can do except rest in Him. We are far safer in accepting our helpless condition than in figuring out our own solution. Trying to manipulate our circumstances is a demonstration of prideful self-reliance, not humble submission.

We need patience. This isn’t an inborn trait; rather, it’s fruit of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who can give us calmness in the midst of a difficult situation. Patience is laid on a foundation of trust in God’s character, purpose, and ways.

Waiting takes courage. Friends and colleagues will freely offer advice about our situation, but we must bravely wait when others say it is time to move. Fear of criticism is often the catalyst for taking matters into our own hands rather than trusting in God’s timing.

Praying when we’d rather take action is difficult, but waiting faithfully, submissively, patiently, and courageously brings blessings that demonstrate the faithfulness and goodness of God.

Bible in One Year: Song of Solomon 5-8 Chapter 5 1 I am come into my garden, my sister, `my' bride: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. 2 I was asleep, but my heart waked: It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, `saying', Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; For my head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night. 3 I have put off my garment; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole `of the door', And my heart was moved for him. 5 I rose up to open to my beloved; And my hands droppeth with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened to my beloved; But my beloved had withdrawn himself, `and' was gone. My soul had failed me when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. 7 The watchmen that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me. 8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If ye find my beloved, That ye tell him, that I am sick from love. 9 What is thy beloved more than `another' beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than `another' beloved, That thou dost so adjure us? 10 My beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand. 11 His head is `as' the most fine gold; His locks are bushy, `and' black as a raven. 12 His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, `and' fitly set. 13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, `As' banks of sweet herbs: His lips are `as' lilies, dropping liquid myrrh. 14 His hands are `as' rings of gold set with beryl: His body is `as' ivory work overlaid `with' sapphires. 15 His legs are `as' pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: His aspect is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet; Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. Chapter 6 1 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him, That we may seek him with thee? 2 My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. 3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine; He feedeth `his flock' among the lilies, 4 Thou art fair, O my love, as Tirzah, Comely as Jerusalem, Terrible as an army with banners. 5 Turn away thine eyes from me, For they have overcome me. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Gilead. 6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them. 7 Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil. 8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number. 9 My dove, my undefiled, is `but' one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; `Yea', the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. 10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Terrible as an army with banners? 11 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, `And' the pomegranates were in flower. 12 Before I was aware, my soul set me `Among' the chariots of my princely people. 13 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim? Chapter 7 1 How beautiful are thy feet in sandals, O prince's daughter! Thy rounded thighs are like jewels, The work of the hands of a skilful workman. 2 Thy body is `like' a round goblet, `Wherein' no mingled wine is wanting: Thy waist is `like' a heap of wheat Set about with lilies. 3 Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe. 4 Thy neck is like the tower of ivory; Thine eyes `as' the pools in Heshbon, By the gate of Bath-rabbim; Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon Which looketh toward Damascus. 5 Thy head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thy head like purple; The king is held captive in the tresses `thereof'. 6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! 7 This thy stature is like to a palm-tree, And thy breasts to its clusters. 8 I said, I will climb up into the palm-tree, I will take hold of the branches thereof: Let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine, And the smell of thy breath like apples, 9 And thy mouth like the best wine, That goeth down smoothly for my beloved, Gliding through the lips of those that are asleep. 10 I am my beloved's; And his desire is toward me. 11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; Let us lodge in the villages. 12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine hath budded, `And' its blossom is open, `And' the pomegranates are in flower: There will I give thee my love. 13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance; And at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old, Which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved. Chapter 8 1 Oh that thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! `When' I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; Yea, and none would despise me. 2 I would lead thee, `and' bring thee into my mother's house, Who would instruct me; I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate. 3 His left hand `should be' under my head, And his right hand should embrace me. 4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, That ye stir not up, nor awake `my' love, Until he please. 5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple-tree I awakened thee: There thy mother was in travail with thee, There was she in travail that brought thee forth. 6 Set me as a seal upon thy heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as Sheol; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of Jehovah. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, He would utterly be contemned. 8 We have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for? 9 If she be a wall, We will build upon her a turret of silver: And if she be a door, We will inclose her with boards of cedar. 10 I am a wall, and my breasts like the towers `thereof' Then was I in his eyes as one that found peace. 11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; He let out the vineyard unto keepers; Every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand `pieces' of silver. 12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. 13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken for thy voice: Cause me to hear it. 14 Make haste, my beloved, And be thou like to a roe or to a young hart Upon the mountains of spices.