Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth. Lamentations 3:22-27
Wait (H1748): in silence, silently
Jeremiah tells us about God’s compassion, mercies, and faithfulness. Those characteristics are the foundation to waiting on the Lord. Apostle John describes this from another angle as follows:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1John 4:18
God’s perfect love helps us not to be afraid or tormented. Waiting can make us feel like we will miss out on an opportunity or that we are wasting our lives by waiting. When waiting on God is coupled with confidence in His love, compassion, and mercies, we would not need to be afraid! When we are able to be confident in God’s character, it calms our hearts, and it helps us to wait on Him patiently!
Jeremiah reminded us that God is our portion. If we wait on God, we would ultimately not lose. What He has for us if far better than anything we can attain in our own strength. God is pleased when we wait on Him, and He rewards those who wait for Him.
I must admit I haven’t always waited patiently or silently. At times, I have complained about waiting, and at other times, I have been discouraged with waiting. There have also been moments when I was not sure if I’m waiting on God or God is waiting on me!
In the above scripture, Jeremiah stated that it is good for people to bear the yoke of waiting in their youth. This is something that our children and the younger generation need very badly. Many of the young people grow up in families who are capable of providing anything they want the moment they desire it. They may learn a lot of things, but they don’t learn the skill of waiting.
Waiting is a yoke that is worth bearing. It is important for young people to learn patience and wait for those things they desire. Sometimes they may have to work or save for it before they get it. Some parents may feel cruel to withhold things from their children. However, it is really to the children’s benefit to learn delayed gratification and not get everything they want when they desire it. When we don’t bear the yoke of waiting early in life, we grow up expecting that things should happen in our timing or something is wrong. Hence, we get disillusioned with life, relationships, careers, ministry, etc.
If you have children dependent on you, are you helping them to learn to wait for things? How well do you wait on God? Waiting is not easy, but we have to fight the battle by continually reminding ourselves of God’s mercies, compassion, and love towards us.
