- Strengthen
Psalm 27: 14
Wait on the Lord:
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
Wait, I say, on the Lord.
If you wait on the Lord, then He will strengthen your heart. Wait is the command; strengthening is the result. The period of waiting and maintaining your courage does the strengthening of the heart. If answers to prayer, rescue, deliverance, help and victory came immediately there would not be time to strengthen the heart while we wait.
The longer we wait on the Lord without fainting, complaining, giving up, forgetting, or wavering the stronger we grow in our faith and trust. God will answer our prayers in His time and in in His way. Even though we know that we still tend to lose heart and forget that we once prayed for something. Instant gratification is not God’s way; He would rather use the needs and prayers that we talk to God about to develop a relationship, grow our faith and strengthen our heart. When we ask the Lord for help and the help is delayed or deferred He is telling us to “Wait!” While we wait we maintain our faith and courage, trust and confidence, and we do not become disheartened, discouraged or disappointed. That is how we wait; if we know how to wait God promises to strengthen the heart. More value and benefit may come to us during the waiting time than would come to us when the answer actually unfolds.
The Lord is always looking for ways to develop inner character and strength. Strength in this case means unwavering trust in the Lord no matter how opposite it appears to our hopes. When we endure through the tempting time of doubt and still maintain faith and courage the heart is strengthened, that is, trust is firmed up. God is interested in answering your prayers, but He is more interested in firming up a strong trust relationship with you. That is why He says, “Wait on the Lord.”