“What, what would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living! Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 (Amplified)
David was in a lot of trouble and he knew that if God didn’t come to his aid he was as good as dead. Yet, he could not countenance the fact that God would default on His promise to make him king over Israel. He refused to accept the present reality that his grim situation would not improve or that circumstances would make a liar out of the God who cannot lie. David could not bear thinking, not even for a moment, that the God who had anointed him king over Israel, before many witnesses, would then allow circumstances to overwhelm and deprive him of the reality God’s word had promised him. His faith in God’s intrinsic goodness and ability to deliver on His promise was unshaken and more importantly unshakeable. Although his situation seemed hopeless, David could not give up on God because he could not bear to think of the alternative. He would doubtless have asked himself several times, if I gave up on God what else could I do? Who else can I run to? Which other god can save me except the God I already have? David knew that God had no compeer or substitute, so he had no choice but to grin or is it groan and bear it until God comes through to fulfil His promise.
Nevertheless, troubled David did more than grin and bear it; he chose to believe that God would ultimately come through for him and end his living nightmare. How? By encouraging himself to wait and hope for or expect the Lord. He understood that the recipe for premature death is to give in and live a hopeless life. So, he countered the tendency to die by shaking off the dust of self-pity and discouragement. He meditated on God’s promise to him and this ignited faith, which ultimately gave birth to hope in his spirit. He was consequently able to face each new day with renewed confidence knowing that he was getting closer to seeing God fulfil His promise to him. So, even when nothing happens at the end of each day, he would confidently look forward to the next one and the next and the next. This enabled him to do what he could today in preparation and expectation of a better tomorrow. This confident mindset affected his outlook and even impacted upon those he was leading as they all realised that the final wonderful chapters of their lives were yet to be written. They knew that they would see that day and eagerly looked forward to seeing it and they saw it.
So, has the inconceivable or impossible happened to you as it seems as if God’s word will ultimately not come through for you? Like Abraham and David, and many others who chose to rest their faith in God, you just have to hope against hope and refuse to give in. The God who raised the already putrefying Lazarus from the dead after four days is still in the business of doing the impossible. Refuse to live the nightmare of thinking that you will never see God fulfil His promise to you. Rather, determine that that difficult situation shall not overwhelm you and that you shall not die, but shall live to see the goodness of God in the land of the living and declare His glory.
Prayer:
Lord, I have put my hands on the plough of faith and have no intention of giving up on your promise. I refuse to countenance the thought that you can fail me for I know that nothing is impossible for you. I know that you will raise my Lazarus so that the world can know and acknowledge that you are my God. Thanks for your goodness.