David communicates tremendous confidence in The LORD in Psalm 27 that we can take to heart and walk in as steady as he did. He knew God so faithfully and trusted the experiences he lived out, knowing God was the provision for his care that in verse one, he asks, "Whom shall I fear?" And he continued, "Of whom shall I be afraid?" He watched "enemies and foes; they stumbled and fell." He explains, "Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear." These experiences deepened his trust in the LORD. God's faithfulness allowed David to become a stalwart of faith we can emulate.
Sounds good when we read those words. We may even get encouraged by the reality of David's faith from reading Psalm 27, even reviewing his story from start to last. What did David do that we can follow? He did not forget who God was. He gained faith from the deliverance God took him through. He remembered God was his victory every time. He humbled himself by recognizing he was not his own but God's man. God even called him "a man after my own heart." Before he experienced an end to any problem, circumstance, or hardship, he was willing to stand in worry-free waiting.
How does worry-free waiting happen? Most of us can share how God has delivered us in a circumstance we recognize could have only been Him. Most can quote a passage that brings hope in a tight squeeze. We may even be able to counsel a sister or brother when they need encouragement. How many of us can declare, "I will stand in worry-free waiting" Or "I am standing in worry-free waiting in this thing I'm facing?"
It is not that worry doesn't drop by. It is not that there aren't nights that we wake up with thoughts of the circumstance. It is not that the challenge of losing heart won't be encountered. I want you to think of all the possibilities that may make us think we are not walking in line with worry-free waiting. If any of these take control of our souls, we can deduce worry has captured us, and we are anxious about something. Then that becomes disobedience to the command "do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything" Philippians 4:6-7. David communicates, "I would have lost heart..." Losing hope and having worries that can weigh us down are always present to challenge us. That does not go away miraculously. It is a part of the human condition.
Each of us must choose. Yes, you and I must make the choice, like David, to believe we will "see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." James 1:17 tells us, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James says this to his readers to help them understand what God does amid difficulties. Neither David nor James was saying hard times were easy, but they wanted us to know there is a Living and Real Hope God displays in and through those trials. In this reality, those who choose to place their hope in God can experience worry-free waiting through them.
Deliverance through past trials should strengthen our hope. Experiencing God's presence and promises, such as those mentioned, in current trials should help us choose not to be anxious. Then David concludes this Psalm by offering encouragement for future trials, "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage; And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD." To experience worry-free waiting, we must "be of good courage." In the same way, our confidence is not in anything we can accomplish; neither is our courage. Both are placed on someone whose "thoughts are not your thoughts, and neither are your ways (His) ways" Isaiah 55:8-9. Knowing that His goodness will be seen eventually in your circumstance and He will offer good and perfect gifts from above into your trial gives us everything we need to establish worry-free waiting.
Paul says a similar thing in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Understanding conditions of worry-free waiting is to put your full confidence in the same God David waited in faith for. He did not just wait. He waited, knowing who God was. He waited in the experience of all God had done. He waited, anticipating the goodness of God to come. You and I can choose the same and go through present or future trials with worry-free waiting. Remember, He, for whom we wait, is dependable. David's life reflects that. I bet yours does too. Choose worry-free waiting, no matter how you feel. Practice what you believe, not what you might feel contrary to the truth.
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