Psalm 33:20-21 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

We don’t know the circumstances of this Psalm being written, but verse 19 indicates it might have been in a time of famine. If so, it is a remarkable testimony of faith! Since it is one of very few Psalms in Book 1 (Psalm 1 ~ 41) that is not attributed to David, it is also a reminder that David wasn’t the only person in Israel with strong faith. These two verses give the key to making it through anything, and doing so with joy. For once the NIV renders a common Biblical expression exactly as the Japanese does, and that is “wait in hope.” Many people are familiar with several passages, notably Isaiah 40:31, that speak of “waiting on the Lord,” but most of those are actually exactly as here, “wait in hope.” (Interestingly, the NIV has “hope” for Isaiah 40:31, leaving out the “wait.”) Concurrent with waiting in hope on the Lord is rejoicing in Him, because we can look forward to His solution to our situation, whatever that solution might be. Trusting in God is hardly passive. Rather, it is actively yielding ourselves to Him for Him to use us in working His will on this earth, in our lives and the lives of those around us. When we understand to the depths of our being that His plan is best, then we will pray the Lord’s Prayer with our whole hearts and look forward to the answer.

The longer I walk with the Lord the more I find myself praying the first part of the Lord’s prayer. I do make specific requests, and I do see answers to many of those, but more and more I simply pray that God’s will be done, because I know that it is good, acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) That’s not to say I don’t get frustrated at times, because I do. The day before yesterday was a good case in point, when I just about lost it over having misplaced a very important paper. I never found it, and yesterday I applied to have that reissued. However, the evening of the day I was so frustrated with myself, I was given the opportunity to minister to the mother of a young man who is currently going through a good bit of emotional turmoil, and I was able to tell her from very immediate experience that we all need God’s help in that area! We are called both to be responsible adults and trusting children toward God, and we have real trouble balancing that at times. However, we need to have patience with ourselves, because God does.

Father, thank You indeed for Your patience with me, and for the privilege of sharing with others the lessons You teach me. Help me wait in hope for You, rejoicing, and help me lead the flock to do likewise, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!