“Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”
{Psalm 27:14}
This poem flowed out of a
heart that was hurting from the pain of rejection and closed doors. It seemed
as if God was withholding something from me and others that was so good; how
could this possibly be His will? In His grace, He brought Psalm 27:14 to my
mind and gave me the choice to obey what its words.
Will you be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord?
“Be strong”—this You say, yet how can it be
When my flesh and my heart are so desperately weak?
Like one learning to walk, it is so hard to stand
When I look far and wide but cannot see Your hand.
When Satan attacks and I’m about to despair,
I must lean on You
to be my strength there.
When my labor is hard and I feel it’s in vain,
I need You to remind me that You faithful remain.
“Take heart”—in myself, I cannot do this at all
For I am wounded and broken and destined to fall.
To whom my eyes look changes everything;
I must look not to me but my heavenly King.
He gives me the grace to trust Him with each day
And, out of love for my Savior, to faithfully obey.
Even when it is hard and I know not what to do,
I’ll continually pour out my praises to You.
So today when I feel like You’re closing these doors,
I’ll continue to trust You and wait on my Lord.
Your plans stand forever, for You reign over all
Yet You ever give ear to my prayer when I call.
“Be strong and take heart”—this I know I can do
For it depends not on me and my strength but on You!
You fill me with courage to keep running this race
Until the day when I see Jesus Christ face-to-face.
Lord, I long to be holy—for Your will set apart,
So today I will choose to be strong and take heart.
