"Wait on the Lord"

This is a phrase I feel like I hear all the time, but never quite understand.
What are we waiting for? Why are we waiting? When can we stop waiting?
Up until recently I have made many decisions by what I feel or what I think is best for my life. However, I've neglected this all too important command from the Lord...to wait. And as a result of this, I've faced some pretty rough consequences.

As I have recently endured some hardships, I've learned how important it is to wait on the Lord. A lesson I believe I will never be able to comprehend fully.
Wait for His direction.
Wait for His voice.
Wait for His leading.

But I'm so encouraged by what God's Word tells us about waiting. Over and over again in Scripture, and especially in the Psalms, we read about waiting and hoping in the Lord. One passage in particular is found in Psalm 27.

"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord"

Psalm 27:13-14

For me, God's Creation is a reminder that He is God, and we need not worry or fear.
Earlier in this psalm David says:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? 

The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?" - v.1

I have nothing to fear. If I am committing my life to the Lord, I do not have to worry about making big decisions for myself, but I can wait on the Lord and on his gracious direction over my life. And the more that I've been discovering this truth, and living out this truth, the more I am at peace about my life, no matter how drastically it may change, no matter how unsure the future is, or how anxious my heart becomes; I know that I can wait on the Lord, and I as I do He prepares my heart, and shapes me into the woman He has called me to be. Then, He will bring everything together,  just as He has meant it to be.

Maybe your life feels out of control, unsure, or just plain confusing. Take heart! God has a plan, and He desires for you to follow His path. No, it won't be easy. But as we wait on the Lord and rely on His leading,  the reward will be far greater than the pain that may come while we endure.

Years ago a wonderful friend gave me a verse when I was going through a hard time. Since then, it's been my comfort in times of need, and my encouragement when I feel anxious about my future:

"All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; 

yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the 

peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Hebrews 12:11

Be encouraged that the Lord is our strength. He is our comfort and our peace. In His Word we find our hope.

"I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope."

Psalm 130:5

Jenna's Journal.