Quiet waiting

“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD .”

Lamentations 3:25-26 (KJV)

What does this mean?

Jeremiah is writing in the middle of Jerusalem's ruin, the city has fallen, and everything feels lost. Right in the center of his sorrow he says that God is good to those who wait for him, and that it is good to wait quietly for God's rescue. The 'rescue' here means deliverance from the present trouble, which Christians also read as a picture of God's saving help in every age.

What does this teach us?

Waiting on God is not wasted time. The verse does not promise a quick answer, but it says God is good to those who wait, and that quiet trust is itself a good and right way to face trouble.

How can we apply this?

If you are waiting for an answer that has not come, try waiting quietly for ten minutes today, no phone, no fixing, just stillness. Tell God plainly what you are waiting for, and then rest in the truth that he is good even while you wait.

Related KJV passages

“Wait on the LORD : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD .”
Psalm 27:14
“And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”
Isaiah 30:18
“Therefore I will look unto the LORD ; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”
Micah 7:7

Reflection

What are you waiting for God to do, and what would quiet trust look like while you wait?

Prayer

Lord, I am tired of waiting and I want an answer now. Help me to wait quietly, to trust that you are good, and to rest in you until your rescue comes. Amen.