“Then you will know that I am the LORD;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”
Isaiah 49:23b
So many times in the Bible, we read statements about waiting for the Lord. Assurances that He will hear us, that He will answer, that He will come. God is emphasizing to us—declaring to our hearts with all authority—that He will never let us down.
When we’re waiting, we can’t see what He’s doing. We have to trust Him in the darkness and the unknown, in what looks to us like inaction. Our faith is proved in the waiting as we choose to believe that He is faithful and true, not just in a generic sense, but very personally to us.
If God didn’t come through for each of His children, we would be left ashamed. Our beliefs would be revealed as lies, false hopes to which we were foolishly clinging. Faith would be shattered and hope would be gone. And we would be on our own to try and pick up the pieces.
But that will never happen for those who trust in and wait for the Living God. The One who loved us enough to come and die so that we could know Him. The One who has declared we will never be forgotten by Him. There is no risk here, only steadfast assurance that He will come. He may not come as we expect, but He will come. With all power and glory and grace.
“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children….
Then all flesh shall know
that I am the LORD your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Isaiah 49:25-26
“From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
who acts for those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 64:4
“There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
who rides through the heavens to your help,
through the skies in his majesty.”
Deuteronomy 33:26
“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.”
Joel 2:26-27
“He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’”
Isaiah 25:8-9
In Pleasant Places 
i found this page after searching the web for the first line of a poem i wrote in a dissociative state ( i have borderline personality and sometimes the pain is too much and i switch to another mindset and find things i have written days later ) – i would like to share it here as i find it comforting –
i want to have a relationship with God but i dont know where to find him at the present time – so here goes , would love to hear your feed back – “to wait and trust in a place of darkness , to feel truly alone whilst holding faith, to allow a love much deeper to enter our life, and transform it , is to pass from a place of fear to a place called home “
Victoria,
The lines you wrote are simply beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing them.
It is a difficult thing, to wait and trust in darkness, to hold onto faith when you feel alone, and to allow love to come in and transform our life. Each requires surrender. But surrender does bring us home.
Surrender allows the perfect love of God to bring peace to your heart and drive out fear. Not because the difficulties necessarily disappear, but rather because we know that we are not alone. Our God is with us, He is in control, and He will be faithful.
I want to speak a moment to the desire you mentioned to have a relationship with God. Let me encourage you by saying that the fact you are seeking to know Him means that He is drawing you to Himself. This is not a one-sided pursuit, and it is not in vain. He wants to be found by you. He is working on your heart, preparing you for that moment, for that choice and for all the love that awaits you.
So much of the Christian life is choosing to take God at His Word. This applies both at the beginning of our relationship with Him and all through the years. It is declaring to your heart that the Bible is truth. Deciding to trust that God is who He says He is, that He does save, and that Jesus is the way to restore your relationship with God the Father.
Upon this decision to trust Him and believe His Word, the Spirit of God enters your heart with all of His perfect love, and from that moment on—forever—you are sealed. Meaning you are His, and He will never let you go.
It is determining to hold fast to His Word and believe His promises and His unchanging character regardless of emotions. Our emotions shift and sway. Circumstances change constantly. But our God never changes. This is why we know His love will never fail and that He will never leave or forsake us. Even when we can’t feel Him, He is here. Constant. Faithful. Our Rock and our Hope.
Once you make the choice to believe Him, He will affirm it with peace. It may rush over you like a great wave. It may quietly enter in, as a still, small voice of assurance and hope. But He will be there. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When we declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in the power and grace and wisdom of God that was displayed when Christ was raised from the dead—when we believe Him—He will save us.
I was reading through Psalm 107 earlier today. It impressed on my heart the truth that no matter where we are or how we got there or whether we can see any possible escape, when we cry out to God, He will hear us and He will answer. He will come with almighty power, break through our chains, heal our brokenness, and satisfy our hungry, longing soul.
Cry out to Him. With all of your heart, seek Him. He is found in His Word, which is living and active and filled with the power of His Spirit. Choose it, choose Him, and He will cover you with grace.