Hearing His Voice #360

I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

Psalm 130:6

Sometimes we have to encounter God. We just have to. The situation is desperate, the need is overwhelming, the next step is too urgent, yet unclear. We need to feel God’s touch, hear the sound of His voice, receive His answer to prayer. The crises of life drive us to Him, pleading for Him to intervene or even to whisper His will. In those moments, our souls long for Him more than sentries who wait for the dawn. Like watchmen on the walls, we scan the horizon for any hint of the rising sun. We wait for the morning. And wait some more.

During those times of waiting and watching, we need to remember one thing: The sun always rises. The sentries on the wall don’t wonder whether the darkness will give way to the dawn; they only wonder exactly when. They don’t have to fear that perhaps this time the sun won’t rise, that maybe they will be stuck in some deep night’s perpetual shroud. The dawn will come. It always does. It may seem slow, like the watched pot that seems never to boil or a long-anticipated vacation that seems like it may never arrive. Eventually, the darkness breaks and the light shines. The day of favor comes.

Waiting for God can be a lot like that, and if we’re watching the clock, the wait can be awfully frustrating. But He does come. He breaks through like the rising sun, dispelling the darkness of our desperation and bringing warmth to the cold places of our lives. He responds faithfully to whatever prayers we’ve prayed with persistent faith. He speaks to ears that remain open. Like the watchmen who wait for the morning, we will see the sunrise.

Lord, You have seen my seasons of desperation. You know how I’ve watched for You more than the sentries long for the dawn. Reward my wait—my persistent, hopeful wait—with the sight tired eyes need to see: You. I look to You as the light that interrupts all the darkness in my life.