Benjamin Franklin claimed only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. But he was wrong. He forgot one: waiting. 

According to a recent Timex survey, the average American spends:

• 38 hours each year waiting in traffic
• 13 hours per year on hold with customer service
• 32 minutes waiting to see the doctor 
• 28 minutes in security lines when traveling
• 21 minutes waiting for a significant other before going out

And the study didn’t even begin to cover the time we spend waiting for:

• a medical diagnosis
• a longing to be fulfilled
• the answer to a prayer
• a goal to be achieved

Everyone has to wait for something. 

Waiting is hard. Waiting puts a part of our life on hold and keeps us from moving forward. Waiting takes away our ability to control and leaves us feeling powerless. We can’t hurry traffic, the doctor, or God. So we wait… 

The more I am emotionally invested in the outcome of a situation, the more difficult it is for me to wait. In those times, God feels so, so distant from me. 

I love how David gave voice to these feelings:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
     How long will you hide your face from me?

 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
     and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
     How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Psalm 13:1-2 NIV)

Scholars don’t unanimously agree on what caused David’s distress and inspired this psalm. I wonder if God left it ambiguous on purpose? Because while we may not relate to David’s specific situation, we can all resonate with his emotions. And through his example, we learn God can handle our raw, unfiltered feelings. 

But David also teaches us how to move past those awful feelings of abandonment. In the next verses he makes some requests:

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
     Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
     and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (Psalm 13:3-4 NIV)

David simply asked God to look on him ~ for God to consider his situation and to care for him. David wanted to feel close to God again, so he asked Him to draw near. 

Next David asked God to give him an answer. When I’m in a season of waiting, I tend to ask God why He hasn’t answered me. What if, like David, I ask for His answer? Too often I only see two possible ways for God to respond to my requests: Yes or No. But what if His answer is to wait some more? 

I love how David asks God to give light to his eyes ~ or to see things from God’s viewpoint. We see such a small part of the picture, but God sees it all. Like David, we can ask God to help us understand our situation from His perspective. Otherwise, we remain vulnerable to the enemies of negative thoughts and futile thinking. 

As David wrestled in prayer, he came to this conclusion:

But I trust in your unfailing love;
     my heart rejoices in your salvation.

 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
     for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13:5-6 NIV)

Seasons of waiting are inevitable. But during those times, David reminds us we can trust in the certainty of God’s unfailing love and in His gift of salvation. As I look back on past seasons of waiting, I can see God’s faithful answers. Like David, I can praise the Lord for He has been good to me.

As we continue on our life journeys, we will surely face more times of waiting. In those seasons, I pray we can follow David’s example of prayer and continue to trust in the One who has always been so good to us.