Week 2 of Lent: Waiting in the Wilderness

Scripture

“I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart be courageous.
Wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:13–14

Some wandered in desert wastes,
    finding no way to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
    till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he satisfies the longing soul,
    and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Psalm 107:4-9

“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10

Reflection

Lent often leads us into a kind of wilderness—a space that feels quiet, slow, and unresolved. For me, wilderness feels empty and barren. I think about deserts when I hear the word wilderness. Nothing can grow in the desert, or so it seems. As we wait we often wonder if we are even making progress. Although we look towards Easter, the resurrection, and spring, winter is still here – in full force. 

What can God be doing in the meantime?

He is working! There have been so many times I’ve tried to rush ahead….trying to get to the end of my waiting, when God asked me to stop, wait, and be still. I didn’t want to. I want to fix all of the problems. In a society fixated with hurry and efficiency, it can seem foreign to us that God would ask us to wait for Him to work. 

Waiting in the wilderness is not wasted time. I’ve spoken about this before. Waiting is where trust is shaped and where our hearts learn hope and courage. 

One of my favorite parts of the Bible that talk about waiting is found in the psalms. Psalm 27 does not deny fear or uncertainty; instead, it anchors hope in the promise that God’s goodness will still be seen—here, in the land of the living. Waiting becomes an act of faith, not passivity. We wait because our waiting is not in vain – our waiting is in God. 

In Psalm 46 we are reminded that waiting often looks like stillness. The author says to “Be still…” There are other passages in the Bible that talk about being still. These stories, these commands, and examples always depict God working behind the scenes. 

I have seen this to be true in my own journey.  Both with big life events and even smaller ones, when I wait, God’s hand is more clearly seen and witnessed in the outcome. 

To be still is to loosen our grip on control and acknowledge that God is present and at work, even when we cannot see the full path ahead. In the wilderness, God does not rush us through. He invites us to remain, to listen, and to learn that His presence is enough. 

Be still. This is a hard lesson for all of us try-hard(er) girls. We want to rush towards Easter and skip the waiting. Skip the pause. Move through the hard parts. But God doesn’t always allow us to go through the valleys quickly. Yes, we get through them, but we often have to wait and be still as we walk through them. 

Finally, as we read Psalm 107 we see a redemption psalm. The author describes a pilgrim’s journey through life. The section about waiting depicts for us a wilderness. That’s what waiting feels like. But. Even in the wilderness, God provides food and water. We might have to walk slowly, learn to be still, but we are not without provision. We have what we need when our eyes are focused on God.

I recently read this book on waiting. The author said: “Waiting requires living by what I know to be true about God when I don’t know what’s true about my life.” 

We want to know the answers to our questions and end our waiting. But what if God is inviting us to find Him? To meet with Him in the quiet and stillness. 

This week of Lent asks us to resist the urge to hurry toward answers. Instead, we are invited to stay—trusting that God meets us in the quiet and strengthens our hearts as we wait.

Prayer

Gracious God, we lift our hands in worship to you and turn our hearts to your character. Although our waiting feels like a wilderness, desert, with no growth, please encourage our hearts with the truth of your word. When desert seasons threaten our faith, strengthen us. Where our hearts fear, give us courage. Help us to confess our needs before you and trust your loving provision. Amen.

Reflective Question

Read the psalms listed above and think about the characteristics of God in those verses. Which one speaks to your situation today? 

What does “waiting for the Lord” feel like for you right now—heavy, hopeful, or somewhere in between?

This Lenten devotion on waiting is part of the Psalms for the Lenten Journey series—a seven-week walk through Lent using the prayers and honesty of the Psalms. If you’d like to read the full series, you can begin at Week 1 and move through each week at your own pace.

Click here to read the other posts in this series.