13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:13-14 NRSV

Be strong the psalmist says. One definition of being strong is “to grasp onto.” That definition adds something tangible to the encouragement. Grasp onto the Lord. Do not let go.

We might be tempted to think of waiting as passive like the drive-thru line at Chick-Fil-a. Just sit there and waste time we will never get back. (To be honest, only lately has that been a reality at my favorite restaurant. I give them the benefit of the doubt that the labor market has crushed them too. Okay…end of my apology for the inventor of the chicken sandwich.) But the psalmist says we wait by grasping onto the Lord and not letting go. If you’ve ever grasped onto something and held it for a long time you know that it takes energy, focus, and determination.

This is why I am becoming more interested in thinking of discipleship holistically. Can getting sufficient rest, eating well, and keeping physically active impact your discipleship? I dare say yes…for all of these lend themselves to more energy, focus and determination which “strengthens our grip” to wait well. Taking care of yourself is an act of discipleship!

The psalmist believes that the goodness of the Lord will be visible on this side of eternity. In the middle of our sleeping, eating, active and relationship lives God’s goodness will be making a difference. How glad I am that we don’t have to wait for our last breath for God’s goodness to be realized!