Are you in a season of waiting on the Lord? I am. I feel hopeless looking at the situations facing me and our family. That is not unique or ungodly. Today, we will see that when all hope seems lost, we are to look to the Lord, wait on the God of our salvation, and trust that He will hear us when we cry out.
Why Look To The Lord Instead of Your Circumstances?
In our series on waiting on the Lord, we have seen several ways to wait on God well.
- How To Be of Good Courage While Waiting on The Lord
- Waiting on God to Answer Prayers
- How To Wait on The Lord in Trials: Psalm 37
- Keeping Hope Alive When You Are Failing At Waiting in Hope: Romans 8:25
Today, we will see how to fix our eyes on the Lord while we wait for the impossible. When we look to the Lord instead of our circumstances, we are able to trust God and keep hope.
“Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7 NKJV)
We are called to wait for the God of our salvation in Micah 7:7.
In that one verse, we are reminded to look to the Lord and wait on Him. We are reminded that He saves us and hears us. To better understand how to look to God while waiting we will study Micah 7 in context (my favorite way!).
Micah’s Message of Necessary Judgment Leading To Hope
The prophet Micah ministered to Israel alongside Isaiah and Hosea. They were prophets on a mission to warn of impending captivity and exile. God spoke a call of repentance through Micah. Destruction was coming; judgment was inescapable because generations had turned their backs on the Lord.
There was hope if only they heeded the warning and surrendered to the Lord through the judgment. There was a promise of restoration. (I can relate to a desire for restoration!) There was a promise that the Lord was still their God and He would never leave them or forsake them!
Judgment was not the end of the story for Israel.
The hopeless situation you are facing is not the end of your story either, friend, (or mine)!
Trust In God When All Hope Seems Lost
“Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires.
The faithful man has perished from the earth,
And there is no one upright among men.
They all lie in wait for blood;
Every man hunts his brother with a net.” (Micah 7:1-2 NKJV)
Can you relate to the opening line of this chapter? When you look at the situation you are facing, does it feel hopeless or fruitless?
Each evening, as I crash into bed, I feel wrung out, used up, poured out to the last drop. There is nothing left in me. It seems like all is lost.
When A Season of Harvest Turns To Grief
It feels like I should be in a season of harvest, but instead, there is no fruit. Instead, there is intense grief.
- I have lost both parents to heaven… the grief is enormous… the need for their support and help is huge…
- It feels like my family should be here to help and support me, but they have died or are too far away or are struggling with their own things and can’t help me in my time of need.
- I have lost two of my best friends at a time when I need to process the hard parts… the loss is like grief…
- The one who was to be my other half forever betrayed our family…
While I’ve dedicated my life to helping others find hope and joy in marriage through difficult seasons, I am struggling to find hope and joy again myself. I feel hopeless… like there will never be hope or joy in this relationship again…
What can we do when we have been abandoned, betrayed, and grieved by those closest to us? Where can we turn when we need help but it is not coming from the sources we expected?
We must trust in the Lord. He is trustworthy. Trust in the God who never leaves you or forsakes you. He is with you. He hears you!
Related Post: Biblical Separation in Marriage: Finding Hope
Trust God Instead of Leaders
“That they may successfully do evil with both hands—
The prince asks for gifts,
The judge seeks a bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire;
So they scheme together.
The best of them is like a brier;
The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge;
The day of your watchman and your punishment comes;
Now shall be their perplexity.” (Micah 7:3-4)
Micah immediately starts to hit hard at the wrong but normal and human ways we try to find hope. When everything feels hopeless, your earthly leaders will not be able to fix everything.
God calls us to wait on the Lord instead of:
- Princes
- Judges
- Great men
He reminds us that humans are sinful, selfish, and corruptible. They can not save you. They can not change your impossible situation.
Instead of taking your pain to leaders who may fail, we are called to take our needs to the Lord.
Related Post: Divorce as a Christian Woman is Not the End of Your Story
Leaders Are Needed But Are Imperfect
Let me clarify something. We need leaders. God sets leaders in place to accomplish His purposes. Leaders can be godly servants, being the hands and feet of the Lord in certain situations.
The point Micah is making here is not that no leaders are ever good. Israel believed their leaders could save them from the judgment of the Lord. They were looking to their leaders for salvation rather than looking to the Lord. That is idolatry, no matter how amazing the leader is, he or she is not to be a god to you.
In my situation, the leaders around our family are helping in many ways, but they don’t have all the answers. Neither can they fix the situation. What they can (and are doing) is pray for us, point us back to the Lord, and help us find resources to guide the process.
In the end, only God can save us; only the Lord can fight our impossible battles.
What can we do when leaders can’t fix things? Surrender to God, look to the Lord and trust Him to save us in His way and timeframe.
Related Post: Why Jesus is the Rock that Never Leaves Me
If you feel hopeless, check out these 8 Ways To Look To The Lord When All Hope Seems Lost! Share on XTrust God Instead of Family and Friends: Look to the Lord
“Do not trust in a friend;
Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your bosom.
For son dishonors father,
Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.” (Micah 7:5-6)
People will fail you. They are sinful, selfish humans just like you are, and they fall short. That sounds very pessimistic, but I know how often I fail others. If I fail others, I can expect them to fail me. Maybe not intentionally, but just because we are human.
We are warned to wait on the Lord by looking to Him for strength instead of:
- Family.
- Daughters/mothers.
- Sons/fathers.
- Lovers/ Spouse.
- Companion/Friend.
Do not put your trust in them alone. They will/could turn on you, rise up against you, or just let you down. Your trust must be in the Lord!
The Role of Friends and Family
What does that mean for our relationships with friends and family? Does this say we should not be in relationships with others? Absolutely not.
What this passage reminds us is that people can not save you. They can help you, but they will not ultimately be your salvation.
I wish my mom were still alive because I long for her wisdom. She lived through something similar to what I am facing today. Could she fix the mess I am in? No. In fact, she warned me I was headed toward this and I didn’t listen.
I wish my friends were still around because I need to process the thoughts in my head about this crisis. They are wise and kind but firm and godly. Could they fix the situation? Nope. In fact, they may even steer me away from what the Lord is calling for now because they would approach this logically from a human perspective.
The Role of the Holy Spirit
Other godly women are speaking wisdom into my life through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Other friends are listening and praying through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Leaders have stepped up to give counsel with the clear understanding that God is in control, and we will all trust Him through this crisis.
The Lord allows people to be His hands and feet. We are here to help each other. Relationships are critical to a godly life. However, they need to stay in check.
No relationship should take the place of the Lord in our lives. While we need people, we must safeguard against going to people before or instead of the Lord.
Look to the Lord for wisdom and support instead of people. He is faithful and trustworthy.
How To Look To the Lord When You’ve Lost Hope
Where are you looking? Are you looking to the Lord?
We want to look to our leaders to fix the problems.
We want to look to our friends and family to help fix the problems.
When they do not or can not or when they are a part of the problem, we turn inward and fix our eyes on the hopelessness of the impossible situation!
We lose hope when we spend all our time looking around at our circumstances or thinking about our impossible situation. The hopelessness seeps in without our even realizing it was there.
Anybody else trying to muster the strength to fight the battle but falling short?
Now hear me, we have to face the reality of the situations we are facing. We can’t bury our heads and pretend everything is okay. Face the facts of your impossible situation with clarity and truth.
But once you have faced reality, don’t sink into a pit of despair by obsessing over the impossible. Instead, turn to look to the Lord.
How can you trust in the Lord in the face of the impossible?
Related Post: How To Keep Trusting God When It Looks Impossible
1. Trust in The Lord To Hear As You Wait
“Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7 NKJV)
There are two promises to hold onto when all seems lost and hopelessness has snuck into your heart.
- God is my salvation.
- God will hear.
You can look to the Lord because you KNOW He will save you, and you KNOW He hears you when you call.
You know He will because you know He has in the past. He saved you before. He saved others before. Trust that He will save you again.
He heard you before. He heard others before. Trust that He will hear you now.
Trust that He will be faithful now as He was faithful before.
Seek The Lord (Look To The Lord) and His Strength
I want to pause a moment and share another verse that says to look to the Lord.
“Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!” (Psalm 105:4 NKJV quoting 1 Chronicles 16:11)
When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to the Tabernacle, He sang a song reminding himself and Israel that it was the Lord’s strength that they needed.
Regardless of the facts you are facing, the Lord longs to be your strength!
We don’t have an ark reminding us that God is our strength, but we have the Holy Spirit within us to remind us if we let Him.
When you are failing at keeping hope alive, look to the Lord to be your strength in the impossible battle you face! He longs to show Himself strong on your behalf.
What Do You Seek For Strength of Satisfaction?
When I am weak and falling short, I do not often turn to the Lord first. He longs for us to wait on the Lord for satisfaction, for strength, and for the rewards that we desire.
While studying Micah 7, I was reminded not to turn to idols for satisfaction or strength:
- Food
- Work/health
- People
- Entertainment
All these things fall short of fulfilling the desire of my soul. They disappoint and hurt me, and they don’t lead to growth or spiritual fruit.
Instead of trusting in people or things, I feel called to wait in confidence for the Lord to fight my battles. Trust Him for the salvation you need!
2. Look to The Lord While You Wait in Repentance
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy;
When I fall, I will arise;
When I sit in darkness,
The Lord will be a light to me.
I will bear the indignation of the Lord,
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He pleads my case
And executes justice for me.
He will bring me forth to the light;
I will see His righteousness.
Then she who is my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will see her;
Now she will be trampled down
Like mud in the streets.” (Micah 7:8-10 NKJV)
Verses 8-10 show that we are to look to the Lord while confessing sin in true repentance.
Remorse Versus Repentance
The judgment of the Lord was not meant to last forever. Rather, it was meant to draw Israel back to repentance, back to the Lord.
At times, when we feel the consequences of our actions (sins), we feel remorse, which leads to shame and shutting down. Remorse is not helpful alone.
We should feel guilt for our sins, but guilt leads to change (repentance, turning from sin). When shame comes quickly on the heels of guilt, it does not lead to change.
“Remorse feels sorry for himself and the consequences. Repentance is grieved by sin against God and yields to suffering the consequences… confident God will set him free from his sin.” G. Campbell Morgan (1863—1945)
When we look to the Lord, we are waiting on God’s salvation from sin. We acknowledge the sin that led to the consequences we are facing, and we surrender to God for freedom, change, and healing.
Only when we turn from our sin in repentance can reconciliation happen because we don’t change when we are stuck in shame.
When The Sin Is Not Yours
Let’s be honest for a moment, however. There are circumstances where you are not the one walking in sin.
Today, I face an impossible situation. It feels impossible to me because I am not in control. The need for repentance is for someone else. Regardless of who needs to repent, however, I and my kids are smack dab in the middle of a storm.
What can you do when there is no way to reconcile without repentance, but it is someone else who needs to repent? When you have done all you can but still there is no change… what does the Lord expect then?
Let me just remind us both of some things we’ve learned over the years:
- Pray about it more than you talk or think about it.
- Trust the Lord while you wait for change in them.
- Keep moving forward where He shows you it’s safe.
- Own your part even if it feels small and unimportant.
- There is always a part that is ours to own and confess. Be gut-level honest with yourself about anything that is yours.
Prayer is a weapon in the battle. Pray hard and trust God with the result… even if it doesn’t turn out how you planned, God is good and He is for you.
3. Wait For God To Restore You While Looking To The Lord
“In the day when your walls are to be built,
In that day the decree shall go far and wide.
In that day they shall come to you
From Assyria and the fortified cities,
From the fortress to the River, sea to sea,
And mountain to mountain.” (Micah 7:11-12 NKJV)
Something beautiful happens while you wait on the Lord, while you look to the Lord for salvation. When you turn from your sin and idolatry and trust Him alone, He begins to restore what was destroyed.
The walls fell in Israel, but He rebuilt them. Judgment came, but He brought healing. He will save you too.
Your story is not over, not any more than Israel’s story was over thousands of years ago. God has a plan. It looks different from our plan, but it is better! Trust Him.
When you look to the Lord, waiting on God’s restoration, He builds back better than it was before the impossible battle. Trust Him. Trust that His heart is for you.
4. Wait For God’s Vengeance While Looking to the Lord
“Yet the land shall be desolate
Because of those who dwell in it,
And for the fruit of their deeds.” (Micah 7:13 NKJV)
You are waiting on the Lord. Look to the Lord. Trust that He will restore you and that He will handle vengeance on those who hurt you. Their land will be desolate because of their deeds.
He saw them hurt you. Trust Him to defend you and fight for you. Get your eyes off of them (waiting on them to suffer like you) and keep your eyes on HIM.
Remember that we serve a God who is famous for taking a desolate land and restoring it to health and abundance.
Yes, there may be a season of desolation in your life because of sin (yours or theirs).
Yes, it will hurt and feel hopeless.
But He is still God. He is still in control. He is still for you!
Related Post: How To Remember God Is in Control: Be Still
5. Wait On God To Lead While Your Look To the Lord
“Shepherd Your people with Your staff,
The flock of Your heritage,
Who dwell solitarily in a woodland,
In the midst of Carmel;
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
As in days of old.” (Micah 7:14 NKJV)
When you are tempted to spend hours fixating on situations you can’t control or fix… When you can’t get out of your head, thinking through what happened, what you should have done or said differently or what they may do or say in the future… Remember God is in control.
Not only is God in control, but He is also your Good Shepherd. Remember His role as Shepherd.
- Restoration of the Shepherd relationship.
- Loving care.
- Provision.
- Protection.
- Peace in knowing His voice.
He leads us when we look to the Lord! We need His leadership.
Related Post: 90+ Scriptures About Provision To Grow Your Faith Today
The Leadership of God
I don’t know what you are facing today, but I know you need the Lord to lead you. He sees the end from the beginning. His ways can feel kind of crazy and illogical, but He is for you.
We have to trust His plan, His way, and His timing.
I say that to myself more than you today. You see, I want things to go my way. If I were God, things wouldn’t take so long or hurt so badly. Does anybody else feel like that?
But sometimes things need to hurt to bring lasting change and healing.
Sometimes things need to take a long time because they are hard and painful and we would fall apart if it happened any faster.
God’s heart is good. When what’s happening doesn’t feel good, we can trust in the nature of our Good Shepherd. He is good. His ways are good. Trust Him!
Remember God’s Past Faithfulness To Trust Him Now
Verse 15 reminds us that we serve a God of wonders. He answers prayers and does the miraculous.
What has God done in your life?
Have there been miracles?
Have their been wonders?
The people of Israel call back to the parting of the Red Sea when talking of signs and wonders, but I say look nearer. What has He done in your lifetime?
God saved me. He saved my husband. He brought babies when they said there was no way. There have been relationships restored, bills paid, leaders step forward, and so much more. He has worked miraculously in my life.
When all seems hopeless, remember you serve the God who still works miracles!
6. Wait On God To Shame Enemies
“The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
They shall put their hand over their mouth;
Their ears shall be deaf.
They shall lick the dust like a serpent;
They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth.
They shall be afraid of the Lord our God,
And shall fear because of You.” (Micah 7:16-17 NKJV)
When God rebuilds your life and steps in as your Good Shepherd, everyone will see. When they see Him moving in your life, your enemies will feel ashamed for how they treated you. Why is this promised in Scripture?
Vengeance is Mine Says the Lord
This goes back to not taking vengeance. The Christian is to let God judge those who wrong us because His vengeance leads to repentance.
We don’t need to go off on our enemies or put them in their place. We don’t need to plot our revenge. Instead, we are called to wait for God to shame those who have wronged us.
When they see the pain we felt, but how we trusted the Lord and chose to look to the Lord it will convict them like little else could. When God restores us, the fear of the Lord spreads.
After the crisis passes, seeing us changed and blessed causes those who oppose God and His people to acknowledge Him.
Israel experienced this time and time again as God saved them, fought for them, and miraculously provided for them. Each time, the people around them gained a real respect for God and His power.
The vengeance of God leads to the fear of the Lord. We must look to Him and trust Him with those who hurt us.
7. Waiting in Worship As We Look To God
“Who is a God like You,
Pardoning iniquity
And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?
He does not retain His anger forever,
Because He delights in mercy.” (Micah 7:18 NKJV)
All of those things lead us to worship God.
We remember who the Lord is: forgiving, merciful, just, and compassionate.
We remember that He will not allow pain to last forever. It may feel like this is the end and we will always hurt, but He is good and merciful.
We worship the Lord, knowing that God delights in showing mercy!
Will you praise Him while you look to the Lord for salvation, protection, repentance, restoration, and everything else you need?
8. Waiting in Hope in His Faithfulness
“He will again have compassion on us,
And will subdue our iniquities.
You will cast all our sins
Into the depths of the sea.
You will give truth to Jacob
And mercy to Abraham,
Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old.” (Micah 7:19-20 NKJV)
We are waiting in the Lord. We are keeping hope… not in the circumstances that feel impossible, but in the fact that we can trust His faithfulness.
- He made a covenant and has faithfully kept it.
- The Lord never changes.
- God never lies.
- He never breaks His Word.
When I can’t trust those around me and I can’t see hope in a situation that feels impossible, I can look to the Lord. I can wait in Him! He will save me. He will hear me.
He has been faithful before, so I can trust that He will be faithful now. Hoping in the faithfulness of God keeps me looking to the Lord!
Therefore I Will Look To The Lord While Waiting
The challenge to wait for the God of my salvation feels like a rallying call!
“Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me.” (Micah 7:7 NKJV)
When your circumstances feel hopeless and your situation seems impossible remember these words.
Look to the Lord instead of your circumstances, instead of your leaders, instead of your friends or family. The Lord is faithful!
Trust God to save you from the impossible situation.
Remember that though you feel alone and it feels hopeless, God hears you, God sees you. He is for you. If He is for you, who can be against you (and be victorious)? No one!
So I will look to Him, He’s where my help comes from as I wait.
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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