“We wait for the LORD; He is our help and shield.  For our hearts rejoice in Him, because we trust in His holy name.  May Your faithful love rest on us, LORD, for we put our hope in You.”                  (Psalm 33:20-22 HCSB)

Notice the verbs in that passage – wait, rejoice, trust, hope.  That’s our responsibility when things don’t go as we think they should.  We are not told to worry, fret, fear, quit, give up, etc.  Our problem is we try to take on responsibility that is not ours when we’ve done all we should and things still don’t go our way.

Notice also the object of these verbs – “wait for the LORD,” “rejoice in Him,” “trust in His holy name,” “hope in You.”  That describes a heart directed towards God.  If you heart is directed towards anything else you will worry, fret, fear, quit, give up because you are trying to assume responsibility that’s not yours, and you can’t make it work.  You are not depending on God to fulfill His responsibility.

Earlier in Psalm 33, it says that the LORD frustrates the counsel of the nations, thwarts the plans of the peoples, that His counsel stands forever, and that His plans stand from generation to generation (vv. 10-11).   That’s God’s responsibility, not ours!

But we don’t see that happening right now do we?  Does that mean it won’t ever happen? We may think that God is not doing His job, fulfilling His responsibility.  Verse 4 says, “For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is trustworthy.”  Can we trust God to do what He says He will do?  Do we really believe God to be trustworthy?  If we do, we will wait on Him to do it, even if we don’t see it while we are on earth.  We will rejoice in Him when there seems little in this world to rejoice about.  We will trust in His Word and His work to be accomplished in His time.  We will hope in His faithful, unfailing love that fills the earth (vv. 5, 22).

So, no matter what, do your part, fulfill your responsibility and leave the rest to God.  No matter the outcome of the presidential election; no matter the outcome of our next health scan; no matter the shortfall in our finances; no matter the tragedy and loss we experience – NO MATTER WHAT – wait on the LORD, rejoice in Him, trust His holy name, and put our hope in Him. He will do what He said He will do!

“The righteous will rejoice when he sees the retribution; he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.  Then people will say, ‘Yes, there is a reward for the righteous! There is a God who judges on earth!’” (Psalm 58:10-11)