We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 (MSG)

Maybe you feel a little battered or even demoralized, but there is great hope in the verse above. We can be throw down so to speak, but not broken. Or we can become weary but not defeated. This is called resilience. To be resilient often means to persevere during difficulty. It’s being the proverbial ball that bounces back when it is thrown against a wall. Resilient requires us to power through the feeling of wanting to give up. It requires endurance through difficulty. During times of struggle, we must remember, we are not alone in this fight.

The Psalmist David was no stranger to difficulty. His life was often on the line as his enemies tried to destroy him. During his time of oppression and even depression, he often asked God the question, how long? Listen to his words. “And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O Lord – How long?” (13:1) “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?”  (13:2) “How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” (74:10, Psalm of Asaph) “How long, O God, will the adversary revile, And the enemy spurn Your name forever?” How long?

So often in our life, we don’t know how long. We wonder but get no answers. How long will my abusive boss be in power? How long will my marriage be in conflict? How long will my son struggle with addiction? The question, how long, comes up often and can lead to giving up. However, God wants us to persevere during trying times. And during the waiting, God teaches us patience. Patience to wait and to trust. When patience is required, it means we wait perhaps with no end in sight. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit and a sign of spiritual maturity. Scripture tells us that when we wait on the Lord, He will give us strength to endure.

If we are honest, most of us don’t like to wait. We want immediate answers and solutions to our great problems. We don’t want evil to flourish. We want justice for injustice. And we want the good guys to win. When those answers or solutions take time, we need to focus on what God wants to teach us during this time of waiting. Psalm 27:13-14 says, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

The key is to wait on the Lord, not give in to our impatience. We don’t know what God is up to during our time of waiting. He may be working his character in us, arranging things we can’t see and preparing us for new things. So during this time of waiting, e.g., waiting for a vaccine, an election, a change in social gatherings, a broken marriage and more, ask God to strengthen you and produce the character in you that makes you more resilient. Scripture tells us he rewards those who wait and that his timing is perfect in all things (Psalm 27:14).