31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]

Will gain new strength and renew their power;

They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];

They will run and not become weary,

They will walk and not grow tired. [Heb 12:1-3]

18 Therefore the Lord waits [expectantly] and longs to be gracious to you,

And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.

*For the Lord is a God of justice;

Blessed (happy, fortunate) are all those who long for Him [since He will never fail them]. [John 14:3, 27; 2 Cor 12:9; Heb 12:2; 1 John 3:16; Rev 3:5]

14 Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

13 I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

14 Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—

Whom shall I dread?

2 When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh,

My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army encamp against me,

My heart will not fear;

Though war arise against me,

Even in this I am confident.

4 One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life,

To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord

And to meditate in His temple. [Ps 16:11; 18:6; 65:4; Luke 2:37]

5 For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;

In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock.

6 And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,

In His tent I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;

Be gracious and compassionate to me and answer me.

8 When You said, "Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need]," my heart said to You,

"Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word]."

9 Do not hide Your face from me,

Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help;

Do not abandon me nor *leave me,

O God of my salvation!

10 Although my father and my mother have abandoned me,

Yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me as His child]. [Ps 22:10]

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,

And lead me on a level path

Because of my enemies [who lie in wait].

12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,

For false witnesses have come against me;

They breathe out violence.

13 I would have despaired had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

14 Wait for and confidently expect the Lord;

Be strong and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.

1 I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord;

And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

2 He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay,

And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path.

3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;

Many will see and fear [with great reverence]

And will trust confidently in the Lord. [Ps 5:11]

4 Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who makes the Lord his trust,

And does not regard the proud nor those who lapse into lies.

5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which You have done,

And Your thoughts toward us;

There is none to compare with You.

If I would declare and speak of your wonders,

They would be too many to count.

6 Sacrifice and meal offering You do not desire, nor do You delight in them;

You have opened my ears and given me the capacity to hear [and obey Your word];

Burnt offerings and sin offerings You do not require. [Mic 6:6-8]

7 Then I said, "Behold, I come [to the throne];

In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

8 "I delight to do Your will, O my God;

Your law is within my heart." [Jer 31:33; Heb 10:5-9]

9 I have proclaimed good news of righteousness [and the joy that comes from obedience to You] in the great assembly;

Behold, I will not restrain my lips [from proclaiming Your righteousness],

As You know, O Lord.

10 I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart;

I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation.

I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly. [Acts 20:20, 27]

11 Do not withhold Your compassion and tender mercy from me, O Lord;

Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

12 For innumerable evils have encompassed me;

My sins have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see.

They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,

And my heart has failed me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to save me;

O Lord, make haste to help me.

14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together

Who seek my life to destroy it;

Let those be turned back [in defeat] and dishonored

Who delight in my hurt.

20 We wait [expectantly] for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For in Him our heart rejoices,

Because we trust [lean on, rely on, and are confident] in His holy name.

22 Let Your [steadfast] lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,

In proportion as we have *hoped in You.

5 I wait [patiently] for the Lord, my soul [expectantly] waits,

And in His word do I hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord

More than the watchmen for the morning;

More than the watchmen for the morning.

5 For God alone my soul waits in silence and quietly submits to Him,

For my hope is from Him.

34 Wait for and expect the Lord and keep His way,

And He will exalt you to inherit the land;

[In the end] when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

5 Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart

And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

6 *In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,

And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

3 And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; 4 and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation].

11 [we pray that you may be] strengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy;

7 So wait patiently, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits [expectantly] for the precious harvest from the land, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains. 8 You too, be patient; strengthen your hearts [keep them energized and firmly committed to God], because the coming of the Lord is near.

11 You know we call those blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] who were steadfast and endured [difficult circumstances]. You have heard of the patient endurance of Job and you have seen the Lord’s outcome [how He richly blessed Job]. The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. [Job 1:21, 22; 42:10; Ps 111:4]

22 Since by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves for a sincere love of the believers, [see that you] love one another from the heart [always unselfishly seeking the best for one another], 23 for you have been born again [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that is, through the living and everlasting word of God. 24 For,

"All flesh is like grass,

And all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers

And the flower falls off,

25 But the word of the Lord endures forever."

And this is the word [the good news of salvation] which was preached to you. [Is 40:6-8]

9 The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

1 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went to *meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish [thoughtless, silly, and careless], and five were wise [far-sighted, practical, and sensible]. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them,4 but the wise took flasks of oil along with their lamps.5 Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all began to nod off, and they fell asleep.6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! The bridegroom [is coming]! Go out to meet him.’7 Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order [trimmed the wicks and added oil and lit them]. 8 But the foolish virgins said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’9 But the wise replied, ‘No, otherwise there will not be enough for us and for you, too; go instead to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves.’10 But while they were going away to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut and locked. 11 Later the others also came, and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open [the door] for us.’12 But He replied, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I do not know you [we have no relationship].’ 13 Therefore, be on the alert [be prepared and ready], for you do not know the day nor the hour [when the Son of Man will come].