Wait for the Lord – Storytellers

“Wait for the Lord” was one of those songs that seemed to write itself. At the time, I had no idea that I would be throwing it into the hat for inclusion in what would become North Side’s Overcome recording project and how well it would fit into the overarching theme of the project. It truly was a God thing.

Around the beginning of 2010, I decided to read through the Psalms again from start to finish (something I would encourage everyone to do). As I moved through the first 50 chapters or so, one particular theme repeatedly jumped off the page to grab my attention…Wait.

More specifically, wait for the Lord. That’s when I knew I wanted to set the idea to music and craft a simple tune focused on the idea of waiting for the Lord during times of trouble.

The chorus of the song took shape first. It comes from Psalm 27 where David finds himself in the middle of a time of distress. (I can relate.) In that difficult time, he finds his strength and deliverance in focusing on the goodness of the Lord. And he concludes with a resounding:

Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and take heart
And wait for the Lord.  -Psalm 27:14

Next came the verses with the first verse being a direct adaptation of Psalm 33:20-22:

20 We wait in hope for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,

even as we put our hope in you.
Lyrically, I wanted to keep the song simple. It is a declaration to people. A reminder of God’s presence, unfailing love, and desire to bring comfort and healing. A word of encouragement to others to stay focused on Him and wait for what He will do. The ending tag was a spontaneous addition after I had basically finished the song. The focus shifts from a conversation among people to a proclamation to God.

Musically, I wanted to punctuate the song by reinforcing the theme of “waiting” with a musical pause. Listen for it at the end of the song.

Wait. It’s a word — an idea — that we often have trouble embracing. In our fast-paced, I-want/need-it-yesterday society, waiting is the last thing we want to do. And yet, sometimes it is the very thing we should do. Yes, even in the face of difficulty. The ability to overcome is not really ours; it belongs to God, but He wants to share it with us.

Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Take heart. And wait.