July 18, 2026 Devo

The last few days, it has POURED down rain. I’m talking street-flooding, streams-overflowing, an umbrella-won’t-help-you kind of rain. Funny thing is, it was only a week ago or so when we were talking about how hot it was and how much we NEEDED the rain. It’s like Mark Twain said. “Everybody talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it!” All you can do is wait.
As Jeremiah cries out to God on behalf of the people, he acknowledges that they are in that same situation. Idols can’t help them. Rituals and sacrifices won’t change anything. Running around, yelling, screaming, and panicking won’t bring one drop of rain either. Nor will any of those stop what’s coming. God is their only help. And all they can do is wait on Him.
Waiting on God. Have you ever been there? Maybe you’re there right now. Maybe you’re stuck in a situation where you’ve done all you can do, and you’re out of options and ideas. Maybe you’re dealing with a health issue, a financial issue, or a relational issue, and it seems nothing can be done. It seems God is the only one who can help you. And now you’re waiting on Him.
Waiting is a hard place to be, but it is also a unique opportunity. There are many things you can do while you’re waiting, but some of them may be things you don’t want to do. First of all, you can repent. I’m not saying that sin is the cause of your problems, but it was for Judah. Repenting was what God wanted, but what they refused to do. Waiting on God provides us a perfect opportunity to sit with Him, allow Him to expose our hearts and lives to us, and to show us anything we need to confess before Him. When we’re waiting, repentance seems a good place to start.
We can pray. And not just “When you gonna get this done, God?” kind of prayers. Prayers of surrender. Prayers of seeking God’s heart. Prayers that acknowledge God’s faithfulness in the past and tell Him we trust Him with our future. You know, “Not my will, but YOUR will be done,” kind of prayers. You can also stand on His Promises. Recite or read scriptures of God’s promises of help and deliverance. Commit to memory those scriptures that tell of His great love for you. Prayers, promises, and praising Him seem a much better way to wait than pouting and panicking.
When all you can do is wait, don’t waste your waiting time. Use it to draw closer to God rather than pulling away. Use it to increase your faith rather than feed your fears. Use your waiting room to get BETTER, not BITTER. The rain will come, the healing will come, the deliverance will come—but in God’s time, not yours. Trust me, when all you can do is wait, worshipping is a whole lot better than whining. That’s God’s Word for you today.