April 20 – Strength in Waiting

Lamentations 3:25–26 –
"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (NIV)

SITREP:
When you’re stuck in a season of waiting, do you lose patience—or lean in with quiet trust? Perseverance includes patience. God is working, even when you don’t see the results yet.

The book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah after Jerusalem had been destroyed by Babylon. The city lay in ruins, the temple had been burned, and many of God's people had been killed or exiled. Jeremiah’s heart was broken. Yet in the middle of his grief and despair, he clung to what he knew to be true: God is still good.

Verses 25 and 26 come from a section of hope in the middle of deep lament. They aren’t spoken from comfort—they come from the trenches. And yet, they declare that even in devastation, waiting on the Lord is never wasted time.

• “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him…” – Hope isn’t denial. It’s the decision to believe that God is still present and active, even when nothing looks like it should.

• “…to the one who seeks Him.” – Even in the wreckage, we pursue God. We press in, we listen, we remain faithful.

• “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” – Quiet doesn’t mean passive. It means confident. Calm. Locked in.

This isn’t weak patience—it’s battlefield discipline.

How This Applies to a Soldier’s Faith:
If you’ve worn a uniform, you know that waiting can be more grueling than the battle itself. Waiting for orders, for updates, for clarity. But every warrior learns this: timing is everything.

• “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him…”

  • A soldier can’t trust in guesswork—he trusts in higher command. Likewise, hope in God isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s trusting the One who sees the whole field.

• “To the one who seeks Him…”

  • You don’t just sit around while you wait. You stay sharp. Stay focused. Spiritually, seeking God means staying connected—reading His Word, praying, leaning in.

• “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord…”

  • You’ve seen what happens when people rush ahead before they’re supposed to. Disaster. This verse is God’s reminder: He will move. You just need to hold your position until the order comes.

Waiting doesn’t mean nothing is happening. It means the Commander is still preparing the battlefield.

ENDEX:
A seasoned warrior knows the value of patience. Lamentations 3:25–26 is your call to wait well—not with anxiety or doubt, but with trust. God’s silence doesn’t mean He’s absent. His delay doesn’t mean He’s forgotten. It means He’s setting up the win.

The mission isn’t on pause—it’s still in progress. Stay sharp. Stay grounded. Victory is already written—it’s just not fully revealed yet.

Don’t move until He says move. Wait on the Lord.

AAR (After Action Review):
If you’ve ever waited on God—through uncertainty, silence, or suffering—and saw Him come through in His time, share that story. Someone else may be sitting in their own season of waiting and need to know the payoff is worth the patience.

Make your voice count—share what you’ve lived.
Share your experiences in the comments below. Your words could encourage someone else walking a similar path.

If you're comfortable, include as much or as little personal detail as you’d like. We suggest:

• Name
• Veteran, Retired, Family Member etc.
• Service Branch
• Years of Service (or Deployment Dates and Locations)

Every story matters—and yours might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.