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Daily Devotions

silhouette of man standing near body of water
waiting on a verdict

Wednesday, 29 July 2026

Watching, Not Just Waiting

Photo by Lukas Rychvalsky on Unsplash

But as for me, I will look to Yahweh. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

Micah 7:7 (WEB)

in its setting: Micah 7:1-7

1 Where we are

Yara is nineteen and out on bail. Her court date is months away and cannot be moved. She still turns up for the seven o'clock shift. She is still learning the menu, still steadying her hand around a jug of milk until the whistle drops and the foam goes glossy. The regulars she serves have settled futures. She has a calendar entry.

2 What the passage is doing

Micah spoke to a Judah he could not trust. Officials took bribes, neighbours informed on one another, and he said the best man among them was like a thorn hedge. He does not promise the mess will clear. He says something stranger: as for me, I will watch for the LORD. Hope fixed on God's character, not on a known outcome.

A word in the Hebrew

אֲצַפֶּה

atsappeh · I will keep watch, scan the horizon

This is the word for a sentry on the city wall — awake at his post, eyes on the road, expecting someone to appear. English "watch in hope" sounds like sitting still. The Hebrew is alert and on duty. Waiting, in Micah's mouth, is a job you can do well.

3 Taking it with you

So the interval before the verdict is not dead time. It is watchman's time — the hours where faithfulness is still possible, before anything is settled. Jesus also lived an interval with a verdict at the end of it, and waited it out in prayer, and God did not leave him in the ground. He stands beside the accused still. Today, ask someone what date they are waiting on. Then wait with them.

A prayer you can pray

Father, I do not know how this ends. I am asking you to hold me steady in the meantime. Keep my eyes on you and not only on the date. Help me do today's work well, and hear me when I call. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria — to God alone be the glory.