Sweet Sisters,
I have often heard the phrase, “wait on the Lord” during conversations with fellow believers. It seems like this phrase comes up when someone is frustrated because a situation that concerns them is not going the way they want in the time frame they want. Today I want to explore what it means to “wait on the Lord”.
The Hebrew word for “wait” is “QAVAH”. It implies; to wait with anticipation, hopefully, waiting for God to act. To bind together with Him (to get close to Him), to trust Him.
In the Greek we see the word “meno”. It means “to abide, to tarry, to continue to be present, to last, and endure.” It is used five times in John 15:4-6 and is translated “abide” in the NIV:
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
The word “wait is used 89 times in the Bible in the New International Version.
The first thing we learn about what it means to “wait” on the Lord” is that it is a proactive process. I have to be involved. I actively participate in the process. christianity.com says it this way; “we wait on the Lord to act, to deliver, to answer our prayers, to renew our strength to do what only He can do. We wait on Him because He is God and we are not. As we wait on God He changes and strengthens us.”
“Waiting on the Lord” means I have to give up control. I am helpless and without Him. I need Him to accomplish what I cannot. I have to acknowledge that He is in control of when, where and how my situation is going to be resolved.
Another important aspect of “waiting on the Lord” is I have to know Him. I have to understand His character. I have to know the promises He has made to those who love Him.
In order two help accomplish this I want to share some Scripture with you. As we look at each one, I want you to look for
1) What the verse tells us about God
2). What the verse tells me my response should be
Let’s begin in the book of Psalms.
Psalm 25:4 – 5
4
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
What I learn in this passage about God is that He is my teacher. He is my leader. He saves me. What I learn about my response is that I have to be willing to be taught, to be led, and willing to go through the process.
Psalm 27:13-14
13
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
1). God is good
2). I am to be confident. I am to be strong and to take heart (be comforted) while I wait on God.
Psalm 40:1
1
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
1). God hears me
2). I must be patient while I wait
Psalm 116:1
1
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
1). God hears my cry for help
2). My response is to love Him and keep calling on Him
Psalm 130:5 – 6
5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
In this passage the Psalmist describes his response to waiting on the Lord. He waits with his whole being. He puts his hope in God’s word. He waits through the night.
The next passage comes from the book of Isaiah and is probably the most well-known verse about waiting on the Lord.
Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Remember we talked earlier about how “wait” can also be translated “hope”? We learn in this passage that God strengthens, that He renews. We learn that because of this we can soar like an eagle that we will be able to continue life’s journey energized.
I have several more scriptures that are pretty awesome but I don’t have the space to share them all. I’m going to list them for you. Please look them up on your own.
Isaiah 64:4
Lamentations 3:24
Hosea 12:6
Micah 7:7
Sweet Sisters, for me “waiting on the Lord” comes down to trusting Him. Because of the scriptures I shared with you and because of my past experiences with Him, I know to the core of my being that God is good. I know that He is faithful. I know that He hears me. I know that He loves me more than I can ever comprehend. Because I know this, I trust Him to provide for me in His time and in His way when life is hard and difficult. If it seems to be taking longer than I feel it should, it is probably because there is something He is wanting me to learn. My job is to keep trusting Him no matter what, knowing that when the time is right, He will answer my prayers in ways I could never have imagined or thought to ask for.
Let me end with a few of my favorite verses about the God we “wait on”.
Psalm 86:10
10
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
I Timothy 1:17
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Job 9:10 – 12
10
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.
11
When he passes me, I cannot see him;
when he goes by, I cannot perceive him.
12
If he snatches away, who can stop him?
Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
I love these verses because they remind me that my God is totally worthy of being “waited on”. He is capable of providing all that I need.
Debbie