Recently I was asked “What is Waiting on the Lord”? As I thought about how to best answer the question, it struck me that I’d heard that term throughout my life, but had seldom heard it defined. This was what the person asking me the question was dealing with. It’s with this in mind that I’m sharing my answer, as it’s my hope that it will be a help to others.
Waiting On The Lord
The term “Wait on the Lord” refers to both our approach to a situation and also what we are to do during that time. It is important that we understand both aspects, as they go hand-in-hand.
In Psalm 27:14, David states:
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
In Psalm 37:34 he states:
Wait on the Lord, And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
In both of these Psalms David speaks of hard times he is going through, and in those he brings himself to focus on God’s goodness and faithfulness. In Psalm 27:13 he says:
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Things were rough, and there was danger. Circumstances did not look good, and David had a choice to look at things as hopeless, or have hope and trust in God to bring him out of them victoriously. As we see in the scripture above, David said he would have lost heart, except that he believed that he would see the Lord’s goodness in his situation. Yet that situation didn’t change on his behalf overnight. So he made a decision – to patiently Wait on the Lord – trusting that in time he would see God’s hand change his situation in his favor.
Isaiah 8:17, 30:18, and 40:31 all carry this same thought – a patient trust in God that He will do what He said He would do and be who He said He would be. The first component of Waiting on the Lord is that – waiting for things to work out according to His Word and plan. There will be plenty of opportunities to become impatient and to try to make things happen on your own, but it’s imperative that you allow God to work in His way in His timing.
What To Do While You Wait
The second part is what we are to do while we are waiting. If we are left to our own thoughts and imaginations, we can easily lose sight of God’s promises and His faithfulness. It’s with this in mind that we look back to David to see how he handled his times of waiting on the Lord. As we see in the examples from David in the Psalms, during his time of waiting he strengthened himself by reminding himself of God’s goodness, His faithfulness, and His love. He worked to keep his focus on God and not his problem. That involved praying, singing, and speaking openly and intimately with God. David let God know how he felt, but always ended with who He knew God was to him, and was encouraged.
David’s approach and actions kept his faith strong as he waited for God’s promises to appear in his life. They also served to develop an even deeper relationship between David and God, making the time spent waiting all the more precious. As you are waiting for God’s promises to appear in your life, take a cue from David’s life on how to wait on the Lord. It worked for him, and it can work for you.
It’s my hope that this answer will be a blessing and a help to you.
