Let's Go Back to the Bible

How’s Your “Wait”?

How deep is your devotion to God?  How lasting is your love?  How fervent is your faith?  How true is your trust?  How determined is your dependence on Him?

One of our favorite verses of comfort and reassurance is Isaiah 40:31 — “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Don’t you just love that verse!

Do you wait on the Lord? Oh, we are not good waiters!  Go to almost any restaurant (fast-food especially) and you will find customers who are not good waiters.  Look inside most of our homes and you’re bound to find at least one family member who is not a good waiter.  What does it mean to “wait on the Lord”? Let the Bible define this concept by looking to other passages that discuss this great thought.

“I will look to the Lord; I will wait…” (Mic. 7:7).  “…To those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him” (Lam. 3:25).  “It is good that one should hope and wait…” (Lam. 3:26).  “Rest in the Lord, and wait…” (Psa. 37:7).  “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him” (Psa. 62:5).  Think about these words in bold — Waiting on the Lord requires looking to Him, seeking Him, hoping in Him, resting in Him, expecting that all good things and all the needs of our lives will come from Him! Note these adverbs that modify HOW we are supposed to wait:  “patiently” (Psa. 37:7), “silently” (Psa. 62:5), “quietly” (Lam. 3:26).  That takes trust!

What else is involved in waiting on the Lord?  “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage” (Psa. 27:14).  “Wait patiently for Him; Do not fret” (Psa. 37:7).  “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way” (Psa. 37:34).  “My soul waits, and in His word I do hope” (Psa. 130:5).

Waiting on the Lord involves patiently trusting Him to take care of you in the best way that He knows how (which is better than the way we know).  Waiting on the Lord involves quietly expecting all good things to come from Him.  Waiting on the Lord involves humbly obeying His word and His way, yielding my will to His will!

So, if we wait on the Lord, what are His promises?  “He shall strengthen your heart” (Psa. 27:14), “exalt you” (Psa. 37:34), “save you” (Prov. 20:22), “hear” you (Mic. 7:7), and “bless” you (Isa. 30:18).  “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him” (Lam. 3:25).  He will continually provide renewed strength, soaring success and unwearied drive to serve (Isa. 40:31).   Are you waiting on the Lord?  Read those questions in the first paragraph again.  Are you really waiting on Him?