Isa.40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Psa.27:14 Wait on the Lord: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Have you ever noticed some of the things people do while they wait? For instance, when waiting on an elevator, we keep pressing the button. It doesn’t help. Or when stuck in a traffic jam, we honk the horn. It won’t help. When waiting on line, we try going from line to line. Stay put. And when we’re put on hold for a long period of time, we hang up and try again. Bad move. And some of the more mindless things we do while we wait: we suck our teeth, sigh, tap our feet, pace back and forth, hum, whistle, even pick our nose (yes, I’ve seen that!)–all of these things are done for one reason, and one reason alone–we are IMPATIENT! WE JUST DON’T LIKE TO WAIT! Almost to a person, we want what we want when we want it; and that’s usually right now or yesterday.
Waiting is an unavoidable part of life. Its one of those things that everyone has to do whether they want to or not. Some would go so far as to call it a necessary evil. Necessary, yes. Evil? I don’t think so. Patience needs to worked out in our lives. We need to let it happen; and let God do it. Ja.1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Yet, our impatience persists. And what about God? We’ve prayed, but He has not answered. He’s promised, but hasn’t responded. We’ve prayed some more, but no breakthrough seems near. What to do? Wait. The very thing we don’t want to do, is the very thing we’re commanded to do. The danger is that even while we wait on the Lord, we begin to do things that we should not do. While we wait on God we tend to:
• Wonder We begin to question. Did God hear me? Does He care? How long Lord? We have to be careful not to question God’s tactics and timing. Psa.34:6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. Eccl.3:11 He hath made everything beautiful in his time…
God promises to do what needs to be done at the proper time…His time.
• Waver We begin to doubt. Doubt is an indication of a lack of faith. Faithlessness prevented the Israelites from entering the promised land. It prevented many people in Jesus’ own hometown from receiving the fullness of what He provided. And it will not help you as you wait on God. James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. • Wither We get tired and weary. This in turn causes us to lose heart, and then we’re tempted to give up. Gal.6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. The principle here is not to give up doing the right thing. Waiting on the Lord is the right thing.
So how should we wait on the Lord, and what should we do while we wait? • Stand firm 1 Cor.15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Don’t be moved by what you see or experience. Stand your ground. • Take courage Buckle up; don’t be afraid. It may be a bumpy ride. • Trust Believe that the Lord already has it worked out; class is still in session. There are still things to be learned. • Expect This is the proper attitude. We are to wait in hope. Hope in the bible is never an ‘I hope so’ kind of hope; but is always an ‘I know so’ kind of hope. One is insecure; the other is assured. • Praise Praise is blessing Him for what He has done–even if I don’t see it. This keeps me in His presence while helping to keep the enemy in his place.
What can be expected when I wait this way? • Added strength …he shall strengthen thine heart • Renewed strength …they that wait…shall renew their strength. God will restore and revitalize, and refresh your old strength. • The ability to soar above the situation God wants us to see our unique circumstances from His perspective.The eagle’s strength lies in its wings, and He will give us new feathers. • The ability to move forward …they shall run, and not be weary…they shall walk and not faint. Our forward motion will not be impeded with the strength that comes from Him. Waiting teaches us to trust God and rely upon Him. No matter how long it takes, we can rest in Him and His Word.
That’s The Word! Take it with you. God bless you.