How to Wait on the Lord: A Biblical Guide to Patient Faith
"Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD".
Psalm 27:14
Growing up, Psalm 27 was a chapter in the bible that my parents read to my brother and I very often. As I got older, one of the verses that stood out for me is the last verse, which reads, “"Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD".
As a child, we wait for things like our first day of school to see our friends, Christmas and birthdays to receive our presents or for a specific day of the week when we know we will see one of our parents or our favorite cousin. These things can really seem like an eternity because of how anxious we are to experience them.
As we get older, the things we wait for are slightly different. We become excited for the weekend so we can rest from work. We are eager for pay day so we can pay our bills or buy an item we have been checking out for a while. We are excited to start our first day of work so we can start making money to provide for ourselves and our family.
As Christian adults things get even deeper - and harder. We wait for things that we have been praying to God for for what seems like an eternity. We wait for the right spouse, the right career path, the right car to come our way. The one we know deep, deep down is from the Lord.
As a Christian, waiting on the Lord is definitely easier said than done. It is also something that we can’t really avoid, nor should we want to. When God has us waiting for something, it is always, always, always for our good. When God has not granted us a blessing yet that we know in our heart and soul He has promised us, it usually means he has us waiting and for good reason.
During our waiting seasons, God is often times developing our character, preparing our hearts and minds, along with those around us, for the blessing(s) that He plans to bless us with. Just because we are waiting does not mean we are being punished or that the blessing is no longer on its way. Waiting simply means that God has us in a season of preparation.
Now, I know first hand that this is easier said than done. Trust me, I know! I also know that often times it does not seem practical. You may be asking yourself,
“How exactly do I wait on the Lord?”
“How do I know if I am in a season of waiting on the Lord?”
“What am I supposed to do while I wait on the Lord?”
“How do I know when the wait is over?”
All of these are completely valid questions. They are questions that I have had and still ask God because each waiting season is different. So, I wrote this blog post because I want to help you to understand what it means to wait on the Lord, how to wait on the Lord, how to know you are waiting on the Lord and when the wait is most likely over. I’ll also be sharing some bible verses to meditate on as you wait for the Lord. Ready? Let’s go!
How do I know if I am waiting on the Lord?
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.
Isaiah 40:31
It can be tricky to tell if you are waiting on the Lord or if He is waiting on you. Waiting on the Lord definitely requires prayer and discernment. It never hurts to simply just ask the Lord - “Lord, am I waiting on you or are you waiting on me?” This is one way to know if you are waiting on the Lord. After you have prayed, take some time to be still before the Lord to hear his answer and most importantly, read His word! God speaks to us through His word. That is how we hear from Him. If you feel like you are not hearing from God, you probably are not reading your bible.
Another way to know that you are waiting on the Lord is when you have done everything that you can spiritually to receive a specific promise, desire, outcome or answer to your prayer and you still have not received it. Take inventory in your own life to see if you have done everything you can - have you prayed continuously? Have you fasted? Have you sought wise counsel? Have you repented? Have you declared and decreed over and over? If you have and the answer to your prayer has not come to fruition, this mostly likely means the Lord just wants you to wait.
Now I want to be very, very clear about some things - the Lord is not a genie and there is no perfect formula to get what you want from Him. I am not saying to do all these things just to get a specific outcome from God. We should be doing these things primarily to have an intimate relationship with God, not to receive things. However, we know that certain promises are from God and can come to fruition when we take action. I just want to make sure our heart posture is in the right place as we take these actions.
Lastly, you know you are waiting on the Lord if what you are waiting for aligns with His will but it still has not happened yet. Sometimes we are waiting on things that are not a part of God’s will for our lives. This type of waiting can be in vain. However, when something aligns with God’s will for our lives, like the salvation of a family member or friend or freedom from addiction, then we can be assured it will happen in God’s timing as we press forward.
How do I wait on the Lord?
And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
Isaiah 30:18
Some people think waiting on the Lord means a period of inactivity. However, waiting on the Lord means taking action both spiritually and physically. It is not a passive activity. Here are some practical ways to wait on the Lord:
Wait on the Lord with expectation.
Waiting on the Lord includes having an attitude of expectation. Webster dictionary defines the word expect as a verb. A verb is an action. Webster dictionary also defines the word expect “to consider probable or certain.” it also means to “anticipate or look forward to the coming or occurrence of.”
This means that the same way that we wait in anticipation for our Amazon packages and our paychecks is the same way we should look forward to God’s blessings! All of God’s promises are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). This means if God said He will do it, He will do it! We should wait with excitement and anticipation for the promises.
Take action
As you wait for the Lord, take action! If you are waiting for the salvation of a family member or friend, don’t just pray for them, make it a goal to take them out to eat once a month to plant seeds of faith and preach the gospel to them. If you are praying for freedom from addiction, fast, pray, go to counseling. This applies to prayers for healing as well. If you are praying for healing from heartbreak, go to therapy. It may be outside of your comfort zone but it is your responsibility to partner with God because He sure is doing His part, even if it does not look like it! If you are praying to lose weight, go workout! Pay for a trainer if you have to. Whatever you are waiting for, I guarantee you can always take action along with prayer.
Wait on the Lord in obedience
Lastly, waiting on the Lord in obedience is very important. Obedience does not mean that we are perfect or that we do everything right. Obedience means that we surrender our all to God everyday. Obedience means walking in His ways and following His commandments. Obedience is not trying to figure it out on our own or just practicing good habits. Obedience means praying without ceasing, surrounding ourselves with a godly community, reading our bible often and attending church, conferences, mission trips, jubilees. These all encourage us and feed our spirit, which in turn leads to true love for God and obedience to Him. we should not expect to live in the fullness of God’s blessings while living in disobedience. If you are living a sinful lifestyle, repent and turn towards the Lord.
When is the wait over?
A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.
Isaiah 60:22
Often times we know when our wait from God is over when we have been preparing and praying for tangible things - like the closing on the sale of a commercial property for our business, an engagement to a spouse, a positive pregnancy test, a new job offer. However, it’s not always so easy to tell with intangible things. Things like waiting and being anxious to speak with someone about a sensitive subject but the Holy Spirit stopping you. Things like wanting to quit a job but you know God will not honor your decision. Things like wanting to move but not having the green light from God.
These things are more tricky to discern when the wait is over. Although tricky, it is not impossible. We are able to receive discernment and clarity from our helper the Holy Spirit. Many times the Spirit will send signs as “yes” or “no.” Sometimes as we wait, the Lord brings the answer to directly in front of us. Maybe you have been waiting to speak with someone about something but the Lord tells you the time is not right. As you wait and keep praying, this person may come to you and initiate a conversation or apology without you having to do anything!
That is just one example of how we can be assured the wait for certain things is over.
All in all, keep praying, keep trusting the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. And remember, they that wait on the Lord, the wait is never in vain!
Bible verses about waiting on the Lord -