By Pamela Rose Williams
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” — Psalm 27:14
WOW, sometimes it is very, very hard to wait on the LORD but it must be a very important thing to do, after all the Psalmist says “wait” more than once in this little verse. So that got me to wondering, what else does the Bible say about waiting on the Lord? What should we be doing — not doing while we wait? Let’s take a look.
Rest and Don’t fret
Psalm 37:7
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Keep His way … be obedient to His word
Psalm 37:34
Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
Don’t be ashamed of why you wait and don’t be confused about why you wait
Psalm 69:6
Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
Don’t forget that He is the One in Control of everything – even while you wait on Him
Psalm 123:2
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
Never lose hope
Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Micah 7:7
Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Remember He made a promise and He will deliver
Proverbs 20:22
Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.
Zephaniah 3:8
Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
Remember it is only a matter of time and you will be so amazed when the Lord delivers
Isaiah 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.
James 5:11
Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Remember that God is good — all the time!
Lamentations 3:25
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Be quiet — be still
Lamentations 3:26
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Look for the “What can I learn” rather than “Why must I wait”
Romans 5:3-5
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Consider that in light of eternity this life circumstance is but a moment in time
Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
James 5:7-8
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
So as we can see, God’s word does not tell us to just “wait” and do nothing, but it usually tells us how to “actively wait”. I pray that as you wait on the Lord you consider what His word says and don’t just stop “doing”,
Things to Think About and Do
1. I have found only one verse in the Bible where Jesus tells someone to wait and does not give them further instruction on what to do while waiting. Can you find that passage?
2. List three practical things you can do while you are waiting on the Lord.
3. Find someone whom you know is waiting on the Lord and encourage them with some of these scriptures.
