Isaiah tells us, “But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary.” As humans, we spend a lot of time waiting. We wait for email responses, Amazon packages, our paychecks, and many other things. We wait on these things, but what does it mean to wait on God? What are we waiting on Him for?
Psalm 27:13-14 says, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” We wait on the Lord to act, save, avenge, answer our prayers, provide our needs, renew our strength, show His glory, and do what God does. Even the young and fit will experience fatigue, and their strength will end. Everyone needs to rely on God and wait for His help.
Isaiah 40:31 talks about waiting on the God who sits on a throne about the earth, watching us knows the weight of all the hills, islands, and mountains, and brings out the stars every night by calling their name. Simply put, we wait on Him because He is God. He can achieve things we can’t. We have to wait on Him because we’re helpless without Him. Here are some reasons why we’re told to wait on the Lord.
God has a different concept of time.
Waiting is only possible within the time. God, who created time, isn’t limited by it. While waiting for Him to act, He’s already fixed our issue. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you.” God is always patient with us and understands waiting. His concept of time doesn’t compare to ours, but His timing is perfect.
He uses waiting to show His glory.
In John 11, we learn about Lazarus, one of Jesus’ friends. Lazarus fell very ill and his sisters, Martha and Mary, got word to Jesus. You would think that Jesus would drop everything to help his friend, but he delayed his arrival intentionally. Unfortunately, Lazarus died. When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the grave for four days. Jesus planned to raise Lazarus from the dead, uncovering His glory.
Jesus knew that Lazarus would be sick before he developed symptoms. Psalm 139:16 reminds us that our lives were ordained and recorded by God before they came to be. Our days are numbered, just like Lazarus’. Jesus already had a plan before Martha and Mary sent for Him, a strategy that involved making them wait. A God who knows the name of the stars isn’t surprised by our life’s circumstances. He knows always known. Waiting is a component of His plan for us.
Waiting can be good for us.
We tend to think of waiting as a bad thing, but waiting can be good. If God immediately sprang into action every time we called Him, that would mean we’re in control, not Him. We’d be the head honcho, but we don’t have His wisdom. Waiting makes us learn to trust Him and His timing. How good are you at waiting on God? While you’re in the waiting room, don’t waste your time. Ask God to transform you while you wait. You should also ask Him to give you perseverance, character, and hope and strengthen you.
Bible verses about waiting on the Lord.
While waiting for the Lord to answer your prayer, it can be good to study specific verses. These verses can comfort you in your times of waiting and reassure you that He will answer your prayer. Here are some Bible verses about waiting on the Lord.
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.” – Lamentations 3:25
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7
“Show me your ways Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” – Psalm 24:4-5
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked schemes.” – Psalm 37:7
“I remain confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” – Psalm 27:13-14
Confident and patient trust in the Lord is the main idea of the appeal to waiting on the Lord. Psalm 27 is an example of a prayer to God for help. It shows the true meaning of waiting on the Lord. Throughout this prayer, David shows courage and faith in God based on his expectation that God will save him when he needs Him.
Sometimes, we feel like God doesn’t hear us, and He’s purposefully not answering prayers. We have to put our trust and faith in God in these moments. We must wait on Him with eager anticipation and understanding that He’s in control and always with us. He will keep His word and save us. When we don’t feel He’s around, He’s always working for our greater good. We can learn to wait on the Lord through active trust and prayer.
Waiting is never easy, especially when you’ve been waiting for a long time. We’re told to wait on the Lord because He knows what’s good for us. Even when we don’t see Him, He’s always working in His children’s lives. Perhaps God is making us wait because He’s preparing us for something bigger. For that, we should be grateful.
