I have been waiting on the Lord to know what to write this article about. Each week I ask the Lord, what is it that He would have me write. But this week, I am waiting, and I feel like I am running out of time. So, I am now tired of waiting, therefore, I have decided that I am going to write this week’s article about waiting since I do not want to wait on the Lord anymore. Some of you may be judging me right now, thinking I should have waited on the Lord because I may have just missed His perfect timing by only minutes to come through for me to let me know what to write. But have you examined your own life? How many times have you gone ahead of God and do things your way when you should have waited on Him? And so, your hasty actions may have resulted in some very negative consequences. Bad relationships, failed businesses, health issues, and financial loss are just some of the problems that people have confronted when they have not waited on the Lord. He has promised that He would give us strength as we wait, but instead we are overwhelmed by our emotions and so we stop waiting on Him.
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. Isaiah 40:31
Waiting is not passive. We don’t sit around doing nothing as we wait on God. Those who wait on the Lord will continue going on the path He has instructed them until His breakthrough and promises come. As I read a devotional by John Blase in Our Daily Bread this week, although its topic was not about waiting, I could actually see that they waited on the Lord as they kept on walking.
Two friends and I were checking off a bucket list item—hiking the Grand Canyon. We wondered if we had enough water as we started out our hike, and it ran out fast. We were completely out of water with still a ways to go to reach the rim. Panting, mixed with praying, set in. Then we rounded a corner and what we maintain as a miracle happened. We spotted three water bottles tucked in a cleft in the rock with a note: “Knew you’d need this. Enjoy!” We looked at each other in disbelief, whispered a thank-you to God, took a couple of much-needed sips, and then set out on the last stretch. I’ve never been so thirsty—and thankful—in my life.
What if after a while they decided not to go any further as the journey was too hard and felt God wasn’t providing the water they needed quick enough, so they turned back? They would have missed a miracle because of their impatience. The walk was difficult in their lack of water, but it was worth the wait. God strengthens us, if we continue to wait on Him. It takes strength and courage to wait on the Lord. David knew about waiting a very long time on the Lord in the midst of uncertainties when everything seemed to be going against the promises he had received from Him. It is believed that from the time David was anointed to the time he became king was approximately 15 years. That is a long wait for an eager young man. But during those times of running away from Saul, hiding in caves and leading battles, he learned to not only depend on the Lord, but he also grew in his relationship with Him. Although he may have had times of confusion and uncertainty, He knew He could be certain of the Lord. Joseph may have wondered what God was doing after everything seemed to be going opposite to the dreams He gave him. He was thrown into a pit and sold to Ishmaelites who were going to Egypt where he became Potiphar’s trusted servant until Potiphar’s wife schemed against him because he did not want to submit to her flirtations. He was put in the royal prison, and he correctly interpreted dreams for Pharoah’s servants. One was executed and the other reinstalled to his position as Pharaoh’s cupbearer. The cupbearer forgot about Joseph until Pharaoh couldn’t get his dream interpreted by his Egyptian magicians. Through the Lord’s help, Joseph interpreted the dreams and was put as second in charge. This was at least about 13 years after his dreams and it took several more years for his brothers to go looking for food in Egypt because there was famine in the land and they bowed before him fulfilling his dreams. What a wait! However, Joseph never stopped doing his best where God positioned him, and this prepared him to be second to Pharaoh during a very challenging time.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! Psalm 27:14
David believed he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living because He knew the Lord and understood He would keep His promises. David was always speaking to the Lord pouring out his heart to Him. And he became very intimate with the Lord as many times he only had the Him to speak to.
Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. Psalm 62:1-2
It sometimes feels like a great fight to wait, but it is in these times of waiting that we come to know God as our rock and that from Him will come our salvation if we continue waiting on Him. Notice I didn’t say wait for a spouse, financial gain, a good job, a nice car, a beautiful house or a luxury vacation. Our wait should be on the Lord alone. And He is the one who will determine what we get and when we get it. His timing is always best, as He prepares us for His purpose and gives us the great privilege of knowing Him more during our wait. So let us wait on the Lord.
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