Waiting on the Lord
Waiting.
I don’t know about you, but that word tends to remind me of feeling restless, like when I was a little kid on a long car ride to grandma’s, and my parents kept telling me to wait while I repeatedly asked, “Are we there yet?” I’m not sure many people get excited over the thought of waiting, especially not in today’s fast-paced, productivity-focused culture.
Despite our dislike of waiting, it is a constant feature of life. We’re all waiting for something. A lot of single girls feel like they are waiting for Mr. Right to appear on the scene. Some might be waiting to graduate from high school or college so that their life can “really” begin. Many of us are waiting for answers to prayer, some prayers having been prayed for years with no answer. And all of the family of God has been waiting for Christ’s return for 2000 years.
At the end of last year, I asked followers on Instagram what topics they would like me to write about this year, and one answer was waiting on the Lord. I have been mulling over this question: What does it means to wait on the Lord, and how do we wait well?
The Bible talks a lot about waiting.
For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities. Psalm 130:5-8
For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:22-25
Something I noticed while reading through the many passages on waiting was that waiting for the Lord was always associated with hope. There is hope that God will rescue us, transform us, redeem us, and adopt us, and because of these promises, Romans says that we “wait eagerly for it.” Waiting on the Lord is trusting with hope in God’s promises. And we know throughout Scripture that God does not lie (Num. 23:19) and is faithful to keep His word (Deut. 7:9), so we can have upmost confidence that His promises are true.
I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3
My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalm 62:5-8
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in You. Psalm 33:18-22
It can be easy to become weary or frustrated as we wait on the Lord. I know that especially when praying for something for a long time, it is tempting to lose hope. But if we remember who our God is, that He is our rock and shield, that He hears our cries, then we can have hope and trust in Him as we wait on Him.
So, how to we wait well? Here’s four truths on how to wait well:
1: Be prepared for Christ’s return – stay busy serving.
This principle is found in Matthew 25. Jesus tells three parables in Matthew 25, the first is the parable of the ten virgins, where five virgins took oil in flasks with their lamps and five did not. When the bridegroom showed up, the five virgins who brought oil were prepared to accompany him to the wedding feast, while the five without oil were unprepared and missed getting into the wedding feast. Jesus finishes this parable saying, “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Matt. 25:13).
The second parable is the parable of the talents. A master goes on a journey and gives three slaves talents to steward, giving one slave five talents, another two, and the another one. The first two slaves doubled the talents while their master was gone, but the third hid his master’s money. When the master returned, he praised the first and second slave for their faithfulness and entrusted them with greater responsibility. But the third slave he was angry with for his laziness and threw him out.
The third parable was the parable of the judgment. Jesus said that when He returns in His glory, the sheep and the goats will be separated. The sheep will be welcomed into the kingdom because they served His brothers and the least of these, and in so doing were serving Christ. The goats are told to depart because they did not serve His brothers or the least of these.
Matthew 25 is about waiting well for Christ’s return. Part of waiting well is being a good steward of what He has given us and sharing Christ’s love with those around us. It is tempting to believe that waiting well means knowing the times and trying to guess when Christ will return, however, the Bible makes it clear that no one but the Father knows when Christ will return (Matt. 24:36). Yes, the Bible does give signs to be watching for to know when the end will come, and the clearest sign Jesus gave was that the gospel would be preached to all nations, and then the end would come (Matt. 24:14). But to only watch for signs is neglecting God’s calling upon our lives. We are called to serve the Lord and share Christ with others. Whether Christ returns next week or a hundred years from now, the calling is still the same. Let’s be active while we wait for the Lord.
2: Remember God’s goodness and find courage.
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14
One great way to stay hopeful while waiting for the Lord is to remember how God has been faithful in the past. Keep track of the times God has answered prayers or done miracles in your life, big or small. Stay in the Word and read about the times God was faithful for Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, the prophets, the apostles, and countless others. Read stories about missionaries and Christians in history who have testimonies of God’s goodness in their lives. Remembering what God has done in the past gives confidence for what God can do today and in the future.
In Micah 7, the prophet laments that wickedness and deceitfulness has increased in the land. Then he says this:
But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me. Micah 7:7-8
He continues on to say that God will bring about justice, and the nations will see as God works righteousness in Israel. He asks God to restore Israel, to show His miracles, and bring the nations around them to fear the Lord.
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19
Micah had confidence in the Lord because he remembered what God had done in the past and knew His character. We can have confidence when we remember God’s character and His mighty deeds.
3: Don’t fret.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. Psalm 37:7-11
I know I have a tendency to worry when things are not happening the way I want, when prayers are not answered at the time or in the way that I am hoping for. But this psalm encourages us to not fret but to instead rest in God as we wait for Him. Fretting leads to harm, not help. But we can rest as we wait, knowing that wickedness will not prevail forever and we have an inheritance for us in the future.
4: Persevere.
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8
This parable has been an encouragement to me lately. If the unrighteous judge gave in to the widow’s persistence, how much more confidence should I have in praying persistently since I am praying to my heavenly Father who loves His children?
Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:30-31
What a beautiful promise we have in this passage. As we keep waiting, stay persistent, God will give us new strength. It can be wearying to continually wait, but we can find strength in the Lord to carry on.
I hope this was an encouragement to you today. Whatever you are waiting on the Lord for, know that He is faithful, trustworthy, and good. “Be strong and let your heart take courage,” friend; “Yes, wait for the Lord” (Ps. 27:14).
With love,
Kelsey
