Wait on the Lord

I have been learning something lately about what it means to “wait on the Lord.”  It is not a passive state as one might think, but rather a very active one.  It’s not so much like waiting for a bus as it is like waiting on tables.  In the Bible verses where it appears it can mean “to look for, hope, expect” or “to bind together.”  Here are some things I’ve experienced recently about waiting on the Lord:

It is a time for listening to God rather than telling Him what I want.  His Word is the key to hearing Him.  As I hear, read, study, memorize, digest, and obey His Word, I know Him better and hear His voice. 

It is a time for praying to God.  We so often use prayer to tell God what we want, but prayer is another way to listen to God, especially when we pray about our daily Bible readings.  It is a means for offering Him our praise and yielding our will to His.

It is a time for reflecting on His majesty and greatness, which produces humility in me.  It is not expecting and hoping for God to eventually align His will with mine.  It is being in such awe of His Divine supremacy that I am able to humbly submit my will to His.  This enables me to have complete confidence and peace that wherever He leads, it is going to be amazing! 

It is a time for trusting how faithful He is and being aware of my own weakness.  It is being bound so tightly to Him that His strength becomes my strength.  In such a state, I no longer cling to my own desires or grievances but trust in Him with wholehearted joy.

It is a time for serving others and giving generously.  Just as Christ came not to be served but to serve, I take on His likeness when I focus on the needs of others and serve them in His name.  When I acknowledge that everything I have belongs to Him, I am able to share it with others to His glory.

It is a time for confessing and forgiving.  It is about searching my own heart for where I have sinned against God or others.  It is realizing where I have failed and asking for forgiveness, assured by the power of God’s Word that through Jesus Christ I am forgiven. It is also realizing where I have been withholding forgiveness and extending this Christ-like love to others.

It is a time for loving--loving God above all things, loving others as myself, loving the message of God's Word and sharing it with others so that they may know His love too!

“Waiting on the Lord” is not a temporary condition reserved for trying times; it is a life-long journey of walking with Christ who empowers us by His Spirit, transforms us to His likeness, and fills us with His love, peace and joy.

In truth, waiting on the Lord is not so much our actions as it is God’s action in us.  Here are some ways to wait on the Lord:

1. Going to church to receive the gifts of His Word and Sacraments
2. Studying His Word, the Holy Bible, wherein lies the power of His salvation
3. Praying to Him and feeling His presence always
4. Worshipping Him with psalms and hymns of praise
5. Spending time in fellowship with other Christians, exercising the “one anothers” of God’s Word
6. Serving others and giving generously to their needs as God provides
7. Sharing God's message of salvation with others so they will know Him and He will be glorified!

"Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors."  ((Proverbs 8:34)

"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." (Psalm 130:5)

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."  (Psalm 27:14)

"...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  (Isaiah 40:31)