Wait on the Lord

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 (Isa. 40:31).

We all know that one. It's a heart-warming thrill to think about. "They will mount up with wings like eagles." We've seen the pictures or maybe even seen the real thing. There is very little that is as inspiring and majestic as eagles on the wing.

But ... what does it mean to "wait for the Lord"? When was the last time you waited on the Lord? Do we even think at all about what that entails? What is that waiting like? What are we waiting for? What exactly is in mind here?

There are many references in Scripture to waiting on the Lord. As early as Genesis we read, "For Your salvation I wait, O LORD" (Gen. 49:18). Waiting on the Lord is in the New Testament, such as Paul's remarkable statement "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). It is not a small biblical concept. What can we learn about waiting on the Lord?

There appears to be two aspects to waiting. One is immediate and the other is long term. There appears to be times in which people wait on the Lord for immediate circumstances and immediate answers, and there are other times in which it is a continuous, ongoing process. In several places in Scripture the people of God would come to Him with a problem and wait for His response. In Psa. 69, David cries out to the Lord in a particular circumstance. He says, "I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail while I wait for my God" (Psa. 69:3). This is clearly a specific event and a short term "waiting", at the end of which he expects an answer and can stop crying. In the time of Jeremiah's grief that is the book of Lamentations he writes, "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him" (Lam. 3:25). Often waiting on the Lord is an event that is due to singular circumstances and has a limited time frame.

More often, however, waiting is described in terms of a longer time frame. Psalm 25 is an entire psalm that appears to be devoted to the concept of waiting on the Lord as a lifestyle.

O my God, in You I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for You shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know Your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths (Psa. 25:2-4).

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day (Psa. 25:5).

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You (Psa. 25:21).

This version of waiting appears to be at all times. It includes a trust in God in difficult circumstances. It includes salvation. It includes the process of learning God's ways and walking God's paths. It includes a lifestyle of integrity and uprightness. And it produces peace.

Hosea writes, "Observe kindness and justice and wait for your God continually" (Hos. 12:6). The psalmist says, "I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, and I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones (Psa. 52:9).

How do we wait for the Lord? Scripture isn't very clear on this point. That is, there doesn't appear to be a "formula", a "12-step program". There doesn't appear to be an outline of the process. Sometimes it is in private. Sometimes it is in a group. Sometimes it is at home and sometimes it is in a gathering. Sometimes it is an event and sometimes it is a lifestyle. It appears to be linked to trusting the Lord. God can be trusted, so we're trusting Him for ... whatever is at hand and whatever is to come. The idea, then, is that there is the unknown, either tomorrow or the murky future, and we are going to lay this unknown at the feet of the Omniscient One, the Omnipotent One, the One who can handle it all and who can save us, both from sin and from difficult circumstances. Whatever comes our way, we are going to lay it at His feet and wait for His response.

What are we waiting for? What is the product? Well, Isaiah has already told us that waiting on the Lord produces "strength". Psalm 27 says, "Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD" (Psa. 27:14) -- courage. Waiting is often linked to resting, as in Psa. 37:7, suggesting peace and rest.

Are you waiting on the Lord? When difficult circumstances arise, do you set aside time to simply listen, to simply lay it at His feet and see what He will do with it? Is your life marked by waiting on Him? Or are you one who tries to handle everything? "Don't worry, God. I have this one. If something really big comes up, I'll give You a call." Many Christians complain of weariness, worry, exhaustion. Could it be that we aren't waiting on the Lord? "Teach me, Lord, to wait."