Playing the waiting game is a game no one wants to play. There are many things in life I have waited on, but the most anticipated wait was waiting for the birth of our two boys. Nine months seemed like an eternity. You plan and prepare for the arrival of that bundle of joy, and as the time approaches the anticipation grows. There is one major difference between this wait, and the wait, the Bible speaks of. The arrival of a baby has an appointed date. Sometimes a baby is early, sometimes a little late, but you still have an estimated arrival. Many times, in scripture we are told to wait, but there are no indications as to how long that wait may be.
How do we handle waiting on the Lord to work on our behalf? Psalm 37:7 instructs us to rest in the Lord. What does it mean to rest in the Lord? The Hebrew for this phrase is to “be silent to the Lord.” In other words, we are to wait in silent patience, with all our confidence in Him that he will intercede for us. We are leaving the whole matter with Him. We are not to fret or be anxious about the possible results. To be anxious or fret about a situation, is nothing more than a lack of faith that God will take care of things. Waiting with full confidence in Him is hard to do, but possible, or God would not instruct us to do it. He never requires us to do something that He does not empower us to do.
Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”
We wait in hope. I love the response to Psalm 130:5 of commentator Albert Barnes. He makes it very clear that our hope can only be in God for He is the only one who has complete control. If God does not intervene when we are in distress or repentant for the wrong we have done, then there is no deliverance. However, because of His word we have the promise that He will work if we will wait with a humble, believing, and repentant heart.
Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.”
Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”
What about the situations where others have treated us wrong, how do we handle those situations? God says wait. He will take care of others in His time. We are not to take vengeance on others, that is God’s business and we must trust Him to work. God will take care of us if we do things His way. We are to wait. Note, we are not waiting to see God’s vengeance on them, we are waiting for God to rescue us. We should never delight in God’s wrath being poured out on anyone, after all, we all deserve His wrath. We are all sinners, but He extended mercy and grace to those who believe and put their trust in Him.
Proverbs 20:22 “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”
Romans 12:19 “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
What are the benefits of waiting? First, for those who wait on Him, in due time He will exalt them. While we are waiting we are to keep His ways. We are to obey and be busy doing His work while we wait.
Psalm 37:34 “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”
Second, as we wait on Him, He will strengthen our hearts. The ESV version says to “be strong, and let your heart take courage.” We are not to give up and start looking for ways to solve our problems on our own. We must keep our confidence in God.
Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Third, if we wait upon Him, He will renew our strength. Isaiah 40:30 tells us that even those in their youth get weary and exhausted, but in verse 41 those who wait on the Lord will have their strength renewed. They will have a strength that allows them to run, not just hang on and endure.
Isaiah 40:30-31 “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.“
The waiting game is never easy, but it is so rewarding as we see God work. It will build our faith like nothing else when we completely place our life in His hands and trust Him to work. When we are waiting on a loved one to surrender, we need to pray and trust God to work. God knows when the timing is right to get their attention. We need to be willing for God to work, to put them in a place where the only way they can look is up. When we are waiting on physical healing, we need to wait for God to work, and stay close following His guidance. He may lead us to a doctor that can help us, but also one who needs to hear the gospel. God always has a plan and a purpose for our wait. We need to trust the process He has executed. As the psalmist says in Psalm 59:9 it is because of His strength that I can wait for He is my defense.
Psalm 59:9 “Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defense.”
