(Reading Time: 3:45) There is an old saying that states that all good things come to those who wait. However, I don’t believe that just sitting around doing nothing is what this old adage is talking about. I would liken it more to baking a cake. You have to measure out all the ingredients in the proper order, stir it all together, and place it in a baking pan. Only after you have done your part, can you wait on the oven to do its part.
The same applies to every area of life, including our spiritual lives (which are also closely related to everything else). We need to be sure we are doing what we are supposed to be doing before we can consider ourselves as actually waiting on the Lord. This is why the Bible says in Psalms 37:34, “Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.”
There are times when the Lord does marvelous and miraculous things for us. However, most of the time the Lord works with us—we do our part and he does his. This is why Psalms 27:14 says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” This verse indicates that it takes courage to stand during the time of waiting. Like a laser-guided missile, we must keep our prayers focused on the thing we want God to attack in our lives, then wait for the bombs to fall.
Waiting can be a powerful force in our lives, but it takes spiritual discipline to do it properly. Too often we fail to wait and take matters into our own hands. Why? Because we failed to trust the Lord. We felt he was not going to do what we asked, or worse, we want to possess something he does not want us to have. You can ask amiss and not receive anything from the Lord. It is best just to leave it at that, rather than to start pursuing it on our own.
Everything we ask in prayer must be in line with God’s desires for us. His desires are revealed to us through his Word. So the essence of waiting is waiting for God to fulfill the promises of his Word in our lives. Psalms 130:5 says, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Hope is not real hope if it is not firmly grounded on the promises of God’s Word.
Even when we are attacked by our enemies, we can wait as a form of strength, rather than weakness. Sometimes we want to defend ourselves or vindicate ourselves when someone has done us wrong or lied about us. However, if we will wait, the Lord avenges his people. Romans 12:19 says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” God will do a more thorough and merciful job at avenging than we ever could. His ways administer justice for all, even for those who attack us. He knows more about them and their needs than we can ever learn. Proverbs 20:2 says, “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.”
As you can see, waiting on the Lord is not a passive sort of idleness, but an active and powerful force in our spiritual lives.
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