SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1283

“Wait”

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! – Psalm 27:14

I do not wait well. I prefer activity to inactivity. I fidget. I pace. I become impatient while waiting. This is a character trait that the Lord has worked to modify in me for His good purpose. I still pace, but now I call it my prayer walk.

My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. – Psalm 130:6

I recall being on night watch duty in the Navy and waiting, walking my rounds, and longing for sunrise and to be relieved of duty. This is the sense of passionate, anticipatory waiting that the Psalmist is conveying that we need to have in waiting for the Lord.

There are times in life that the Lord wants us to wait on Him before we act. God uses these periods of waiting to develop our Christian character. Waiting is Hoping. Hoping is Trusting. Waiting develops the Spiritual fruit of Patience and the sum results in the Peace of God through it all.

Waiting is not passive inactivity. It requires you to engage your heart and mind and spirit in prayer, praise, reading the Word, and worship.

Taking Matters In Our Own Hands – Our flesh wants to take control. Our fickle hearts quickly forget the times that the Lord has come through for us, so we choose not to wait for Him and take matters in our own hands. This always has poor and sometimes disastrous results.

Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; – Psalm 106:12-14

Waiting prayerfully – We counter our need for control through prayer, calling to mind the Truth of His Word.

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. – Lamentations 3:21-26

Wait Continually – We wait for God and by His Holy Spirit we are strengthened with courage.

So, you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.” – Hosea 12:6

But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. – Psalm 38:15

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! – Psalm 31:24

Hope through Faith – Our waiting in faith develops hope and patience.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:25

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope; – Psalm 130:5

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. – Psalm 62:5

Trust in Waiting – Waiting in hope builds our trust as we let the Truth of His Word soak deeply in our spirit.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure…Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! – Psalm 40:1-4

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. – Psalm 33:20-22

Patience in Waiting – Waiting in hope and trust develops the spiritual fruit of patience in us.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. – Galatians 5:22

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. – James 5:7

Peace – Waiting, Hoping, Trusting, and Patience brings a peace that the world cannot understand.

Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:5-7

What is God asking you to wait on Him for? A business decision? Whom to marry? A career direction? Healing of your body? To battle with an oppressor or against an injustice? A financial need? A job? What school to attend?

May your prayer in times of waiting be as that of the Psalmist and may the Truth of the Word of God through Isaiah encourage and strengthen you.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust…

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;

For you I wait all the day long; …

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles;

They shall run and not be weary;

They shall walk and not faint. – Psalm 25:1-5; Isaiah 40:28-31