"Wait on the Lord and keep His way" (Psa
37:34)
In God's Word we are repeatedly
commanded to wait on God. But many of us do not know how to do it. Let us learn
about this briefly today.
Waiting on God is more than just
praying. In prayer we essentially present our requests before God and seek His
favour for an answer. But while waiting on God we simply open up and throw up
ourselves before the Almighty. It is not an exaggeration if I say that waiting
on God begins only after presenting our needs before Him in prayer. Waiting for
an answer to prayer, especially for guidance, is often part of the answer. Here
is David with his testimony and teaching: "Truly my soul silently waits for God
alone, for my expectation is from Him. Trust in Him at all times, you people,
pour out your heart before Him" (Psa 62:1,5,8). Waiting is the continual
communion with God in spirit. It is just waiting on "God alone" (Psa
62:5).
"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in His Word do I hope" (Psa 130:5). We must feed richly on the Word of God
during seasons of waiting on God. This is what Jesus did during the forty days
He spent in the desert before He began His public ministry. God had revealed His
plan to young Joseph through dreams. But everything that followed in his life
was just the opposite. The imprisonment in Egypt on false charges of sexual
misbehaviour provided for him an excellent time to wait on God who never fails
His Word. The Word of the Lord tested Joseph until the time came for its
fulfilment (Psa 105:19).
Waiting on God does not mean we stop
working for Him. Priest Zacharias kept on serving God till his very old age
while waiting for an answer to his prayer for a child (Lk 1:5-14). While going
through dry spells in his life and waiting on God, David kept on composing songs
for Him which became the Messianic prophecies and promises, like Psalm 69:3.
Servants of God down through the ages have testified that they had been soaking
their pillows at nights with tears, but God anointed them with the oil of
gladness when they stood on the pulpit. This is the power of waiting on
God.
