In our modern culture, waiting often feels like a complete waste of time. Everything is “instant” and “on-demand”. We expect immediate gratification. However, God doesn’t work that way. He has proven that to me over the past year or more.

The other day, I was reading through the book of Psalms. I came across a verse that spoke to me:

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.
– Psalms 27:14 (NIV)

Wait on the Lord. Comforting, but still frustrating. Later I was searching for the verse online and found another version of the same text. Additional searching found these variations:

Trust the Lord!

Be brave and strong

and trust the Lord.
(CEV)

Rely on the Lord!
Be strong and confident!
Rely on the Lord!
(NET)

The same Hebrew text being interpreted as “Wait”, “Trust” and “Rely”. This notion led me to a better understanding of waiting on the Lord. It is not simply tolerating the passage of time. No, it is the act of trusting on the Lord.

From biblehub.com commentary on Psalms 27:14, the root Hebrew word of yachal, can be interpreted in multiple ways in this text:

קוה אל, kavveh eel Jehovah, look to, or hope for, or expect, the Lord. 

Waiting, hoping, looking, expecting. How much more acceptable is this than just passing time? This is reenforced later in Psalms:

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.
– Psalms 130:5-6 (NASB 1995)

And again in 2 Peter:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
– 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

“Instead he is patient with you”. That idea hurt a little bit. How quick are we to complain about waiting on God, when God is constantly waiting on us. Repent, surrender, obey. God waits patiently, sharing His grace and mercy while we continue to falter and sin. How are we to complain about waiting on an answer from God when He must constantly wait on us?

The Challenges

Waiting to hear an answer to a prayer, waiting on healing, waiting on direction – all frustrating. Satan uses that frustration as his doorway into our soul. He whispers in our ear, “If God loved you, He wouldn’t make you wait”. Satan uses our impatience to drive a wedge between us and God.

To build trust in God, to seek Him and obey Him, we must wait constructively. We need to express our gratitude for the waiting, to use the time to grow in other areas.

The Experience

Several months ago, God revealed to me something about my future. I got the impression it would happen “soon”. When it didn’t happen in the next 24 hours or even 24 days, I became frustrated. I asked God, “Why show me if I can’t have it now?”

But now I understand the time waiting is to be spent trusting, looking, hoping and expecting.

God has used this time to prepare me for what He has shown me. He has challenged me and helped me grow in areas where I have failed in the past. He has leaned into other parts of my life, building trust in Him and reliance upon Him. He showed me what is to come so I could recognize His steps to prepare me. For that, I am thankful.

Waiting wouldn’t be so difficult if it didn’t take so long!

I have (slowly) learned to trust in God’s timing. As I walk His path, I know that He alone understands the timing required for me to fulfil His plan.

The Questions

1. How do you use your time while waiting on God?
2. How has God used time spent waiting to grow you?
3. What methods do you use to make waiting easier?
4. Has God honored your patience?

Please share your experiences in the comments.