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Who’s Waiting on Who?
In the church world it’s often said, “I’m waiting on the Lord.” Sometimes, there are variations of this theme, such as, “We’re waiting on a mighty move of God.” Have you ever had a sneaky suspicion that He may be waiting on us? Yes, there are seasons of waiting; however, how many of us have been in a season of procrastination?
What Does it Mean to Wait?
In the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible, there are various words used for the word, wait. Upon examination of these words, you’ll find waiting on the Lord is not inactive; quite the contrary. It involves expectation and anticipation. In one instance, we wait patiently for the Lord’s return with a sense of watchfulness, knowing He will show up unexpectantly. It includes remaining faithful to Him in who we are and what we do.
Luke 12:40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not (read verses 31-40 for fuller context).
It means being busy about His business, which leads us to another application: service. To wait is to serve, and to serve is wait on His every move, request or command. There is the place between actions, in which one assignment is complete, and now we wait for the next one. Anticipating His next Word; not idly sitting, or distracting ourselves with other things. Even in the midst of an assignment, we are waiting for further instructions, or changes.
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
In order for something to be an act of faith, there has to be a Word from the Lord (see Romans 10:17). He may deliver that Word in a variety of ways. It may be hearing His still quiet voice, a prompting you feel from Holy Spirit, a highlighted verse of Scripture that speaks directly to you. Of course, it may come prophetically through another person, and so on. Waiting on the Lord entails listening for His voice, and being ready to act.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
God has a purpose for everything, which includes our waiting. Purpose involves timing and preparation. There is an infinite number of pieces of the puzzle. Each one has a specific place to complete the whole picture. It requires every piece and none can be out of order. While you may see some parts of the puzzle put into place, you don’t see all them being arranged in proper order. This is where patience comes into play. As the saying goes, “wait your turn.”
Another aspect of waiting is doing the things we know to do. This is doing what Holy Spirit leads us to do each day, and being faithful with what He has already given us to do until the Lord says otherwise.
When the Waiting is Over
When the appointed time to act comes, act. It sounds obvious, but some get stuck in wait-mode, or simply procrastinate for various reasons. Ironically, a number of them will ask for more instructions before completing what they have already been given. This is one reason they find themselves waiting for a very long time! We cannot expect more, if we’re not faithful with what we already have. No matter how mundane, or distasteful something may seem, it serves a purpose. That does include the shaping of our character.
Waiting on the Lord entails not making Him wait on us.
