“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14 NIV 

“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.”  Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

How would you explain “waiting on God” to a friend? Would you define it as an “expectant hope, eagerly watched for with hopes of a quick arrival?”  Maybe you would simply explain it as “something one does if something tarries.” There are many scriptures that not only mention the word “wait,” but also actually command us to wait.  Psalm 27:14 is such an example.  However, within the command there is an added encouragement.  We are told to be strong and take heart as we wait.

It takes spiritual strength to stop, wait, watch, and allow God to work.  We can become discouraged if hopes and prayers are not answered in our own timeframe.  Heavenly timelines are altogether different from earthly ones and our Lord’s timing is always perfect.  It may take a lifetime to see one of your prayer request answered.  This kind of waiting will take a mature faith and spiritual endurance. 

Patience is a fruit of the spirit and evident in the character of God.  Patience is the twin to Spiritual Waiting and the half-sister to Longsuffering and Endurance.  They all share a strong family resemblance but they are different just the same.

You may be living with a long and painful illness while patiently waiting for a cure, or the promised rest of your eternal home.  Living with pain, illness, and suffering requires patience and perseverance.  In fact, illness and pain helps to mature all the fruits of the spirit within you.

Waiting for justice and looking for God to avenge personal injuries requires the fruit of self-control.  By waiting for God to judge those who have wounded us, we are guaranteed a just God will hand out a just consequence and penalty.  Deuteronomy 32:35 instructs us that vengeance belongs to God.  The English Standard Version of the Word states that He will “take revenge and pay them back.”  Trust that all injustices are observed and are never forgotten or overlooked by your Father. 

Isaiah 40:31 says that if we wait on the Lord He will renew our strength.  By resting in His might and His promise to answer the prayer offered in faith and aligned to His will, we will find new strength.  Instead of giving in to the exhaustion caused by worry, anguish, distraction, and fear, we are given an opportunity to refresh ourselves by patiently waiting on God to act. 

Your ability to wait on the Lord is rooted in your confidence of who He is and what He is doing.  Is your faith built on a solid foundation of His character and love?  Trusting in His principals, promises, power, and divine purpose will enable you to wait in peace.

Psalm 33:20 informs all believers of HOW they are to wait for God; it is with HOPE.  Faith is the assurance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1) and a conviction of things not seen.  Hope is a part of faith and waiting on God requires both.  May the peace of Christ rest upon you as you cast aside your burdens, trusting Him to address them in His time.  I pray your strength is renewed as you wait.

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. 
 For the Lord is a God of justice; 
blessed are all those who wait for Him.”                     Isaiah 30:18 (ESV)

“We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.”    Psalm 33:20 (NIV)