Simple Strategies to Help You Wait on the Lord
We’ve all had experiences when we needed to wait. Most of us are not fans of waiting. We wait for birthdays and Christmas, Amazon prime and the latest episode of our favorite TV show. We wait for paychecks and final payments, vacation, and weekend adventures. We wait for wedding days to arrive and babies to be born, mornings to sleep in and that idyllic moment when all our sweet children are finally asleep. Let me tell you two stories of waiting.
Waiting on Dad
I was in high school, but I still wasn’t driving. I was at a basketball game playing in the pep band. When the game was over, I was supposed to call home and my dad would come pick me up at the arena where our team played.
The game ended (and no, I don’t remember if we won or not), I’m sure I chatted with my friends for awhile and then called my dad on the payphone located in the hall of the arena. Did you catch that? This was pre-cell phone era, and that is significant to my story.
I dropped my coins in the pay phone, made the necessary call, and then went to stand outside where I was visible for my father. I waited. I waved goodbye to friends as they drove away and continued to wait. Soon the large parking lot was empty and the workers in the arena behind me were turning off the lights. In a bit of panic, I checked the door, but it was now locked and I couldn’t call my dad a second time. I trudged back to the sidewalk, alone, in the dark, and waited.
I was anxious. I frantically scanned each vehicle that drove by on the nearby street, inwardly begging for it to be our family car. I have no idea how long I waited, it seemed to be an eternity beyond when everyone else went home. My dad came, finally. He had been watching a TV show and got lost in what was happening. I was angry, and so relieved by his tardy arrival.
Waiting on The Mail
Earlier this summer I ordered a delightful array of new stamping paraphernalia. I eagerly awaited my new stamps and punches and paper and more. I received notice with my package that several items were so popular they were on back order. No biggie; enough new treasures arrived, I could happily create with what I received. The company kept me informed, sending me an email detailing when the rest of my order would ship.
There was joy on the day when my second package arrived. I was surprised to discover one item missing though. I double checked the receipt and found that one last item remained on back order. Admittedly, I was bummed but carved out time to play with had come in package #2.
A few weeks passed and still no word on my last item. I double checked my order to make sure there was still one more treasure to be expected. Another week came and went. No word, no package, no fun. I called my resource person with the company, and she did some checking for me; the item was still on back order. I waited some more, designing cards with the rubber stamps I had and appreciating what I was able to create. Then, moment of joy, my friend with the company texted me my final product was on its way! Within the span of a few days, it arrived in my mailbox and put a happy smile on my face.
What’s the Deal with Waiting?
You may be wondering, why the stories? So what? God’s Word tells us we are to wait on the Lord, but most of our experiences with waiting are not that great! We remember stress, uncertainty, disappointment, fear, and unmet expectations. None of us want to live in those emotions. Still, we are called to wait.
“I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in his word. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning – more than watchmen for the morning. Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance.” Psalm 130:5-7 CSB
Three Key Ideas to Waiting on the Lord
The Psalmist first tells us to put our hope in God’s word.
The Hebrew word translated “word” is daber. An outline of usage for daber by Blue Letter Bible® includes the typical ideas of speech and actual words. It also includes the ideas of “business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension).” When we put our hope in God’s daber, we are banking not only on what He says, but all He does and who He is.
In both my stories I trusted who I was waiting on. I believed my dad loved me and hoped he wouldn’t leave me stranded at the arena all night! I was convinced the company I ordered my stamping supplies from would stand by their product. Why do we struggle to trust God? The passage in Psalm 130 tells us that God loves us – faithfully! We need to be convinced of all God’s Word tells us about our Lord.
“He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!”
Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT
The Psalmists also tells us we need to be like watchmen who are waiting for the morning.
The watchmen knew morning was coming because it always does; God is no different. Even though they had been up all night, their shift was coming to an end, and they were probably struggling to keep their eyes open: they were focused on the task at hand. Just like I scrutinized every car, desperate to see my dad showing up, we are to be searching and expecting God to show up.
The NIV version of Psalm 130:5 says, “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits…” I think that phrasing in revealing. Our whole being includes our body, mind, and spirit. In my dad story my mind and spirit were not hoping in my dad’s daber. I let fear creep into my waiting. I believe we need to remain mindfully in each moment with God as we are waiting. We need to trust who we know God to be and allow our spirits to rest in that knowledge. How do we do that? We remind ourselves of truth from God’s Word that tell us who God is; and we remind ourselves of personal experiences we’ve had when God has shown up on our behalf.
The Psalmist finally reminds us why we wait on the Lord: “with Him there is redemption in abundance” (Psalm 130:7)
God is the god of redemption, there is no other. And God is gracious and generous in his giving. For us to experience redemption, we must choose surrender.
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Titus 2:11-14 NIV
When we choose surrender, we are saying God gets to determine how He will show up, and when He will show up. We trust His decisions; we are convinced He always knows best. In my second story, I believed the company to be a company of integrity. I expected what I paid for would arrive. I looked for it in the mail (often), and I didn’t freak out when it didn’t arrive when I predicted. As I waited, I chose to use what I already had available to me. I think those are steps and attitudes we can transfer to our relationship with God as we wait.
Five Steps to Waiting on the Lord
- Study, learn and be convinced of God’s daber
- Expect God to show up
- Look for His presence all the time
- Don’t freak out when He doesn’t come how and when you expect
- Look and take advantage of what He has already provided
Waiting is never easy. And waiting has amazing rewards! We wait for birthdays and Christmas, Amazon prime and the latest episode of our favorite TV show. We wait for paychecks and final payments, vacation, and weekend adventures. We wait for wedding days to arrive and babies to be born, mornings to sleep in and that idyllic moment when all our sweet babies are finally asleep.
The rewards from waiting on the Lord are abundant, life-changing and eternal.
I’m praying for you in the waiting.
