Wait on the Lord

At some point in each of our lives we will face a point of uncertainty, a point of confusion and a point in which we’re not sure that things will get better. It is at this point in time I have been reminded of Isaiah 40 verses 30 through 31 which says, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on 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.” This passage is one of my favorites throughout the bible and I’ve heard several songs reference these verses that always get me going, but at one point I had to ask myself what does it actually mean to wait on the Lord?

This is a concept that for a long time I sort of knew what it meant or at least I thought I did, but if you had asked me to put it into words, I wouldn’t really be able to explain it. Because when I think about waiting on something the first thing that comes to my mind is when I’m at a restaurant and I’m sitting at a table waiting for my food to come after I’ve placed an order, so at first glance this concept of “waiting on the Lord” may seem like some sort of passive exercise but in reality, that is not the case at all. Waiting on the Lord is the active practice of placing your hope and confidence in God knowing that he will provide and guide you through those difficult times. So, if we’re called to wait on the Lord and that entails active participation, what exactly are some of the ways that we can wait on the Lord? To answer this question, I encourage you to read Psalm 27. In this Psalm, David prays to God in his time of need and I think through his example there are at least three ways that we can wait on the Lord.

The first way that we can wait on the Lord is to trust in Him. From the very beginning of his prayer, David expresses great confidence in the Lord. Starting in verse one, David says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27:1-3). This kind of trust and confidence can remove fear and hopelessness in our lives knowing that the Lord is there to rescue us and save us in times of trouble.

Another way that we can wait on the Lord is to seek him. In this Psalm David shows his trust in the Lord by longing to be with Him and commune in his presence. He continues in his prayer saying, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:4-5). By seeking after God, David felt safe and secure which is something we can feel as well when we are in His presence, but it is important to know that this is something we must actively seek after and not something we can passively hope for.

Finally, one of the best ways that we can wait on the Lord is to pray. Not too long ago we had a gospel meeting with Edwin Crozier that I would encourage you to go back and listen to his sermons if you haven’t already, because he shared so much valuable information to help strengthen our prayer lives. Prayer is very important. In fact the entirety of this Psalm is a prayer by David towards God for help. The thing worth noting in David’s prayer is just how much confidence he placed in the Lord. It is apparent in verses 13 and 14 when he says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”  I read an excerpt from an author that I think sums up this point so well. He says, “Waiting on the Lord involves the confident expectation of a positive result in which we place a great hope. This expectation is based on knowledge of and trust in God. Those who do not know the Lord will not wait on Him; neither will those who fail to trust Him. We must be confident of who God is and what He is capable of doing. Those who wait on the Lord do not lose heart in their prayers: ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us’ (1 John 5:14)”.

My prayer for each and every one of you is that as you continue on this road, you will look to God in those times of need and that you will wait on the Lord.

-  Caleb White

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What Matters Most ?

When Abraham Lincoln was President he was bitterly criticized by Edward Stanton, who referred to Lincoln as a “low cunning clown,” and the “original gorilla.”  In spite of that Lincoln later appointed him Secretary of War.  He did this because he knew that Stanton was a loyal man and qualified for the job.  Lincoln was more concerned for the country than for Stanton’s opinion of him.

After Lincoln was assassinated Stanton reported looked at his body in the casket and said in subdued tones of respect, “There lies the greatest leader this country has ever known.”

If only we had more people with the spirit of Lincoln – people who put the interest of the Lord’s work and His church ahead of their own personal injuries.

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