Waiting is an action. To wait on God means to seek Him through prayer and reading His word while also taking care of other areas of your life.
The Bible commands us to wait on the Lord. But what exactly does that entail? Does waiting mean doing nothing?
Table of Contents
1. It’s not God’s will
God does not expect us to passively wait on him, but rather for us to work hard while waiting. If He has called you to seek employment or publish a book while waiting – keep sending resumes out and networking; writing or taking classes; trying for pregnancy etc… All these actions demonstrate active obedience within His Will as revealed through Scripture.
Biblically speaking, waiting entails having an expectant mindset of trust in God’s activity and movement while exercising patience through difficulties or delays. Waiting can teach us trust even when circumstances seem contrary and people around us suggest giving up. This makes waiting an essential component of Christian living: waiting teaches us faith even when everything around us seems unlikely or hopeless.
Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that those who wait upon the Lord will receive renewed strength. Their hearts will soar like an eagle’s wings as they run without tiring or fainting – showing it is possible to lead an active, productive and fulfilling life while waiting on His will.
As soon as we decide to take matters into our own hands, it’s a telltale sign that we have lost trust in the sovereignty and goodness of God. By trusting only ourselves for wisdom on situations rather than seeking Him first and surrendering ourselves over, disaster often follows suit. Instead, let’s seek God first in everything and surrender ourselves over to His care!
2. It’s not God’s timing
Waiting on God doesn’t mean simply sitting back. Instead, it means taking steps forward with faith while trusting in him – sending out resumes for work opportunities, networking with professionals in your industry or continuing work on a project while taking classes to prepare yourself for something better, etc. Additionally, reading your bible, praying and thanking Him as well as spending time in His presence should all help keep your spirits high during this period of waiting – God wants your body and mind healthy so it will help your spiritual development as well.
Biblical examples of faith-filled waiting are numerous: Abraham and Sarah had to wait over 25 years before having a child; Joseph took 12 years before becoming king; Noah faithfully built an ark and trusted in God to flood the earth for 100+ years; God used each of these people powerfully when they trusting in him despite what seemed impossible circumstances – their faith became stronger while living by faith rather than sight.
It can be easy to feel powerless before God, but it is vitally important that we remember that He has a plan for every moment of our lives and works it according to His timing – not ours. Rushing Him sets ourselves up for failure – just look at Abraham and Sarah: they were too impatient with waiting on His timing, leading them to have Ishmael instead. God knows best what’s best in terms of timing for results in your life if you wait on His timing – remember the devil does not want us succeeding.
3. It’s not God’s answer
Your ability to wait depends upon having faith in God’s person, principles and promises – an unshakable trust that He is all-powerful and all-knowing and will bring about what you desire.
In the Bible, many characters struggled with waiting on God to fulfill their needs or wishes for something they desired – Abraham and Sarah waited over 25 years before they gave birth, Joseph took 20+ years before becoming King, David battled Goliath for one last time while Noah built an ark that survived 100 years until it finally rained heavily – all these individuals eventually got what they desired in the end despite having endured much wait time along their journeys.
When in a period of waiting, be sure to continue engaging in daily spiritual practices like reading God’s word, worshipping and praying as this will strengthen and build your spiritual muscles.
While waiting, don’t forget that God is still working on you – He uses this time to build you up and change your character so He can provide what you need in the future.
If you want to hear from God, ask Him for an unambiguous yes or no response. Listening will be easier if you don’t expect an explanation as to how He’ll meet your request – He may choose instead to respond differently but still make clear what the best course of action for you may be; He’ll give patience and strength for when things become challenging.
4. It’s not God’s answer for you
God typically provides direct answers to the question “What are You asking me to do?” through His word, still small voice in your heart or prayer from fellow believers. However, He can also provide indirect responses – you must remain patient as He works in your life by seeking Him for guidance (Ps 119:105), praying fervently and frequently (Luke 10:2) and continuing life without changing direction suddenly.
Waiting on God requires faith and trust in His person, character, principles, promises and purposes. Both Old and New Testaments use “wait” often, usually to refer to specific situations rather than an entire lifetime – such as praying for an income so they can pay their rent or seeking wisdom and direction in job searching or needing Him to bless their efforts with connections or make blessings possible for them.
Waiting on God involves more than simply hoping He’ll provide a job; it also involves trusting in His care of all areas in your life, including finances. While you wait, pray for strength and guidance as you continue working hard while praying to remain motivated through the waiting period and spend time reading His word and with fellow believers so they can encourage you and support you during these hard times.
5. It’s not God’s answer for everyone
Waiting on God doesn’t involve doing nothing; rather it requires active engagement that may sometimes even feel painful. Waiting involves acts of watchfulness, expectancy and faith – something like the farmer working all summer to reap a harvest.
One reason it can be hard to trust God is due to misunderstanding: waiting means trusting. Trust in him means placing our needs and wants in his hands – something which can be hard when nothing seems to be happening or when there seems to be nothing for which to wait. Unfortunately, sometimes this leads to us taking matters into our own hands – an idea which doesn’t make sense and only creates more chaos that takes longer to remedy than waiting on him alone!
Abraham and Sarah were instructed by God to wait patiently until God provided a child, yet when that didn’t happen quickly enough they decided to take matters into their own hands by using Sarah’s maid Hagar to have one themselves; this led to many problems and caused harm while it wasn’t intended by Him.
As you wait on God, it is essential that you live a full life. Read your Bible, pray to him and seek his will; also take care to ensure your physical, mental, and emotional well-being are in good shape if you are waiting on one thing or another (ie job search/applicants waiting, publishing/work on book/conceive). God wants us to move forward in faith rather than stagnating!
