Waiting on God is one of the most challenging things we have to endure as believers.
We wish we could avoid it and if we’re honest, it would please us immensely for God to answer our prayers instantly, much like a genie.
But alas, this is not so.
And, this more often than not, is simply for our own good.
Why Is Waiting on God So Important?
Waiting on God builds patience in us.
As one of the fruits mentions in Galatians 5:22-23, patience is a virtue that has to be cultivated.
It is not inherent within us.
We need the Holy Spirit to prune us and shape us into people who can patiently wait on the Lord.
He can transform and mature us into people who learn not to be reactive.
He can build us up with endurance and He can guide us into grasping the lessons we need to learn while we wait.
Bible Heroes Had To Wait, Why Shouldn’t We?
Like us, none of the many heroes in the Bible particularly delighted in having to wait on the Lord.
Yet, it is through the wait that they were sanctified.
They often had to endure really long periods of waiting; time spans that would drive the average modern day believer to the brink of mental breakdown.
Remember how long Abraham and Sarah had to wait to conceive?
How about David who had to wait years before he could step into his ordained position as king?
Then there’s Joseph whose dream took decades to materialize.
Noah comes to mind as well since he had to endure serious ridicule in his wait (however long it really took).
Take a Praise Break To Let This Song Minister To You
The Role Grace Plays In Our Wait
So again, there is no doubt that waiting on God can be very difficult.
But…Have you ever considered that God’s decision not to answer our prayers immediately stems from His grace?
We serve a God who is so loving and compassionate that He does not crush us with the weight of our desires.
In His sovereignty and infinite wisdom, God knows what we can and cannot handle.
He knows what timing is perfect.
He knows when we need to mature a little more or grasp some more lessons before we are able to handle what we think we need.
So yes darlings… there is indeed grace in the wait.
Our job is to bring our requests to Him and then trust Him with the results.
It is He who knows all, sees all and loves us more than we can possibly understand in our limited state as humans.
Waiting on God is not a passive sport.
It requires having the right heart posture, adopting a spirit of servanthood, and trusting God as Jehovah Jireh – our Provider.
It’s having faith that God is already working behind the scenes so that in His wisdom and timing everything works together for our good. (Romans 8:28)
What is super important is what we do while we wait.
While we wait, we must worship.
We offer up prayers and our sacrifice of praise.
Now, let us go directly to the Word to see what is tells us about waiting on the Lord.
Bible Verses About Waiting On God
Hosea 12:6
6 “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”
Isaiah 30:18
18 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 40:31
31 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; *and shall walk and not faint.
*and substituted for ‘they’
Isaiah 64:4
4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.
Micah 7:7
7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
Psalm 37:7
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Psalm 25:4-5
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm 27:13-14
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Here’s Another Powerful Gospel Track About Waiting on God
Lamentations 3:25-26
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Titus 2:13
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Psalm 52:9
9 I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.
Psalm 31:24
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!
Galatians 5:5
5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
Isaiah 25:9
9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Psalm 25:21
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
Genesis 49:18
18 I wait for your salvation, O Lord.
Psalm 130:5
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
Psalm 130:6
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
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1 Corinthians 1:7
7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Isaiah 51:5
5 My righteousness draws near, my salvation has gone out, and my arms will judge the peoples; the coastlands hope for me, and for my arm they wait.
Isaiah 49:23
23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”
Philippians 3:20
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 8:23
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Psalm 123:2
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.
Hebrews 12:1-3
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Before You Go
We hope this post inspired you to not grow weary in waiting on the Lord.
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Until our next post.
Stay Blessed