
In an age of fast food, electronic mail and instant everything, the art of waiting on God is disappearing fast. The modern generation may soon forget the spelling of patience. Even if a preacher may occasionally speak on patience, the trend of the times is such that the congregation will leave the service with the prayer, “OK Lord, give us patience, but give it right now!”
The God of the Bible is known for waiting. He never acts in haste. His very name is the “God of Patience” (Rom 15:5). In all His dealings with man, sinner or saint, He is patient throughout. If He had not been so, every one of us would have perished long ago. As He is patient with us, it is only right that He expects us to be patient in our relationship with Him.
This is what the Bible calls as “Waiting on God.” So much is preached and published on the subjects of prayer, worship and meditation. But specific teaching on “waiting on God” is scarce though this exercise is quite essential for Christian discipleship and growth. In this article I have attempted to lead the reader to a Biblical understanding and experience of waiting on God.
How to wait on God? Pour out your heart before God. Waiting on God is more than just praying. In prayer we essentially present our requests before God and seek His favour for an answer. But while waiting on God we simply open up and throw up ourselves before the Almighty. It is not an exaggeration if I say that waiting on God begins only after presenting our needs before Him in prayer.
Waiting for an answer to prayer, especially for guidance, is often part of the answer. Here is David with his testimony and teaching: “Truly my soul silently waits for God alone; for my expectation is from Him… Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him” (Psalm 62:1,5,8). Prayer can be offered in a hurry; but without taking time we cannot wait on God. The posture need not always be kneeling. It can be standing or sitting or walking or even lying down. It’s a time of uninterrupted communion in our spirit with God. There need not always be a specific subject to dwell upon. It is just waiting on “God alone” (Psalm 62:5a).
It is an exercise of all our heart, mind, soul and spirit being filled with God Himself. It is fellowship in its purest form. Saturate yourself with the Scriptures. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope” (Psalm 130:5). Waiting on God doesn’t mean passivity or keeping our minds blank. This may attract the devil because he keeps roaming about to occupy vacant and well-swept houses (Luke 11:24-26). We must feed richly on the Word of God during seasons of waiting on God.
This is what Jesus did during the forty days He spent in the desert before He began His public ministry. There must always be an open Bible before us when we kneel down to wait on God. The time of waiting on God can also be used to ruminate (ponder, reflect) the truths we study during our regular meditations of the Scriptures. God had revealed His plan to young Joseph through dreams. Everything that followed in his life was just the opposite. The imprisonment in Egypt on false charges of sexual misbehaviour provided for him an excellent time to wait on God who never fails His Word.
Joseph had written the vision clearly in his heart. He had been assured that the vision was yet for an appointed time; though it delayed, he must wait for it; it would surely be fulfilled (Hab 2:2,3). The divine record says, “The word of the Lord tested Joseph until the time came for its fulfilment” (Psalm 105:19, KJV). If we are really waiting on God, we will not employ fleshly methods to work out things for our promotion. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it open! I urge you, dear reader, to read and reread Psalm 37 until its message sinks deep in your soul.
During the 40 plus years of my walk with God, I have always experienced calm at the depth of my heart in spite of roaring waves above because I have believed every one of the 40 verses of this Psalm. Here is a sample passage from this golden Psalm: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm” (vv 7,8). Keep on serving God faithfully. Waiting on God does not mean we stop working for Him.
Priest Zacharias kept on serving God till his very old age while waiting for an answer to his prayer for a child (Luke 1:5-14). David once lamented, “I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched and dry. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me” (Psalm 69:3). Nevertheless he kept on composing songs for God which became the Messianic prophecies and promises, like this Psalm. Servants of God down through the ages have testified that they had been soaking their pillows at nights with tears, but God anointed them with the oil of gladness when they stood on the pulpits. This is the power of waiting on God. It is dangerous to become too busy to find time to wait on God because of the pressures of ministry and the demands of work. Waiting time is not a wasted time. The time spent in waiting to find the will of God will be saved while carrying it out. Waiting on knees brings us to our journey’s end quicker than walking on foot!
Author: Dr. R. Stanley is M.Tech in soil mechanics and foundation engineering is in full time Christian service and honored a doctorate degree in Divinity by the Hindustan Bible Institute.