Nobody likes to wait. Somehow people in this modern day take having to wait as a personal insult. Picture the immaturity of the guy next to you in traffic who wanted to sneak through the yellow light to avoid waiting through another cycle of the light but was hindered by a person who was crossing the road who left briefly ahead of the “walk” signal. You’ve seen people like this. He slams his fist on the dash and lets out a barrage of expletives because he was insulted that he had to stop and wait. How has our corporate impatience changed our society? Look at most fast-food restaurants and how they have gone from one to two or more drive through stations. Oh, how we hate to wait. Notice the call of Scripture:
Psalm 37:34 (ESV) — 34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
The call is to wait on the Lord even when those around you who have no concern for God seem to prosper. We are told to wait on the Lord. In Hebrew the word wait in this verse is a little unusual in that it describes the “binding together” of strings to make a cord. The same word was used to “collect” the water and dry land into separate areas on the third day of creation.
It carries the idea of anticipation toward useful results and does not mean to “hang around and wait.” It does not imply useless boredom or waiting for something to happen. The essence of the term is to be alert, watching the events and activities of the Lord and reacting to His timing and direction. Indeed, the word is translated “look” as often as any other term. So, we can say we are to be looking as we are waiting, which also implies hope. Hope in the Bible is looking for something in anticipation because it’s as positive as the promise of God, it has just not happened yet.
This is the idea that is further described in Isaiah 40:31 – look for God’s promise as you are waiting on the Lord.
Isaiah 40:31 (ESV) — 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; they shall walk and not faint.
What shall we do while waiting on the Lord? It’s good to back up and be reminded of the faithfulness and the demonstration of God’s care for His people in the past.
Isaiah 40:28–31 (ESV) — 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 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; they shall walk and not faint.
Do you see the value of knowing the Scriptures and knowing the narrative accounts of the Old and New Testaments?
Romans 15:4 (ESV) — 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
All those accounts which were written as men were moved by the Holy Spirit, who also made sure they were preserved for us today. As we read the accounts of the past, we realize we have every reason to believe God’s word and hold to His promises. Therefore, as we return to Psalm 37, we see the blameless and the upright benefiting from the call to wait on the Lord. Blameless and upright are those who believe God’s promises and act accordingly. In this case, waiting on the Lord is waiting in anticipation as you look for the Lord to do what He has promised.
Psalm 37:37–40 (ESV) — 37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
There are a host of other passages that encourage waiting in anticipation and not just filling space and wasting time. Consider the benefit that comes to the believer when faced with the adversity of suffering:
Romans 5:3–5 (ESV) — 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Suffering produces endurance. That is what happens when God says wait and as we wait God gifts us with the character of endurance, which is produced no other way.
James 1:2–4 (ESV) — 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Endurance produces character which will stand the tests that life brings, and character produces hope. There it is again. H-O-P-E! This really soars because in the midst of this development of endurance and character, hope is the Holy Spirit pouring the love of God in our hearts causing a great overflow of praise to God.
The next time you read the words, “wait on the Lord” instead of finding it rather insulting because we all hate to wait, consider the benefits that God has instore for those who wait on the Lord.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
