Wait I say on the Lord

Pause-Reflect-Listen

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."  This text in Psalms 27:14 is repeated encouragement to wait on the Lord. What does it mean to wait on the Lord? Why should one wait on the Lord? What are the fruits of waiting on the Lord?

To wait on the Lord is to stop all activity, quiet yourself, and focus your attention on Him.

One can see this definition by the context of the word wait. Consider John 5:3: "In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water." Imagine the painful, desperate, sickly crowd, longing for healing. They stare breathlessly down into the pool of Bethesda, scanning its smooth quiet surface, straining, focused, waiting for the angelic disturbance. It gives the idea of undistracted focus, total concentration, undivided attention, quiet enduring patience.

When one waits on the Lord one looks intently for communication from Him: "Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." Proverbs 8:34. Position yourself in spirit so that you can hear God's communication to you. Sanctify yourself, get into His courts, turn from the din and clamor of the world, submerge in His holy presence, and then… wait.

Search for, look for, seek the face of God in spirit, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek" (Ps 27:8) It is in the face of God that one finds communication, direction: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (Ps 32:8) God's communication is real, though it may be subtle. Only those focused on His face, seeking Him, waiting on Him, will find it.

As you wait on the Lord, as you seek Him, be mindful of the manner in which God will lead you. Do not expect God to have every little task written down for you, or even for Him to whisper to your heart by His Spirit. God's leading and direction takes many forms. God leads though His written Word, through wisdom, through godly counsel, through circumstance, and by direct communication from His Spirit.

As you wait on God, be mindful of the written Word of God, and of His spoken word revealed to you in time past: "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." (Ps 130:5) This will be your protection from the deceit of the enemy: "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." (Eph 6:17)

You are to test any revelation you receive from any source with the Word of God; God will never be inconsistent with His written Word. Whether it be counsel from a trusted authority (Acts 17:11), your own strong feelings in a matter (Pr 28:26), impessions from the spiritual realm (1 John 4:1), or direct revelation from God, never choose a course of action or a disposition that will violate any portion of God's written revelation to you, so far as you understand it. Peter even challenged God, three times in succession, based on his own incomplete understanding of divine law, until he was enlightened by the Spirit of God and understood. (Acts 10) It was appropriate for him to do so. You are to do the same.

Also, there are some things that you need not pray about. If God has already spoken in His written Word concerning your matter, you have your direction from Him and there can be no holy motivation for continued delay, even in prayer, once your direction is clear. For example, it is not necessary to wait on the Lord for direction to discern whether you should help a neighbor who is naked and starving (James 2:16), or whether you should flee from fornication (1 Cor 6:18) or from idolatry. (1 Cor 10:14)

In addition to the Word, there are many things that you must be about in the course of daily life which require wisdom. The fact that you are directed to request wisdom from God is evidence of this. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5) You need wisdom because you are expected to discern between good and evil, between what is prudent and foolish, between what is appropriate and inappropriate. If God intended to tell us every little step we are to take, tell us every word we are to speak, precisely and explicitly, there would be no need for wisdom.