Wait for the Lord!

“God acts for the one who waits for Him” (Isaiah 64:4;NKJV)

The above verse contains a fundamental life principle: God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him” (Ps 62:5).

God expects immediate obedience from us, as soon as He reveals His will to us, but nowhere in the Scriptures are we encouraged to take decision hastily, as long as His will is not clear.

“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Ps 27:14)

The enemy in contrary pushes us to premature decisions knowing that we would act more cautiously having thought over the matter. Saul lost his throne, because he acted hastily in disobedience ( 1 Samuel 10:8 ) In contrast, Nehemiah waited patiently on the Lord. He fasted and prayed “for [many] days” (Nehemia 1:4). He even waited 4 months till the King himself addressed Nehemia concerning this matter. Within a few days the way for the beginning of the reconstruction was open. “God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him!”

Nobody in our fast moving society likes to wait (i.e. in lines, at traffic lights, for dinner etc.). But God wants us to be waiting on him. This will lead us to the following positive results:

1. We understand His will concerning the things, which affect us most. (He is good to us in letting us know His Will and will not keep us in obscurity while we are waiting. See Lamentations 3:25)
2. We gain supernatural strength (Isaiah 40:29-31)
3. We win battles and are preserved from using wrong means (Proverbs 20:22)
4. We see the fulfillment of our faith (Isaiah 49:23b)
5. We see God working on our behalf (Isaiah 64:3b)

While we actively wait, God is actively at work. Waiting is not a waist of time. When we plant a garden, we sow and wait, wait and wait till the fruits come. If we become inpatient and start digging for the fruits, much will be destroyed. Some fruits take a long time to mature - and the One who wants to bring the fruit in our life to full maturity, knows exactly, how long we have to wait for it.

“But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

Long waiting for God produces often the sweetest fruits!

D.B.