What Does Waiting For God Mean?

This week I'm going to be speaking about a form of spiritual discipline which is mentioned many times in the Bible, but is very little understood or practiced by contemporary Christians.

The form of discipline that I have in mind is waiting for God, or waiting on God. The older versions usually say “waiting on God.” The newer versions say “waiting for God,” but essentially, it's the same thing. It's a form of waiting that is specifically related to God.

There are many passages in the Bible that speak about waiting for God. We'll glance at just a few to begin with. First of all, in Psalm 25, verses 1 through 5:

“To Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in Thee I trust; do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exalt over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for Thee shall be ashamed; those who deal treacherously without cause shall be ashamed. Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee I wait all the day.”

Notice, waiting for God is mentioned twice in those verses. Verse 3, David says, “Let none of those who wait for Thee be ashamed.” And then at the end he says, “For Thee I wait all the day.” And just before that, he says, “Thou art the God of my salvation.” I think there's a connection. If God is the God of our salvation, then one of the ways we relate to Him as such is by waiting for Him, if necessary, all the day.

And it's connected with that prayer, “Make me know Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths.” I believe one of the ways in which we come to know God's ways and God's paths is by waiting for Him. If we're not prepared to wait for Him, there will be some things we'll never learn.

Then we look again in Psalm 27, verses 11 through 14:

“Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”

We see there in the closing verse, David twice says, “Wait for the Lord. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Again, we see that it's connected with his prayer a little earlier, “Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path.” It's also connected with his prayer for deliverance from his enemies. So, I believe that waiting for God is the key to learning His way, and also it's one of the steps that are sometimes necessary in seeking deliverance from our enemies and from opposition.

And then there's another beautiful passage in Isaiah, chapter 64, verse 4, which the prophet addresses to the Lord. He says there are certain things that distinguish the true God. And one of the things he says is,

“Since ancient times no one has heard, or perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.”

So there is one of the distinctive marks of the one true God, that He acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. One of the ways in which we need to relate to this wonderful God, the God of the whole universe, one of the ways in which we will come to the place where He will act on our behalf is by waiting for Him.

What is the essence of waiting for God? What is really involved in it? Why is it so important? Why is there so much emphasis on it in the scriptures? I would like to suggest to you that there's a passage in Psalm 62 which probably contains the essence of this wonderful secret of waiting for God. Psalm 62, verses 1 and 2, and then verses 5 and 6. In verses 1 and 2, the psalmist says,

“Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”

And then in verses 5 and 6, he returns to similar language, but there are some significant differences.

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; my fortress; I shall not be moved.”

One important thing to see in those verses is that the word ‘only’ occurs four times. Every time that the psalmist speaks about waiting for God, he adds, “Wait for God only.” And he also speaks about waiting in silence for God, or being silent toward God. In other words, it's focusing our total attention upon God. It's looking to Him and continuing to look to Him, not taking hasty or unwise action, not yielding to our carnal pressures, but focusing our attention upon God, waiting in silence for Him.