WAIT

“WAIT on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to INHERIT the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it” – Psalm 37:34                             

Possessing your possessions is all about aligning with God’s pace; and sometimes His will is for you to WAIT. Although waiting seems to contradict the notion of possessing possessions, virtually all the notable people of God in the Bible had to learn what it meant to wait. Many times, the inheritance belongs to the waiting. It is however useful to distinguish different kinds of ‘waiting’: to ‘Wait FOR,’ ‘Wait ON’ or ‘Wait UPON’ the Lord.

Waiting FOR the Lord means to patiently expect Him to arrive, manifest, or intervene in your life. It is part of “Waiting UPON the Lord.” Abraham, Sarah, Noah, and Joseph waited for God’s timings. David’s waiting was not disappointed (Psa.40:1-3). God inclined to him; heard his cry; brought him up out of an horrible pit; elevated his feet; established his goings; renewed his joy; and enlarged his impact! These shall be our portions, in Jesus name! In each case, they knew God’s Covenant promises; rested in His Character; and trusted on His Love! In contrast, Saul out of foolishness, failed to wait for God’s timing and ended up losing his throne, position and portion in the Kingdom (1Sam.13:13-14). Waiting ON the Lord describes an attitude of patiently trusting and serving the Lord till your desired change comes (Job 14:14). ‘Waiters’ are stewards or servants. We are to “wait on the Lord”; not have Him “wait on us”!

The modern man is not programmed to wait. We want ‘everything’ and usually want it NOW! We have a microwave oven because we want to get dinner in a jiffy. We have personal computers and now social media that make information available to us instantly that used to take a lot of time and work to dig out. Now we have it flash before us on the screen or on our palm. We have been programmed to be impatient. We are a society that has been programmed to get what it wants and to get it now. It is not in our nature or makeup to want to wait. However, waiting is inevitable in many circumstances, and we spend a lot of time waiting in spite of all the modern conveniences. Pregnancy demands waiting; we need to wait for the traffic lights, on queues; for food to get cooked; and for scheduled appointments at the doctor's office. When it comes to our dealings with God, we often consider ourselves intelligent, talented, resourceful, and self-sufficient; so why wait on God?

WHY wait on God? Basically because God is in control; He promises to reward those who wait; and He is working behind the scenes. Your Help comes from Him alone. You have no power on your own over many circumstances that come against you, unless your eyes are on the Lord (2Chr.20:12)! You’ll wait on Him when you understand your frailty relative to His Sovereingty (Psa.39:4-7). Through times and seasons; we know that we are not yet at home, but sojourners and pilgrims (1Pet.2:11). Waiting is part of God’s moulding and maturing process to guarantee our dependence on Him! Waiting is part of our training in preparation for the Lord’s Return: “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain” (Jam.5:7).

For many people, waiting is a ‘rigour,’ especially in these days of “instant gratifications”. Waiting is hard on the flesh and on the ego. The good news is: With God, waiting time is never wasted time (Jam.5:7-11). Until you will finish your work down here, and enter into your haven of rest in Heaven, you must learn to wait on the Lord for strength to do His work and His will and receive His Best! Your waiting shall not go unrewarded: “But those who WAIT ON 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” (Isa.40:31).