This election year has tested people in the United States. Many of us are having moments of trepidation, fear, uncertainty, and breathtaking anticipation. OK, so maybe I am overstating it by saying breathtaking anticipation. A more familiar expression is to say “Waiting on the Lord”. I can turn to my Bible to find what God can tell me that takes away fear and concern.
There are lots of passages that talk about people who had to wait on the Lord. What can we learn from them? Here are four options on Waiting on the Lord . There is also a fifth option which I will not consider- Don’t wait for anything, and take your chances.
1-Breathtaking anticipation
1) “Wait on the Lord” as a command. In Psalm 29:13-14 it says – 13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. A corollary to this is that the one who waits has to be strong. Verse 13 adds that the strong are also confident. When we watch a good football game at a stadium and our home team is losing, we may be tempted to leave before the humiliating end when the team loses. It is the ones who remain confident and stay till the end that will see a come from behind victory.
2-Anticipating Testimony
2) “Wait on the Lord” as a testimony. Psalm 40:1-3 says 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. When I think about this passage, I see a guy who describes waiting on the Lord:
- He puts you on solid footing.
- He gives you something to be happy about.
- He provides you with something you can show to others.
- By seeing your testimony, peoples’ lives are changed and they also will follow God.
At the time of Calvary, soldiers took Jesus to the cross, and only a few people stayed near during the ordeal. For those who kept the faith their testimony was “We have seen the Lord” ( Luke 24:33ff).
3-Anticipate Promise
3) “Wait on the Lord” as a promise. Isaiah 40:31 says 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Waiting on God is not meant to be a time of wring the hands and feeling breathlessly uncertain. It is an encouraging promise that we will come out of our hole with strength and resolve, and confident determination.
4-Anticipate experience
4) “Wait on the Lord” as a point of trust. If someone says ‘trust me’, there is only a handful of criteria that will allow us to make that happen.
- We have to decide to keep going/ not give up.
- We have to believe in something we cannot see.
- He may be making something move, but we do not know what He is doing.
- We may never be told what he is doing.
When the ability to trust is lacking, it is our experiences that provide us with a way to keep going and move forward. . It may have to be an incremental process of only gaining one step at a time, but we can do that. We may be like the anxious father of Mark 9:24 who says “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” He will. He wants you to get through this. The blessings on the other side of this tunnel will be worth the wait.
