Wait on the Lord

Waiting on the Lord isn't always easy, especially when we've prayed about something over and over and still don't have an answer. We want to know when things will change, how everything will work out, and sometimes we just want to know how much longer we have to wait.

Waiting is something I have loads of experience with. In fact, like you, I am waiting for something right now. There is a situation in my life that I have prayed about numerous times. I've even asked God, "How long should I keep praying about this?"

Sometimes I get anxious. Sometimes I get fearful. I wonder when things will change, how they will work out, and whether I should keep bringing the same request before the Lord. Perhaps you have found yourself in that very same place.

But then I remember something.

God has never asked me to figure out His timetable. He has asked me to trust Him. And there is a difference between knowing when something will happen and knowing the One who holds the future.

That doesn't mean I never struggle with waiting. It means I have to keep bringing my thoughts, my concerns, and even my fears back to the Lord. When I do, I am reminded that my hope isn't in getting an answer by a certain date. My hope is in Him.

Waiting Is Not Always Easy

Let's face it. We live in a world where we have become accustomed to getting things quickly. We can order something online and have it delivered to our doorstep. We can send a message and expect an almost immediate response. We don't particularly like waiting, especially when it concerns something important to us.

But what happens when we pray and the answer doesn't come? What happens when we have asked God for something, perhaps for months or even years, and our circumstances remain unchanged?

It can be discouraging. We may begin to wonder whether we are praying the right way, whether we have missed something, or whether God has heard us at all.

I think one of the hardest parts of waiting is not knowing what is happening behind the scenes. We cannot see what God is doing, and we certainly cannot see what tomorrow holds. Sometimes all we have is His Word and the choice to keep trusting Him.

But isn't that where faith comes in?

Faith doesn't mean we never have questions or that we never become anxious. It means we bring those questions and anxieties to the One who knows far more than we do. We don't have to pretend that waiting is easy. We simply have to remember that God is faithful, even when we cannot see what He is doing.

Waiting With Hope

Let's look again at Psalm 130:5-6. The psalmist writes about waiting for the Lord and placing his hope in God's Word. Then he gives us a picture that I find particularly meaningful.

He compares his waiting to that of watchmen waiting for the morning. If you have ever worked an overnight shift, you probably understand the feeling. The hours can seem long, and you find yourself looking forward to the first signs of daylight. You know morning is coming, but you still have to wait for it.

That is the picture the psalmist gives us. He isn't describing someone who has given up or is simply passing the time. He is describing someone who is watching and waiting with expectation.

Notice something else in verse 5. He doesn't just say that he waits for the Lord. He says, "and in his word do I hope."

Our hope is not based on wishful thinking or on how we would like things to turn out. It is grounded in the character of God and the promises He has given us. We can look to His Word when our circumstances leave us with more questions than answers.

There is a difference between waiting without hope and waiting with our eyes fixed on the Lord. One leaves us constantly looking at what hasn't happened. The other reminds us of who God is and why we can continue to trust Him.

Keep Praying and Keep Trusting

One question I have wrestled with is how long I should keep praying about the same situation. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you have brought the same request before God so many times that you wonder whether you should keep asking.

Jesus gave us an important lesson about this in Luke 18:1-8. He told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not lose heart. The parable describes a widow who continued coming before an unjust judge until he finally granted her request.

Jesus wasn't comparing God to that unjust judge. Quite the opposite. He was teaching us about the importance of persistent prayer and reminding us of the goodness of our heavenly Father.

We don't have to wonder whether God is bothered by our prayers or whether He has grown tired of hearing the same request. We can come before Him again and again. He already knows what is weighing on our hearts, and He invites us to bring those concerns to Him.

Sometimes the answer may come in a way we didn't expect. Sometimes our circumstances may take longer to change than we would like. And sometimes God may work in our hearts while we are waiting, teaching us to depend on Him rather than on the outcome we desire.

Psalm 27:14 gives us another reminder:

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

I love that this verse doesn't tell us to simply sit around and wait. It encourages us to be of good courage and reminds us that the Lord can strengthen our hearts while we wait. We may not have the answer we are looking for, but we can ask Him for the strength to keep going.

So if you have been praying about something for a long time, don't assume that you need to stop bringing it before the Lord. Keep praying. Keep trusting. And when fear or anxiety begins to creep in, take those thoughts to Him too.

Our Blessed Hope

There is another aspect of waiting that I don't want us to overlook. As Christians, we are not only waiting for answers to our prayers or for circumstances in our lives to change. We are also waiting for the fulfillment of a promise that reaches far beyond anything this world can offer.

Titus 2:13 calls it our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Think about that for a moment. Regardless of what happens in our lives, we have a promise that is sure. Jesus is coming again. We don't know the day or the hour, but we have His Word, and we can live with the expectation of His return.

Isaiah 64:4 reminds us that God works on behalf of those who wait for Him. His ways are beyond our understanding, and His purposes are not limited to what we can see or comprehend.

We may not know how a particular situation will turn out. We may not understand why an answer seems delayed. But we can know the One in whom we have placed our hope.

And that is something worth holding onto.

While You Wait, Keep Your Hope in the Lord

If you are in a season of waiting right now, I want to encourage you not to lose heart. I know it can be difficult when you have prayed, waited, and prayed some more. I know what it is like to want an answer and wonder how much longer you will have to wait.

But don't let the length of your waiting convince you that God has forgotten you. Bring your concerns to Him. Spend time in His Word. Remind yourself of His faithfulness, even when your circumstances haven't changed.

And remember, waiting on the Lord doesn't mean that you will never feel anxious or fearful. It means that when those feelings come, you have somewhere to take them. You can turn to the Lord, ask Him for strength, and trust Him with what you cannot control.

We may not know when the morning will come in our particular circumstances, but we know the One who holds tomorrow. Just as the watchmen waited for the morning, we can wait with hope, knowing that our confidence rests in the Lord and in His unfailing Word.

So keep praying. Keep believing. Keep trusting. And above all, keep your hope in the Lord.

He is worthy of our trust, even in the waiting.