Isaiah 64:4

“ . . .no eye has seen any God besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for Him.” (NET)

What does it mean to wait for God? Why does God help those who wait for Him? Why is waiting so hard?

Ps 33:18. The Lord takes notice of his loyal followers, those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness.

Ps 37:7. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

Ps 62:1 My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation

Is 30:18. The Lord is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed.

Today, waiting is nearly a foreign concept. You don’t have wait for a package – it can be delivered the same day. You don’t have to wait for a friend because we have cell phones. No need to wait for a meal because there’s fast food, drive through, and Grub Hub. About the only thing you have to wait for these days is a driver’s license at the local DPS office. Waiting is passé . . . as is snail mail. No one likes waiting . . . it’s an option that no one chooses today. Waiting, however, is not an option for those who seek to know God. You might say it’s the means to knowing Him.

To wait for someone is to cease relevant action until that person arrives. If you wait for someone who’s late for lunch, you do not eat until that person arrives. When we wait for God, we refuse to take matters into our own hand. We wait until God resolves the matter, or until He gives us a clear indication of what we should do. Waiting for God is trusting God; it is faith. “And without faith, it is impossible to please God.” Those who wait on Him, please Him.

Saul was an example of someone who failed in his waiting. After seven days of waiting for Samuel, he lost faith. Instead of continuing to wait, he took it on himself to make the burnt offering. Just then Samuel arrives and asked, “What have you done?” Saul was scared as his men were deserting him in light of the massive Philistine force assembled against Israel. As the situation got bleaker, and Saul’s fear increased an order of magnitude, Saul took matters into his own hands and offered the burnt and peace offerings – something that Samuel was suppose to do. Even though Saul was waiting for Samuel to make the offering, in actuality Saul was waiting on God. Unfortunately, his faith wavered.

In the verses above, we see the words patiently, silence, and rest. These are words associated with waiting, with trust. Those who wait in faith, those who follow God should exhibit patience, rest, and even peace as things around them seemingly fall apart. Waiting is the calm assurance that God will show up. In the beginning waiting is difficult because our faith is small. As our faith increases, waiting becomes easier.

If we fail to wait and take matters into our own hands, best case is we miss out on God’s blessings. Worst case we sin. Waiting is crucial to the process of knowing God. It is through waiting that we experience His faithfulness, His blessings, His goodness, His salvation, and His lovingkindness. It’s one thing to read about these things in the Bible, but it’s a wholly different to experience them. We must be careful not to short circuit our spiritual growth and experience of God’s power by taking matters into our own hands. Waiting — short term pain, but long term gain.