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What it means to wait on the Lord.

Have you ever been in a place where it seems like God is silent? You pray day and night about a situation and are desperate for a change?

Part of our mandate as children of God is to wait on Him. But what does it mean to wait on the Lord? It means to not be distracted. It means to continue praying, worshipping, fasting, doing His work and, most importantly, have faith. Hebrews 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please God”, but how do we acquire faith? Romans 10:17 gives us the answer, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ”—faith comes when we are hearing the word of God regularly. Waiting on the Lord gives us the opportunity to focus on our spiritual growth, which prepares us for whatever it is that God has in store for us. It’s not a time to become distracted and forget our duty to Him. In fact, it is a time when we should be engrossed in our spiritual walk, more than ever. The decisions we make during this time can greatly impact the next chapter of our lives, as well as the rest of our lives. Taking our eyes off of God during this pivotal period can consequently lead to delayed progress, missed opportunities or even worst, the enemy’s snare. 

Wait on the Lord

When we put our trust in God, it aligns us with His plans for us. With trust in God, we’ve submitted to Him, which means we’ve given Him control to work in our lives and sometimes this involves a waiting period. Because of our limited perception as humans, this may look like stagnation, but the Lord is constantly working behind the scenes, perfecting every detail. During this period, God is entrusting us to continue on the path of righteousness in obedience. By doing so, there can be consistent work in the spiritual realm on our behalf. And what happens if we get upset with Him because things are not developing as we expected and in the timeframe we desire to have them, then, in our anger or pride, entertain temptation and turn away from our creator? If we allow this to happen, we’ll be giving the enemy leeway to work in our lives and as a result, the work that was being done in the spiritual realm for the good of everyone involved, would come to a halt. The good news is, if you end up in this predicament, you can always return to Jesus and He will redirect you. With that said, your prayers, fasting and worship are powerful. They are breaking down barriers and uprooting what God did not place within you or in your life. Your prayers are uprooting patterns and problems that have been holding you and your family back from walking in your purpose in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:8 says “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” By continuing in our devotion to our Creator, we’re fighting against temptations and are working against the enemy’s plans for us. You are putting in the work for the next season of your life, a season where you’ll be walking in God’s divine plan for you, if you endure. He’s always with us, orchestrating our lives, to bring us into eternal existence with Him.

Daniel’s story 

Let’s take a look at an example of what it means to wait on the Lord. In the book of Daniel, Daniel was a devoted man of God who saw the state of God’s people along with a vision of their coming destruction. The vision troubled Daniel which led him into a 21 days fast to seek guidance from the Lord. After 21 days of fasting and prayer, an angel name Gabriel appeared to Daniel telling him that the Lord had heard his prayers from the very first day he started the fast. However, he wasn’t able to get to Daniel before the 21 days because he was blocked by the prince of the kingdom of Persia, which is one of the principalities, a servant of Satan, who ruled over that area. Not only does this tell us that there are evil powers that rule over different regions of the world, but it also tells us that there are agents of the enemy working to keep us from the truth, working to keep us blind and confused. Gabriel was being blocked, which was to stop him from delivering the message to Daniel. Michael, a chief angel of the Lord, came to help Gabriel and, due to Michael’s authority over the Israelites as their guardian, he was able to overpower the Prince of Persia and free Gabriel (Daniel 12:1 and Daniel 10:13). Gabriel eventually got the message to Daniel. What was the power of Daniel’s prayer and fasting? It allowed for the angels to be released on his behalf. James 5:16 says “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” We are powerful in Christ Jesus. What would have happened if Daniel did not wait and did not continue in prayer and fasting? Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.” If Daniel did not wait on the Lord or seek out His guidance, and instead became impatient and went on to do things based on his own understanding, it would bring him out of alignment with God’s plans for him.

We are in a nonstop spiritual battle. The enemy is constantly trying to lure us into making disastrous decisions and is constantly tempting us to divert our attention from the Lord. When we take our eyes away from God, we become vulnerable to these ensnarements. On account of the possibility of such a fall, when things seem slow or stagnant, continue in obedience to God, continue putting Him first and you will eventually see His miracle working power in your life. God is faithful. Therefore, if we have faith and follow Christ in obedience and love, we will receive His love, His favor, His protection, His never ending mercy and grace. Psalms 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” This is a desperate plea from David, to wait on the Lord. David understood what it means to wait on the Lord and its benefits, and he also knows what it means to not wait on the Lord and its consequences (2 Samuel 11-12).

Lamentations 3:25 “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him”

Isaiah 40:31 say “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 faint”

Many blessings to you.

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