If you search “wait” in the Bible, you receive a very consistent answer to what we all should be waiting for.
Psalm 27:14, 31:24, 33:20, 37:9,34, 130:5-6, Proverbs 20:22, Isaiah 8:17, 30:18, 40:31, to name a few, all have a variation of “wait on the LORD.” This is a common theme in the Bible. Especially in times of suffering and hardship, we are called to wait on the LORD. No one truly likes waiting. When we are told to wait, time seems to practically stand still. Children cry when they are told to wait. We develop technology to make waiting times shorter. However, even with the speed of life today, we are always waiting on something.
Reading about God’s chosen people, the Israelites, in the Old Testament can be frustrating. Why are they so rebellious? Why can they not see and remember all the great miracles God has done for them? Why do they keep turning to idols and false gods for comfort and answers? These questions and similar comments frustrate me while reading about the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, until I stop and reflect. Am I not just like the Israelite people?
I turn to other people to comfort me when I am hurt and sick before I get down on my knees to pray to the creator of the universe (James 5:13). I try harder to save money when worried about finances before I trust that God will provide for me (Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:25-34). I do not wait on the LORD to answer my prayers in His perfect timing, rather I try fixing everything. I think, “if I just work a little harder,” “if I just pray a little longer,”…
In the midst of Lamentations, an assortment of poems reflecting on the siege of Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 25 ), the author writes “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. (Lamentation 3:22-25).” This poem is written in the perspective of a man speaking out in his suffering and grief. For the Israelites, the siege of Jerusalem is due to their continuous rebellion against God. It is God’s perfect judgement and justice that has brought this suffering; however, even in the midst of feeling as if God is against him, this author proclaims that this judgement of God is also the reason to have hope. God desires His chosen people to turn back to Him, and seek Him.
When the Israelites continue to stray away from God, He sends prophets and signs to turn them back to Him. He even allows them to fall to other nations, but He never abandons them. When they turn back to Him, He is there. God desires His children.
The Israelites were waiting for the savior, Jesus Christ to come. There are many prophesies and passages in the Old Testament that describe who Jesus was to be and what he was expected to do. Isaiah 53 is a great example of a prophecy of Jesus Christ. We no longer wait for Christ to die for our sins. He has risen! But we are still called to wait on the LORD. We not only wait for Christ’s return, but we wait in our daily lives, through the struggles and joy we wait for Him who loves us. How do we wait for the LORD?
We wait in the knowledge of God’s character, in His love towards us, and the salvation He promises us through Christ. Coupled with the concept of waiting on the LORD is hope. “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope: my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” Like the watchmen on the wall waiting for the sun to rise in confident hope, we wait confidently in the LORD during our daily walk through life.
For further resources, see Overview: Lamentations, “Waiting on the Lord“, and most importantly, the Bible!
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