The Work Of Waiting On God

Are you waiting on God to answer a prayer?  To change a situation for you?  Perhaps you pray daily but you don’t see any sign of your circumstances changing.  What should you do? 

People say all the time, “Wait on God”.  Many scriptures, like Psalm 27:14, even command that we wait on God when it says: “Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the LORD”.  But what does “waiting” on God even mean? 

Ten years ago I was in a car accident and unable to continue working due to my injuries.  The person who hit me left the scene and once found didn’t have any insurance.  My insurance representative said there was nothing they could do to help me. 

I prayed and asked God for deliverance, specifically to heal my body and make a way for me to pay my bills.  God provided me with a meal every day, but my bills started piling up.  As bills came in, I would stick them in a drawer.  Each time I put a bill into the drawer, I would say, “Lord I am trusting you to take care of this bill.”   After a while the drawer was full and there was no more room, so I started putting them into a second drawer.

Growing up my mother always told us to pray about everything and trust God.  You can’t doubt and trust at the same time no matter what the situation.  Trusting God dispels fear and despair. Isaiah 26:3 says, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind stays on You, because he trusts in You. Remind yourself of what He has already done in your life.  What He has already brought you through.  You can trust God because He has a good track record of coming through for you.  Plus, He promised to take care of you and all your needs. To trust God is to acknowledge Him in everything.  Proverbs 3:6 says: In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

I had a daily routine. I would get my Bible and go into my prayer closet and start praying to God asking Him to strengthen my body so I could get back to normal again and start working. I prayed expecting God to take care of my situation. The Holy Spirit would speak to me each time I prayed telling me to be patient, all while my bank account was going into the negative. Pray to God, not just for what you’ve already requested, but ask God for wisdom, protection, and understanding so when He blesses you, your response is one that glorifies Him.

I got closer to Him by seeking God through His word and it took my mind off my circumstances.  Seeking God means spending time with Him and reminding yourself of who He is because you won’t trust someone you don’t know.  I got to know Him better through studying His word, going to church, praising Him, attending Bible Study, etc. Matthew 6:33 says, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. My problems were still there but my focus was on God.

I kept expecting God would deliver me. Isaiah 64:4 says, For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him. I looked to God and believed that everything was going to work out for my good.   

You just can’t sit around, doing nothing and expect something to happen.  After 3 months of trusting, praying, studying Gods Word, and expecting deliverance I opened my mail to an insurance check that was more than enough to cover my 2 drawers of bills.  God had answered my prayers and came through for me in a way that caused the insurance company to reconsider, without provocation from me, in a way I still don’t fully understand.  I give God the glory because in Isaiah 46:4 He says:  I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you.

“Waiting on God”, doesn’t mean to do nothing.  And it doesn’t mean to only continue to pray.  Waiting on God is an active process that includes, Trusting Him, Seeking Him, Praying To Him, and Expecting Him To Provide Deliverance.  That is “the work of waiting on God“.  It’s not easy but it is necessary. And after the waiting comes the blessing, Isaiah 40:31 says,

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.