Waiting on God is one of the hardest disciplines of the Christian life. The Bible is full of waiting — Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac, Joseph waited 13 years for promotion, Hannah waited years for a son, the prophets waited centuries for the Messiah. These verses are for the long obedience in the same direction.
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
The classic waiting verse. Waiting on God is the source of new strength.
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
David doubles the command: wait, I say, wait. Heart-strengthening comes through it.
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”
Written in the rubble of Jerusalem. Waiting is good — even when nothing seems to be moving.
“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning.”
Waiting like a watchman for dawn. Certain the morning will come.
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
God's promises have appointed times. Wait — they will come.
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way.”
Waiting requires resting — and resisting envy of those whose path looks easier.
“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
Christian waiting is hopeful — directed toward what we do not yet see.
Waiting on God is active, not passive. Pray during the wait. Trust during the wait. Keep doing what God has put in front of you. Read Lamentations 3:22-26 every morning of a long season. Memorize Isaiah 40:31. And ask: 'Lord, what are you doing in me while I wait?' — the waiting is often the formation.
Biblical waiting is not idle passivity but active trust. Hebrew 'qavah' (to wait, hope) carries the idea of straining toward an expected outcome. To wait on the Lord is to: (1) trust his timing over yours; (2) pray persistently; (3) keep doing what is in front of you; (4) refuse to grasp ahead of him. Isaiah 40:31 promises renewed strength to those who wait.
As long as it takes. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. Joseph waited 13 years between his dreams and their fulfillment. The prophets waited centuries for the Messiah. Habakkuk 2:3 — 'though it tarry, wait for it.' Don't set deadlines on God. Set your face on Him; let timing be his.
James 5:7-8 — 'Be patient therefore, brethren... Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.' Romans 5:3-4 — tribulation 'worketh patience.' Psalm 37:7 — 'Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.' Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) grown through trial.
You are in good company — many psalms cry 'How long, O LORD?' (Psalm 13:1; 35:17). The biblical answer: keep praying, keep trusting, lament honestly, and remember 'the LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart' (Psalm 34:18). God's silence is not absence. Habakkuk 2:3 — 'it will not tarry.' Persistence is part of waiting.