What does the Bible say about waiting upon God?
Is waiting upon God biblical?
There are some teachings which we will at once say, "This is what we are suppose to do." But the fact is, we have never even looked over the biblical support for what we are doing or even asking others to do! Let us now do that with the phase 'waiting for God." We have two questions.
Firstly, we see that the phrase or notion of waiting upon God was new from David's time onward. The Psalms use it about 25 times while Isaiah 11 times. The other prophets scarcely used it. The NT follows that trend by rarely using the phrase 'wait upon.'
The phrase seems to have originated with David. He not only experienced great difficulty in his life but discovered that he could wait upon God for help. This is not to say Abraham didn't wait for a son or Moses for help for his people, but the thought wasn't so fully developed. Besides this, a depth of spiritual life could be expressed in the Psalms. They enable us to look at a person's inner life. The historical biblical books just didn't describe this inner life experience. They looked at outward events rather than inward thoughts. The prophets at times did focus on the turmoil of the person, especially Isaiah and so we see this phrase scattered through these books.
The NT only uses the phrase referring to the second coming of Jesus. However, the phrase 'believe in' is very common, such as 'believe in the Lord.' But the meaning and emphasis of 'believe in' is quite different than 'waiting upon.' Believe and trust emphasize the confidence and faith in an object. 'Waiting for' definitely exudes this sense of confidence, but it is more than this. 'Waiting for' focuses on the sense of expectation one has on the object. When one 'waits on the Lord,' a person is dependent upon that person or something that the person will do. Below are the four major Hebrew words for 'waiting for.' Let's look at the ways the scriptures describe how God's people waited upon their Creator.
| Wait for Thee (Thee refers to God, Lord).
Ps 25:3 Indeed, none of those who wait for Thee will be ashamed; Ps 25:5 Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day. |
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Wait for the LORD ( refers to Yahweh). Ps 27:14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. |
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Wait ... (for Thy Name, God, Him, etc.) Ps 52:9 I will give Thee thanks forever, because Thou hast done it, And I will wait on Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy godly ones. |
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New Testament Php 3:20* For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; |
What does wait upon God practically mean?
We have focused on waiting on God or the Lord above. But we must realize as these following verses indicate that they are waiting upon the Lord for something. Belief speaks about trust in. Waiting, however, usually focuses on some one to do something. In this case, they are waiting upon God to do some special thing. Let's take a look at a few verses below.
When we wait upon the Lord, we find ourselves looking to Him to help for some specific need. There is a conscious expectation that He will help us out in that special need. We do not have control over the circumstances and therefore are looking to His provisions, His protection, etc. In each case, though, it is good to notice our special need, recognize that He can help us in that area and then cast our hope in Him.
Waiting upon God is not only biblical but a necessary part of the Christian life for the growing Christian. "Wait for" is an active display of faith in God during impossible situations.
Waiting Upon the Lord | Waiting & Planning | Steps to Waiting | Fail to Waiting |
Other great resources on Waiting Upon God!
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Paul J. Bucknell
Biblical Foundations for Freedom
List of all phrases "wait " for the Lord, God, Thee, etc.
Many of the wait phrase having nothing with GOd are taken out.
Ge 49:18 "For Thy salvation I wait, O LORD.
2Ki 6:33 And while he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him, and he said, "Behold, this evil is from the LORD; why should I wait for the LORD any longer?"
Ps 25:3 Indeed, none of those who wait for Thee will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
Ps 25:5 Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day.
Ps 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for Thee.
Ps 27:14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Ps 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
Ps 37:7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Ps 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Ps 37:34 Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Ps 39:7 "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee.
Ps 40:1 (For the choir director. A Psalm of David.) I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
Ps 52:9 I will give Thee thanks forever, because Thou hast done it, And I will wait on Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy godly ones.
Ps 62:1 (For the choir director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.) My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.
Ps 62:5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.
Ps 69:3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Ps 69:6 May those who wait for Thee not be ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; May those who seek Thee not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
Ps 104:27 They all wait for Thee, To give them their food in due season.
Ps 106:13 They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,
Ps 119:43 And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Thine ordinances.
Ps 119:74 May those who fear Thee see me and be glad, Because I wait for Thy word.
Ps 119:81 My soul languishes for Thy salvation; I wait for Thy word.
Ps 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Thy word.
Ps 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Thy words.
Ps 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
Ps 130:6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
Ps 147:11 The LORD favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.
Pr 20:22 Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.
Isa 8:17 And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him.
Isa 25:9 And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."
Isa 26:8 Indeed, while following the way of Thy judgments, O LORD, We have waited for Thee eagerly; Thy name, even Thy memory, is the desire of our souls.
Isa 30:18 Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.
Isa 33:2 O LORD, be gracious to us; we have waited for Thee. Be Thou their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress.
Isa 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Isa 42:4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed, Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."
Isa 49:23 "And kings will be your guardians, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick the dust of your feet; And you will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.
Isa 51:5 "My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait for Me, And for My arm they will wait expectantly.
Isa 60:9 "Surely the coastlands will wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the LORD your God, And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.
Isa 64:4 For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, Neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.
La 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.
La 3:26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.
Ho 12:6 Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.
Mic 7:7 But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
Zep 3:8 "Therefore, wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the day when I rise up to the prey. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.
Lu 8:40* And as Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.
Php 3:20* For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
1Th 1:10* and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Jude 1:21* keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.