Waiting On God
Pastor Saorsa Enget | Jamestown Children's Pastor
Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!” – Psalm 27:14
What does it mean to wait? Usually, when we think of waiting, we think of staying in one place and expecting something. Perhaps we think of a waiting room or waiting in line. Sitting and standing around, waiting for our turn. Twiddling our thumbs and filling space until we get to the important stuff. And I don’t know about you, but I find waiting no fun at all. Being forced to just sit there, unable to move forward or make progress in any way is not my favorite. And yet, waiting is such a normal part of life. Waiting is a normal part of our spiritual life too.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “wait on the Lord”. But what does it mean? Is God really asking us to just sit around? Is He having us only fill space until He can fit us in for the important stuff? Are we supposed to simply survive in subliminal space until our opportunity arises? It can sure feel that way. I don’t know about you, but I sure find it hard to wait. I’ll try to be patient and instead end up anxious. I just need God to get me out of this pointless waiting and onto what really matters! Right?
Maybe not. God isn’t just asking us to wait. He’s asking us to “wait on”. Like a waiter waits on a table or a butler waits on their master, God is asking us to wait on Him. He’s asking us to serve Him and do His work! Our “waiting on” is not a passive, pointless season but an active one. Why? Because the purpose of the waiting is not to achieve what we want. For every believer, our life is not about us. Our waiting is not a means to an end, but active obedience as we do what we were made to do: Love our God.
Eventually, the waiting season will end and God will provide what we need. But our goal is not met when we receive what we’ve been waiting on. Our goal should never be what we get from God. Our goal should always be Him. Whether we wait on him for 5 months or 50 years, our life is fulfilled because He is who our lives are all about.
