Worship In The Wait

 "I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord, More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning." Psalm 130:5-6.

One of the important urgings of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises special blessing for waiting, waiting is one of the most difficult urgings of Scripture. Why is it so hard? Because, as a part of fallen humanity, we are so prone to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own plans. Yet, over and over again we are told in Scripture “wait on the Lord.”

Even in our modern age of conveniences, waiting is still a big part of life. When we think of waiting, what comes to mind? We might conjure up visions of an airport terminal, a doctor’s waiting room, the line at the supermarket, or being stuck in rush hour traffic. The facts are, most of us are waiting for something most of the time:

• Maybe you are in a job situation that’s really tough to endure and you are waiting and hoping that conditions will change for the better.
• Maybe you are without a job and waiting for news on an application.
• Maybe you are ill (or have a loved one who is) and waiting for your health to improve.
• A single person may be waiting for Mr. or Miss Right.
  
• You are waiting to see if you can birthed a seed before you get to old.
• Or maybe you are waiting for your spouse or child to become interested in spiritual things.

The simple fact is, in spite of our modern age and our dislike for waiting, life is full of waiting. And one of the most challenging exhortations of Scripture is “Wait.” But waiting, despite our impatience and our dislike for it, is a vital element in life. Indeed, waiting has a number of benefits. The Lord tells us to wait, as it has some wonderful benefits.

When the psalmist wrote in Psalm 130:5-6: “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning,” he was comparing waiting expectantly on the Lord to the night guards of the city who watched the passage of time in anticipation of the coming dawn when they would be released from duty. The coming of the dawn was certain, but not without the passage of time. In our “I want it now generation” we must understanding and accept the fact that waiting on the Lord always involves the passage of time just as it does when we are waiting for the news, a special program, for a plane to arrive, or for retirement. Waiting on the Lord inevitably means enduring the passage of time, but it means more, much more. Waiting means a confident expectation that God is going to do what He said and this is based on knowledge and trust. This means just not simply waiting—filled with and taking matters into our own hands. This means waiting seeking The Lord and taking action at the right time. This means waiting strengthens and enables and builds character. This also means resting in God's timing and trusting in His goodness that He will work this wait for His good in our life. You see waiting should lift us out of despair and cause us to praise God. 

In the Bible Paul and Silas knew about waiting, and they waited well. Acts 16 tells the story of how they were attacked by a crowd, beaten and thrown in jail. Verse 24 says the jailer put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks. He was making sure they couldn't escape. But about midnight, God showed up. Now it would have been nice if He'd come a little earlier, but Paul and Silas didn’t seem to mind—they just decided to start singing and began to worship the Lord. They began to wait on God.

Verse 25 & 26 say, "But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's shackles were unfastened." God answered them suddenly!

When people patiently and expectantly wait on God, and worship in the midst of horrible circumstances, suddenly God breaks through.

I don’t know what you may be going through at the moment, but whatever it is the challenge of Scripture is to wait on the Lord because, unlike temporal man and the fleeting world in which we live, the sovereign Lord of the universe loves us with a steadfast love and personally cares for us like a father. 

So don't give up! Don’t stop believing! Stay full of hope and expectation and worship in the wait!

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