Defining the Posture of Divine Dependence
“Waiting on the Lord” means placing your trust and confidence in God’s character and timing rather than rushing ahead with your own solutions. It is an active way to depend on Him — not giving up or being passive, but making a clear choice to rely on God’s guidance. As Wayne Grudem defines it, this is “a posture of the heart during prayer in which we wait quietly before God for some sense of guidance in our prayer, and also for an assurance of God’s presence and of his answer to our prayer” (Grudem, 1527). This idea has several sides to it. First, it takes patience and trust in God’s plan, even when things look hard or progress seems slow. The psalmist calls believers to wait patiently and confidently for the Lord (Psalm 37:7), suggesting that this waiting isn’t anxious or doubtful but based on the fact that God is faithful. Waiting includes relying on God with your whole being and looking for his reassuring word (Psalm 130:5–6) — a full commitment rather than just a little bit of hope.
This isn’t about doing nothing. James Hastings explains that “waiting upon the Lord means not only praying and trusting, it means doing His commandments… Waiting is not an idle and impassive thing… it is not so much a transient action as a permanent attitude” (Hastings, Isaiah, 239). C. I. Scofield says much the same, describing waiting as having “all the spiritual senses alive, alert, expectant, separated unto Him… It is the quiet waiting of one who is girt and ready, one who looks upon life as a battle-field and a sphere for service” (Scofield, 15). Basically, waiting on the Lord means letting God handle the timeline, trusting that His help will come at the right time and bring healing.
How One Practices the Discipline of Waiting
Waiting is an active and brave effort. James Hastings notes that “the word ‘walk’ describes almost the whole of Christian life, and so does this word ‘wait’; for, rightly understood, waiting is active as well as passive, energetic as well as patient, and to wait upon the Lord necessitates as much courage as warring and fighting with enemies” (Hastings, Psalms, 22). The first thing we do when we wait is ask for God’s advice in prayer before we try to fix the problem ourselves (Piper). John Piper makes it clear that “we wait for the Lord when we pause to pray before we act,” which is the opposite of those who “did not wait for his instructions” (Psalm 106:13) (Piper).
The Bible tells us to “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14). This reliance is a commitment we keep all day: “Guide me into your truth and teach me. For you are the God who delivers me; on you I rely all day long” (Psalm 25:5). It’s how our soul stays focused: “Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me hope” (Psalm 62:5). We have to keep waiting, as the “Lord is ready to show you mercy; he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. Indeed, the Lord is a just God; all who wait for him in faith will be blessed” (Isaiah 30:18). This also means not trying to get even: “Do not say, ‘I will pay back evil!’ Wait for the Lord, so that he may vindicate you” (Proverbs 20:22).
The Internal Battle: Silence, Stillness, and Focus
Waiting means saying no to the urge to worry about what the rest of the world is doing. Instead of getting upset when bad people succeed (Psalm 37:7), believers stay focused on what God is doing. This takes “calm trust” (Isaiah 30:15) and refusing to get caught up in the success of people who do wrong. We are told to “Settle in the land and maintain your integrity. Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the Lord. Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf” (Psalm 37:3–5).
Being silent is a big part of this. The Lord invites us to “Listen to me in silence, you coastlands! Let the nations find renewed strength!” (Isaiah 41:1). We are told to “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Silence lets us hear His voice as we say: “I will keep watching for the Lord; I will wait for the God who delivers me. My God will listen to me” (Micah 7:7). This kind of waiting is like a guard watching for the sun to come up: “I yearn for the Lord, more than watchmen do for the morning, yes, more than watchmen do for the morning” (Psalm 130:5–6).
The Spiritual Fruits and Strength of the Waiter
Waiting on the Lord gives us new life and strength. People who wait for the Lord’s help find new strength; they fly high like eagles, they run without getting tired, and they walk without wearing out (Isaiah 40:31). This shows that trusting God doesn’t wear you out; instead, it fills you back up for the trip ahead. The Lord is “good to those who trust in him, to the one who seeks him,” and being patient while waiting for His help is a good thing to do (Lamentations 3:25–26).
This strength isn’t just for good times but also for when things are going wrong. Believers pray, “Lord, be merciful to us! We wait for you. Give us strength each morning. Deliver us when distress comes” (Isaiah 33:2). When we are scared, the waiter says: “When I am afraid, I trust in you. In God — I boast in his promise — in God I trust; I am not afraid” (Psalm 56:3–4). The Lord becomes our “source of strength” and “refuge” (Psalm 59:9). This strength comes from being near Him: “Seek the Lord and the strength he gives. Seek his presence continually” (Psalm 105:4; 1 Chronicles 16:11).
Signs of True Waiting and a Faithful Heart
How can you tell if you are waiting the right way? Real waiting is marked by “faith and expectation… persistent, expectant faith” (Hastings, Psalms, 23). R. A. Bertram and Alfred Tucker remind us that “we shall never wait in vain” even if God “may put our sincerity to the test by keeping us waiting for some time” (Bertram & Tucker, 333). You can see it in a heart that “rejoices in God” (Psalm 33:21) and a life lived with honesty: “May integrity and godliness protect me, for I rely on you” (Psalm 25:21).
Another sign is when we stop trying to handle things ourselves and start trusting God: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). A person who waits is someone who can say, “I hope for your deliverance, O Lord, and I obey your commands” (Psalm 119:166) and “Your loyal followers will be glad when they see me, for I find hope in your word” (Psalm 119:74). Even when tired, the waiter stays put: “I am exhausted from shouting for help. My throat is sore; my eyes grow tired from looking for my God” (Psalm 69:3). They still say, “My soul, waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning” (Psalm 130:6).
Waiting in Times of Trouble and Opposition
Waiting is often tested when life is hard. When enemies brag, as we see in Lamentations: “Ha! We have waited a long time for this day. We have lived to see it!” (Lamentations 2:16), the believer has to look to God. “Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master… so our eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor” (Psalm 123:2). When feeling down, we tell our own souls: “Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention” (Psalm 42:5; Psalm 43:5).
The waiter finds safety in God: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. I fear no one… The Lord protects my life” (Psalm 27:1). He is like a “fortress in time of distress” (Nahum 1:7) and a “high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer” (Psalm 18:2; 2 Samuel 22:3). When things are heavy, the cry is: “I am oppressed and needy. O God, hurry to me. You are my helper and my deliverer. O Lord, do not delay” (Psalm 70:5; Psalm 40:17). The promise for times like that is clear: “Throw your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you. He will never allow the godly to be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).
The Final Result: Deliverance and Possession
The end of waiting is victory and being set right. The Bible promises that “Wicked men will be wiped out, but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land” (Psalm 37:9). The Lord will “permit you to possess the land; you will see the demise of the wicked” (Psalm 37:34). For those who wait, God “intervenes” (Isaiah 64:4) and they are “not put to shame” (Isaiah 49:23). They can say with confidence, “I relied completely on the Lord, and he turned toward me and heard my cry for help” (Psalm 40:1).
This help isn’t just for now, but for forever. We wait for “hope of righteousness” (Galatians 5:5) and for God to fully adopt us and fix our bodies (Romans 8:23). We wait for the “Lord’s return” like a farmer waits for rain (James 5:7–8). While we wait, we are comforted: “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God (Isaiah 40:1). We can rest because He has a plan: “For I know what I have planned for you… plans to prosper you… to give you a future filled with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11–13).
Conclusion: The Close Bond of Waiting
Waiting on the Lord is a very close and personal act. James Hastings shows this well: “Waiting upon the Lord… is not the restless vagrant calling at the door for relief, it is rather the intimacy of the babe at the breast” (Hastings, Isaiah, 239). It is a life lived safe with God: “The Lord is good — indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress, and he protects those who seek refuge in him” (Nahum 1:7). Whether we are waiting for our daily food (Psalm 104:27; Psalm 145:15–16) or for the very end of life (Job 14:14), we do it knowing that “none who rely on you will be humiliated” (Psalm 25:3).
We end with the psalmist’s advice: “Be strong and confident, all you who wait on the Lord” (Psalm 31:24). For “the Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, and in those who wait for his loyal love” (Psalm 147:11). As we wait, we pray: “May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, for I trust in you. Show me the way I should go, because I long for you” (Psalm 143:8). He will come: “He will come to our rescue as certainly as the appearance of the dawn, as certainly as the winter rain comes, as certainly as the spring rain that waters the land” (Hosea 6:3).
Bibliography
Bertram, R. A., and Alfred Tucker. Isaiah 1–39, vol. 1. The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic Commentary. New York; London; Toronto: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1892.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020.
Hastings, James, ed. The Great Texts of the Bible: Isaiah. New York; Edinburgh: Charles Scribner’s Sons; T&T Clark, 1910.
Hastings, James, ed. The Great Texts of the Bible: Psalms 24–119. New York; Edinburgh: Charles Scribner’s Sons; T&T Clark, 1914.
Piper, John. Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989). Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2007.
Scofield, C. I. In Many Pulpits with Dr. C. I. Scofield. New York; London; Toronto; Melbourne; Bombay: Oxford University Press, 1922.
M.J. Kelley II