Wait on the Lord

G. Paulraj

Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. Psalm 37:34

Introduction

This psalm tells   what the righteous man’s response should be toward evildoers. It also tells how God regards the wicked. He sees and knows what they are doing. Justice will come upon all in due time.

Wait on the Lord is the central theme of Psalm 37 the Psalmist in Vs: 7 say “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Here David encourages God’s people to "be silent to Jehovah," is that of waiting in silent patience or confidence for His interposition; or, in other words, of leaving the whole matter with him without being anxious as to the result. (Barnes' Commentary). Some times in our Christian life God may seem to delay long or the adverse situation may make us to think that God completely ignores our petition and unwilling to step in at the time of our trouble. We are not to be anxious and troubled. Sometimes God delays to rescue us from our troubles in order to discipline us and to make us to be more perfect and patience that we may reflect Him in all through our lives. In short this verse tells us that God will surely come to rescue us from all our troubles. The most important thing here to be noticed is whether sooner or later must be left to Him; and that our character will be FINALLY safe in His hands.

In Vs: 24 David testifies God’s protection and providence toward righteous and in Vs: 34 David encourages others to have the same trust in the Lord. Sufferings that we face in our life not only motivate us to trust in the Lord but also make us to tell others to put their trust in the Lord. Matthew Henry writes in this way “we must wait on the Lord, attend the motions of his providence, carefully observe them, and conscientiously accommodate ourselves to them.” He further writes “If we make conscience of keeping God's way, we may with cheerfulness wait on him and commit to him our way; and we shall find him a good Master both to his working servants and to his waiting servants.”

However to put our trust in the Lord and to wait for His deliverance at the time of our trouble may seems to be a huge task. It may seem to be an unattainable task because we are impatient grudging and complain against God without knowing God’s very purpose, God’s protection and His presence behind our every suffering. Let us learn what it means to wait on the lord. I hope that this would help all my readers/listeners to place their trust in the Lord.

I. Wait on the Lord is to keep His words

This is the true mode of waiting on God which the Scripture recommends; keeping God's way-using all his ordinances, and living in the spirit of obedience. Do we keep His words; Christian life never promises trouble free life but it promises God’s protection at the time of your trouble if only you keep His words and apply all of His ordinance in your life. You will not moved when sufferings hit you like a storm; you will not drowned when afflictions surround you like a flood if only you keep His words and apply all His ordinance in your life.  

II. Waiting on the Lord is to wait for His time to come

When we wait for God’s time to come we are sure to have the further blessings of which we are in pursuit. To wait for God’s time to come implies the extension of a right line from one point to another. The first point is the human heart; the line is its intense desire; and the last point is GOD, to whom this heart extends this straight line of earnest desire to be filled with the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of peace. God will rescue us on His time God’s time is neither earlier nor late He is always right on His time.” We are happy with the LORD if we obey him. He will then give us all that we need. It might not happen immediately, but it will happen. We must learn to wait for God’s time. This means the time when God decides to do something.

III. Waiting Doesn’t Mean Wasting Time

We are not to forget an important truth in this story: God blessed Joseph while he was in prison…while he was waiting.  “The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under ​​Joseph’s authority, because ​​the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.” (Genesis 39:23 NKJ) Even though God made be late, or appear late, He is still with His people in the waiting and is always good. Waiting doesn’t mean wasting time. But Waiting is indeed hard. It’d be so much easier to do something. G. Campbell Morgan has said “waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”

IV. Waiting is not Resentment but Refinement

Many of us have no patience to wait until His time comes however in our Christian life waiting is necessary. The Psalmist had to wait until God brings judgment upon the evil doers. The psalmist saw that many evil people had everything that they wanted. They did what they liked. Nobody stopped them. They hurt poor people that did not have very much. The psalmist began to feel resentment against them first, later he realized it was not good for him to get angry against wicket and decided to wait until the Lord bring judgment upon them. He believed that one day God would put things right. The psalmist just had to wait for that day to come. The waiting days of the Psalmist refined him to keep his trust on the Lord, refined him to refrain from the anger against the wicked, it also refined him to refrain from following the ways of the wicked people. God allows the waiting days in our lives to refine our soul from anger, envy and refine us from unholy things that we are doing now.

Conclusion  

The very situation that you are facing right now could be a trial of endurance and change. God makes His children to walk through such times because it’s the only way prepare you to meet God’s plan for your life. To take away what is unnecessary, and shape up your character and attitudes. The following statement and the illustration were taken from sermon central. The God on the Mountain Is still God in the valley. When things go wrong He’ll make them right. The God of the Good Times Is still God in the Bad Times. The God of the Day Is still God in the Night. God’s delays mean he has something better in store for us. But, yes, God’s timing is very often different than ours.

A father was taking a nature hike with his 6 year old son. The child was running ahead, and came to a creek...afraid that he was going to fall in, the father said CHILD, WAIT FOR ME AND I’LL GET YOU ACROSS...SURPRISINGLY, THE CHILD OBEYED, AND WHEN THE FATHER GOT THERE, HE LIFTED THE CHILD UPON HIS SHOULDERS, AND WADED ACROSS THE CREEK. The son said, "If I hadn't waited on you, I would never have made it across!" How true of us...Let us WAIT ON GOD...HE’LL GET US ACROSS ANY OBSTACLE LIFE PUTS IN OUR WAY. Dear brothers and sisters let us wait for our Master till He takes us to the other side of the river. God Bless You.