“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD,”  Psalm 27:14.

“We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield,”  Psalm 33:20.

Much of our waiting time seems rough. 

We anxiously wait for red lights to turn green, for people to show up, for meetings to finally start (and end), for big ball games to tip-off, for pain and suffering to cease, for biopsy results to post, for someone to tell us three words like “I love you,” “I am sorry” or “I forgive you.” 

And there are many more instances to mention. 

Have you had a rough time waiting lately? For what?

May I offer some encouragement? Waiting time always works best when God gets in the mix, when He coaches the wait, when He gets factored in. He helps us handle our waits like no one else can. The best waiting we can do always involves God.

Here are three ways He wants to be involved in our waiting. (Hint: Watch these three prepositions go to work.)

WAITING IN: God asks us to wait IN hope (Psalm 62:5), to wait IN expectancy (Psalm 5:3), to wait IN faith believing (Galatians 3:20–22), to wait IN prayer, watchfulness and thankfulness (Colossians 4:2), and to wait patiently IN the midst of the wait (Psalm 40:1). 

He wants us to attach these seven great actions into our wait. Bring these postures to Him. Hope, expectancy, faith, prayer, watchfulness, thankfulness and with a patient touch are the absolute best ways to wait. This is how we must wait.

WAITING FOR: God repeatedly asks people to wait FOR Him. Wait for Him to speak, to move, to show up, to do something. He will. So often this happens through prayer first. Like soldiers who must wait for their commanding officer’s instruction, we must remain in our General’s tent until we receive orders to move. 

When He moves, we move. Immediately. And until He moves, no moves are made. Our prayerful attention to this means much to God. And waiting well for His return and His reward must be our highest ambition (Psalm 37:9 and 39:7; Titus 2:13).

WAITING ON: The weight of our wait must rest ON God. Nothing else can carry the load, strengthen the life and refresh the soul like waiting upon Him (Isaiah 40:31). And all the other kinds of waiting that seem so hard for us to do get so much easier, lighter when we come to Him and commit to wait upon Him (Matthew 11:28-30). God strengthens the hearts of those who wait ON Him (Psalm 27:14).

Waiting works best when we wait IN, FOR and ON the LORD. 

Reflect: How well do you wait? What does your waiting time usually look like? How much prayer, watchfulness, thankfulness enters your waiting time? How much good hope, expectancy, and faith do you bring to your waiting moments? 

What can you do to make your waiting time or others’ more positive and productive, even today? Do yourself a favor. Memorize one of the great verses cited above.

A prayer to consider: O LORD and Heavenly Father, I want to wait well. I want to wait IN You, FOR You, ON You. May my best waits be found here. 

Help me to wait in good hope, expectancy and faith in a world that doesn’t really want to. Fill my waits with prayer, watchfulness and thankfulness. And train me to wait patiently too. The greater reward, Your reward, is so often found here. 

One more thing … Thank You for Jesus who waited so well to deliver so much. Keep coaching me to do the same. And thank You for Your Spirit who waits and woos me. I need the Spirit in order to wait best. Amen.