And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Isaiah 8:17
Waiting upon the Lord is an art and unfortunately it is lost to so many modern believers. The secret to success is in waiting upon the Lord. You must learn to recapture this art and make it part of your daily life. The very first thing you need to understand is that waiting upon the Lord does not mean sitting and doing nothing. Waiting upon the Lord is an action.
What does it mean to wait upon the Lord?
- The Psalmist said, 'I will wait upon the Lord,,,,and I will look for him.' Waiting upon the Lord simply means to look for him - for his face, for his wisdom, for his instruction for your next move.
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
Psalm 37:9
- Waiting upon the Lord means to look to God rather than evil doers to prosper you. Do not get hasty to prosper and follow the world's way for he that is hasty will sin.
Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
Psalm 123 :1, 2
- Waiting upon the Lord means to look to his hands for his mercy. That suggest coming boldly to the throne of Grace in prayer to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, i say, on the LORD.
Psalms 27:14
- Waiting upon the Lord is drawing strength from him. It is drawing on the dunamis of the Holy Spirit and to draw on his help.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31
- Waiting upon the Lord means to worship God until you receive a word. That may be a word in your spirit or a quickening word (verse) which becomes your answer to your need.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31
What did Isaiah mean with these words, 'they that wait upon the Lord...'. This is implying there are those who do not wait upon the Lord! In which crowd are you? I want to be in the crowd that waits upon the Lord for sure. The reason many believers do not wait upon the Lord is because they do not know how to! It has not been taught nor has it been demonstrated to them from their pastors, elders and leaders. Today's seeker-friendly, one hour church service do not teach people how to wait upon the Lord.
The Hebrew word for wait is qavah it means, to bind together
Here is the dictionary's definition: קָוָה qâvâh, kaw-vaw’; a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect:—gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).
Isaiah's commendation to us in waiting upon the Lord list four benefits. You need to understand 'waiting upon the Lord' benefits you and it is to your advantage. From the verses in Isaiah, we can receive four benefits when we wait upon the Lord,
A - Renew their strength. - When everyone else's strength is fail, yours will be renewed. You will outlast those who operate in the flesh and those who are smarter and younger than you. Whatever situation was meant to weaken you to take you down will not get that satisfaction.
B - Mount up with wings of eagles - This simply means like the eagle who sees the storm and uses the wind to ride above the clouds rather than beneath them then you will live above your circumstances. The chicken and turkey live under the storm but the eagle is soaring greater heights above the cloud and under the sun. When you wait upon the Lord, you will ascend above the stormy clouds and be living under the Sun of Righteousness.
C - Run and not get weary - You will run your race of faith well. You not get weary in well-doing and you will reap in due season. (Galatians 6:9)
D - Walk and not faint - That simply means that your prayers will be effective. Jesus did tell us a parable that man ought always to pray and not to faint. (Luke 18:1)