Wait.

This past week, the Lord has been asking me to learn what it really means to wait on Him.

So often, that is a cliché Christian phrase. We hear it everywhere: wait on the Lord, He'll give you the answer when He's ready. Wait on the Lord, He will lift you up and set your paths. Now, I'm not discounting any of this - all of these are paraphrases of some of the most powerful commanding verses in the Bible. What I am saying, is sometimes it's really hard to know what it actually LOOKS LIKE to WAIT! So, I went straight to my Bible concordance (where you can look up a word and see where it's used in the Bible) to find the word 'wait' and all of its derivatives. From there I found the following passages to manuscript and really dig in to: 

Isaiah 40:28-31, Psalm 37:3-11, and Psalm 40:1-3

 Now, let me tell you, I got more out of these handful of verses than I have in a quiet time in a LONG while.

I specifically asked God to show me what it would look like in my life, everyday, to wait on Him.

First, in Isaiah 40, God reminded me that it's HIM and NOT ME that increases my strength, gives me power, and lifts me up. Isaiah is very clear in distinguishing the contrasts between us and God: God is everlasting, we are weak; God does not faint or get weary, we do; God is unsearchable and all-knowing, we cannot know His full plan. At the beginning of verse 28, we are asked straight up, "You already know this, so why are you doubting?!"

Next I looked at Psalm 37. My first observation was that we are given a list of things to do: trust, do good, dwell, feed, delight, commit, rest, wait, and DO NOT FRET. I put this one in all caps because it is repeated three times in just 8 verses, so it must be important!

I'm a HUGE language person, so I am kind of obsessed with definitions. When I saw this repetition, I just had to know what the truer meaning of 'fret' is, and this is what I found::
Fret: to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like; to cause corrosion or wear away at something
When I read that last part, I literally froze with my dictionary open. Fear literally WEARS AWAY at our faith!! Have you ever thought of that before? All of our preoccupation with things beyond our control is not just preventing us from trusting God - it is actually causing us to do the exact opposite!

From there, I went on to define all of the command words we are given in these verses and put them into phrases of how I can apply them to my everyday life. Here's what I came up with:

TRUST (rely on, place confidence in) the LORD
DWELL (live or stay as a permanent residence) in the land
FEED (be nourished or gratified) on His FAITHFULNESS (promises/Word)
DELIGHT (have great pleasure) in HIM
COMMIT (entrust for safekeeping) our way to HIM
REST (stay or remain without further action) in HIM
WAIT PATIENTLY (remain inactive but ready for action without complaining no matter what) for HIM

--> To do these things requires humility - our ability and willingness to recognize our NEED for HIM. When we are humble we will inherit the earth and delight in an abundance of peace.
Meek: humbly patient or docile; overly submissive; gentle; kind


      Abundance: overflowing fulness; over-sufficient supply
      Peace: a state of tranquility or serenity; freedom from annoyance, distraction, anxiety; silence, stillness

Psalm 40 gives us a deeper picture of what happens when we wait patiently on Him. Here is what we are promised when we wait patiently on Him: He inclined to me; He heard my cry; He brought me up from a horrible, sticky place; He set my feet on a firm foundation; He set my way which is committed to Him; He put a new song in my mouth.                                                  

I used this scripture to create a confession to speak over myself. There is POWER in our words, and especially in the WORD of God. 

Because I wait on the Lord without complaining, He will save me - He will pull me from a place I can't get out of on my own; He will strategically place my feet on a firm foundation in Him, and He will permanently and firmly settle my steps - prove Himself to be valid. He will fill me with praise to glorify His name. When others hear His praise in my mouth, they will trust in the LORD.

So, what does it look like to wait on the Lord??

• Rely on Jesus for my strength
• Be fully present in the place God has put me in this moment in my life
• Be fulfilled by God's promises, His Word
• Take pleasure in God and my relationship with Him
• Hand my future over to God
• Stop working toward my own plans
• Be ready when He calls me to action on His plans

Lord, help me to do these things in Your strength.