Wait on the Lord
Waiting is often difficult for us. But we have very good reasons to learn to wait on the Lord. These reasons we are going to discover today. I also will tell something about patience. But that is on the end.
We are going to start with the reading of verse 9 in psalm 37:
Psalms 37:9
For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
The people who wait for the Lord will inherit the land. It means that he who waits on the Lord will be welcome in Yahweh’s Kingdom.
We continue with a advice of the writer of this psalm to the people who wait on the Lord. We are going to read verse 16 of the same psalm:
Psalms 37:16
Better is the little of the righteous, Than the abundance of many wicked.
It's better to be poor and righteous, then to be a rich wicked man. Don't be jealous on the rich wicked man, the writer says, because his wealth is for a very short time. You will have a very good life forever, while the wicked man is not there anymore. Because he is not welcome in Yahweh’s Kingdom.
The writer is telling in verse 11 about the good life that the waiting people will get. And in verse 18 he tells that the life of the waiting people will be forever. We’re going to read those verses. We start with verse 11:
Psalms 37:11
But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
The people who wait on the Lord are righteous and humble. They will not only inherit the land, but they will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. They will be very happy in their inherited land.
And we continue with reading verse 18:
Psalms 37:18
The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever.
Those who wait on the Lord are righteous, humble and blameless. Their inheritance will be forever. The people who wait on the Lord have a very good future that never ends. Isn't that great?
We are going to read Lamentations chapter 3:
Lamentations 3:25
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.
People who wait on Yahweh have a close relationship with Yahweh and talk with Him regarly. And Yahweh is good for them.
We are going to read another verse in Proverbs 20:
Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and He will save you.
Another advantage is that Yahweh protects those who wait on the Lord. They endure evil. They don't fight against it. They wait and see what Yahweh will do.
Yahweh has a very nice promise for everyone who waits on the Lord. We are going to read Isaiah chapter 40:
Isaiah 40:31
Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.
They who wait on the Lord will get help from Yahweh. He make sure they stand. They will be above the storms of their life. That means that difficult and hard situations will be used to let them succeed in their good works. While the discouraging situations are there to stop them from their good works. Yahweh will help them not to stop or to give up. They will succeed. Isn't this wonderful?
So a person who waits on the Lord is righteous, humble, blameless. He has a very good relationship with Yahweh, talks regularly with Yahweh and he endures evil.
If you wait on the Lord you will be welcome in Yahweh’s Kingdom. It will be your inheritance forever. And you will have abundant prosperity in Yahweh’s Kingdom. In this life now you get Yahweh's protection, you get Yahweh's help to overcome difficult situations and you get Yahweh's help to succeed good works that supposed to be stopped because of this same difficult situations.
When you wait on the Lord, you depend on Yahweh. And you subject your will to His terms and timing. Your time keeps running and it feels like waisted. You need a lot of patient. But it also stops you from doing the usually things. It gives a certain kind of rest.
In the Old Testament, people of Yahweh and individuals were told to wait on the Lord, most of the time this means to wait on Yahweh's providential care. In the New Testament, waiting on the Lord often refers to Yeshua' second coming.
We wait on the Lord till He act. This can be an act of deliverance, of salvation, of avenge, of answering our prayers, of provision for our needs, of renewing of our strength, of revealing of His glory. We wait on what only Yahweh can do. And we wait on the arrival of Yeshua.
While we wait patiently for Him to accomplish His plan, we actively serve Yahweh and attune ourselves to Him. This way you obey Him and you will live happily forever in His Kingdom.
I promised to tell also something about patience. Patience can be used in 2 different ways.
I will explain both forms. We begin with the reading of Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 8:
Ecclesiastes 7:8
The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.
The word patience means here humility. When you're humble, you have much patience. You are more busy for others then yourself. The serving role is hard. The haughty people are not nice for you. They demand much. A humble person will never talk proudly about himself. But most of the times other people will also not give compliments to him. So he could ask himself why he continues to serve, but he will never ask for himself this question.
A second way of using patience we find in Psalms chapter 37 verse 7.
Psalms 37:7
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Here patience means calm. It means that you are not getting irritated or angry. You don't mind if you have to wait long. You have trust in the Lord. And you have hope. You are certain that your time will come.
Both forms are needed when you wait on the Lord.
In Hebrews chapter 6 verse 10 till 12 you find a subscription of how you have to wait on the Lord. Let's read it:
Hebrews 6:10-12
For Yahweh is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Because you love the Lord you are serving the saints. You're diligence in it, because you have hope. You can’t see it, but you are certain that you are welcome in Yahweh’s Kingdom. That is what it means to have hope. Because of your faith and your patience you will inherent the land where you will live forever in happiness. You don't know how long you have to wait on your inheritance, but you know one day it will come. You wait actively for it with great expectation.