“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Ps. 27:14)
Back when I was in school, I still remember one of my teachers saying, “Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of WAIT.” That really didn’t mean much when I was younger but, oh, how I understand that now as an adult! Because we live in such an “instant gratification” type of world where we expect everything immediately, it can be difficult to have patience.
One of the hardest things in the Christian life can be learning how to wait. Twice, in this short verse, the psalmist reminds us that we are to “Wait on the Lord.” Now, I believe that carries with it two implications.
FIRST—It Means Waiting FOR the Lord.
Often, we find ourselves waiting ON someone. All it takes is a trip to the doctor and you will find yourself being put into a “waiting” room. Why? Because you must wait ON the doctor. Sometimes God doesn’t move as quickly as we think He should, but He is teaching us to wait ON Him.
SECOND—It Means Waiting UPON the Lord.
When you go to a nice restaurant, you will likely be served by someone called a “waiter” or “waitress.” They are there to serve you; to make sure you have what you need when you need it. Their service is not about them, it is about you. As Christians, we are to wait UPON the Lord. We are there to serve Him, making sure HIS will is done, not ours.
No matter which way you take it, waiting on the Lord has special benefits to us as believers. Isaiah gives us some of those benefits when he said, “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” (Isa. 40:31).