Listen:  122.5

The scriptures tell us on three occasions that we should wait on the Lord.  In Psalms 27:14 we read, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”  In Psalms 37:34 we read, “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”  Then, in Proverbs 20:22 we read, “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”

To wait on the Lord gives the thought of trusting in the Lord, allowing Him to direct our paths and give us needed instruction for our lives.  In Psalm 25, King David repeatedly speaks of waiting on the Lord.  In Psalms 25:3-5 he says, “Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”  He says later in Psalms 25:20-21, “O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.”  David trusted, or depended, upon the Lord to show him His ways and His paths.  He depended upon the Lord to preserve him in integrity and uprightness.

In the first three verses we looked at we see that waiting on the Lord will strengthen us, it will cause the Lord to exalt us in due season, and will assure us that the Lord will deliver us from those who treat us spitefully.

Years ago, I was walking with a dear friend.  We were walking his huge Labrador retriever.  As we walked along, it seemed we were either pulling on the dog so he would keep us with us, or we were trying to keep the dog from running on ahead.  I remarked that this was so similar to our walk with the Lord.  Because we want to go our own way and to our own things, we are constantly running ahead or falling behind as the Lord is trying to lead us.  May we all learn to wait on the Lord, realizing He knows what is best for us; He knows the path that He wants us to walk; He will meet our every need; yes, He will preserve us when we live our lives in dependence upon Him.  Notice how David repeats himself in Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”  Let us consider the value of waiting on the Lord.

As we just read in In Psalms 37:34, “Wait on the LORD, and keep his way…“  To wait means to trust and to keep his way means to obey him.  In these words we are reminded of that precious old hymn:

Trust and obey

For there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey!  (122.5)