3 Keys to Waiting on God

Read Ps 27 – key verses 13 and 14

Isaiah 41:30-31
The Message
For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don't get tired,
They walk and don't lag behind.

World English Bible
Even the youths faint and get weary, and the young men utterly fall. But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength.
They will mount up with wings like eagles.
They will run, and not be weary.
They will walk, and not faint.

NASB
Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, 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.

"Waiting on the Lord is the patient expectation that God will fulfill his promises in his Word and strengthen us to rise above life's difficulties. It means to completely trust in God".

1. To wait on the Lord we need to be soaked in the Word of God
David wanted to walk in God's truth and the only way he could do that is by learning God's word.
As we read the Word of God we find his promises of God to us and we come to understand the character of our heavenly father.
David knew that God was his stronghold and therefore could have confident in the time of trouble (Ps 27:1-3).
Without the foundation of his Word reviling both his promises and his character to us we will be blown around all over the place. James says in verse 6 of chapter 1 that 'if we doubt we are like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" (Jas 1:6).
Knowing his promises this is why it's so important to read Gods word.

2. Patiently and expectation - these are key words in waiting on the Lord.
Patiently waiting on God
We all know that there is a time element in the process of waiting on the Lord. But how do we deal with the delay?
David knew from experience what it meant to wait for the Lord. He had been anointed king at age 16 but didn't become king until he was 30. During the intervening time, he was chased through the wilderness by jealous King Saul. David had to wait on God for the fulfilment of his promise to be crowned king.
Expectation – putting your hope in God
This is something we have to. We have to let our hearts take courage. In fact we have to be proactive in this area of waiting on God. Waiting on God is not just a case of sitting around doing nothing and waiting for God to show up. Remember Ps 27 says '…be strong and take heart..'
One way of being proactive is to protect the gateways to your mind and heart
Your senses are the gateways to your mind and heart.

• What are you looking at?
  What comes in through your eye gate?
  Are you glued to the TV - I must see my favourite program or may be you just sit there and let all the rubbish that the TV can through at you in through your eye gates
  What books have you read recently - or what newspaper are you reading.
  Is what you are watching and reading coloring your view of the world?
• What are you listening to?
  Are you listening to gossip and negative talk or the word of faith?
  What are you listening to both from outside of you and your thought patterns?
  Silence can play an important part in controlling what you listen to.
• What are you eating?
  Food can make you sluggish and sleepy.
  When you are waiting on the Lord you need to be alert - this is why fasting helps.

Your senses are the gateways to your mind and heart and your thoughts and actions can build big motorways deep into your mind. As soon as they enter the gateway they will zoom deep into your thinking process.
You need to be careful what you allow through these gateways and to big motorways in your mind.
If a particular thought process that is not good is use to travelling on the motorways of your mind that it has created you will need to put up road blocks and have the 'thought" police on patrol.
Read Eph 4:22-32 – Listen to how Paul is telling you to control the gateways to your mind and look out for the road blocks that he sets up
When we start controlling our gateways or to put it in biblical terms as we renew our minds then we are expecting God to turn up and our hope is in him and in him alone.

3. Trusting God
In Ps 27:13 David says he is still confident. His trust was totally in God and in God alone. In the middle of what seemed the darkest time he radically trusted God. David does not speak of the trust he had as a young shepherd fighting the bear and the lion. Nor does he speak of how he trusted God when he went out with just five stones to slay Goliath. David had a now faith a present faith in this time of trouble.

It is no good relying on yesterday's faith and stories of great triumph.
Today when you are waiting on God is when you need ruthlessly trust God

Isa 49:23
Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame

Recommend this blog entry to a friend