There are many sermons, songs and scriptures which speak about waiting on the Lord. But, what if I tell you waiting on the Lord might not mean what you think it means? Sure, you are eager to know exactly what it means. However, just before we jump right into the answer, we have to look at some scriptures.
Which Scriptures Speak To Waiting On The Lord?
- Psalm 27:14 – wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord
- Isaiah 40:31 – 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.
- Lamentation 3:25 – The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him
- Psalms 40:1 – I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry
What Does The Greek/Hebrew Word For “Wait” In The Above Scriptures Mean?
- The Hebrew word used for “wait” in all the above verses is Qavah.
- Qavah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘binding together, eagerly waiting, hoping for, expecting’.
- This Hebrew word has two broad meanings:
- “Binding together” or;
- “Eagerly waiting”, “hoping for” and expecting” is speaking of one thing – Hope
What Does The English Word “Wait” Mean?
- stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or event.
- used to indicate that one is eagerly impatient to do something or for something to happen.
Note: Definition 1 would be the most appropriate definition to use in the context of the scriptures. The Lord telling you to be “eagerly impatient” about something does not line up with “be anxious for nothing”.
What Does It Mean to Wait on the Lord – Explanation
The English word “wait” is speaking about ‘tarrying’ or ‘delaying one’s action’. The Hebrew word in the above scriptures is speaking more about “hope” rather than “tarrying” or ‘delaying action’. The Hebrew word that speaks to tarrying or delaying your action is Chakah. This can be seen in Hosea 6:9 – “And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company or priests murder in the way…”
It means therefore that scriptures such as Isaiah 40:31 have been misunderstood. The word of God was speaking about having hope in the Lord. Also, it means then when we have prayed to the Lord for things and we heard the instruction “wait” or “wait on the Lord” we misunderstood what God was trying to say OR…
It was not the voice of God but the devil trying to deter us from praying because he knows God will answer, and we have misunderstood what it means to “wait” on God. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since the devil tried to use scriptures when tempting Jesus.
What To Do While Waiting?
NEVER STOP PRAYING and fast if needed.