Praising God During the Wait

Apr 9

We have all had moments in our lives that we spent waiting. Even as a young child, I remember waiting for my birthday, waiting for a holiday, waiting to get my diving license, waiting to get married. In a home blessed with four children 12 and under we hear daily excited voices in our house giggling “Is it my birthday yet? I can’t wait!” As we grow up, those waiting times look different. They become less of an excitement about what will happen next and more of a fear. What college will accept me? Will I get this job? Will I ever fit in? Is this the person I’m supposed to marry? What if I can’t find a spouse? What if we can’t have kids? What will happen when my parents die? How will I pay the bills? Will I ever be able to own a house? Will I ever reconcile with so and so? These questions all require waiting for undetermined amounts of time. While a birthday or holiday celebration has a countdown to look forward to in the midst of the waiting, many period’s of waiting have no such definitive “end date” on the horizon.

These waiting times seem to become more frequent with age. I have recently found myself thinking about all the times I have waited in my short life. Yes, short life as I am only in my 30s, and I know I have a lot more waiting ahead of me. Waiting is an immense time of trial, whether waiting for something exciting or something that could be sad. Waiting on a diagnosis, waiting to hear if your child is healthy, waiting to find out if you need to move for a job, waiting to hear from the doctor, waiting and waiting. Waiting in itself can be a hardship, not to mention what the results of that waiting might be. Some things suggested to do while waiting are to keep busy, and not think about the topic. Some find that distraction through watching a show, talking to a friend, or reading a book can ease the suffering of the wait. None of these things are bad but as Christians, we should approach waiting differently than the world. Distraction is not our only weapon, nor is suffering in the midst of waiting for something beyond God’s use for growing or blessing us. Throughout scripture we find people waiting, and we are told to be still and wait patiently for the Lord.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:7

How Should Christians Approach Waiting?

Psalm 37:7, tells us we are to wait patiently for the Lord. We see this theme of waiting patiently for the Lord continually repeated throughout scripture (Psalm 39:7, Psalm 40:1, Isaiah 8:17). But as we all know, or maybe just me, waiting patiently is not easy. As a mom to young kids, we have created a few different songs to help teach our children how to wait. Even with songs and dances to pass the time, waiting for something and waiting patiently for something is even harder. The songs help the kids a ton, as do other fun countdowns, but what about when we don’t know when the end is? What can we do to help us patiently for God? There are three things we can do during the waiting period, we can Seek, Praise, and Pray.

Seek

During a time of waiting, we should be seeking God. One of the best ways to seek God is to run to His Word. The Bible is God's word that He gave to us. In it, we learn all about God. We can find comfort, peace, and rest during this waiting time by seeking God in His Word. We will find stories of others who have waited, such as Noah waiting for the flood to start and end, the Israelites waiting to be saved from slavery, the believers of ancient days waiting for the Messiah’s (Jesus’) first coming, and believers of the New Testament waiting for Jesus to return, and much more. Seeking God should be the first thing we do when we encounter a time of waiting. We need to lean on Him and His words. Here are some scriptures to jump-start your own seeking of God in His Word while you are waiting:

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You, I wait all the day. Psalm 25:5
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path Psalm 119:105
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26

Praise

Praising God is often something we think of as a community activity together on Sunday mornings during worship. But praising God happens at all times of the day and every day of the week. Praising God can take many forms, but often includes singing or even shouting. Praise is purposefully listed as the second thing on this list as praise is often a response to receiving God’s Word. We should first seek God in His Word, then we should praise Him. We should praise Him during the wait, during the hardship, during the struggle, during the anxiety, and during the uncertainty. We should praise God whether we are in the mood, or received bad news or good news. Praising God no matter what our circumstances is a unique thing, Christians, by the power of God at work in us can do:

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Job 1:20-21 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Psalms 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Psalm 42:11 - Why, my soul, are you cast down? Why do you groan within me? Wait for God; I will yet thank Him, For He is my deliverance and my God.

Pray

The last thing to do while we are waiting is to pray. Yes, praying comes last after we Seek God and Praise God. Praying comes as a result of seeking God by His Word, and Praising God for who He is and what He has done. We come to God through words after we have already heard His Word and praised Him despite our circumstances. Our seeking is often primed because of difficult waiting, our praise is often primed by encountering and remembering the character and work of God, and our prayer is primed by trusting in the promises of God. We can run to God in prayer, thank Him and ask him to help us during this time of waiting. Waiting can be a time of immense hardship, and also immense growth in Christ-likeness. Don’t waste your waiting or your hardship! See even the moments of difficult waiting as opportunities to lean heavier into the secure arms of our great and awesome God.

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Colossians 4:2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Conclusion

Patiently waiting for answers and the unknown is hard for everyone, but as Christians, we can find peace and purpose during the wait. We can seek our Lord, praise our Lord, and pray to our Lord. He will sustain us, give us peace during the waiting period, comfort us, and deliver us from all evil in the end.

Psalm 130:7 - Let Israel wait for the Lord! For mercy is found with the Lord; with Him is great redemption.

Isaiah 25:9 - It shall be said in that day: Look, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.