WAIT ON THE LORD

by Ivan Maddox

West End Bible Fellowship

Atlanta, Georgia

Ephesians 6 is the climax to Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians.  In it we find a stirring call for each of us to put on the whole armor of God, because we are in the middle of a great spiritual conflict. 

Eph. 6:10-13. 

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

In this passage and in the verses that follow we are exhorted to put on the whole armor of God, piece by piece.  We’re to fully prepare ourselves for the upcoming battle.  Once we’re fully prepared, what are we supposed to do?  Why are we doing all this?  Verse 13 tells us:  We’re to do it so that we can stand in the evil day.  When we’ve done everything that we’re supposed to do, we’re supposed to stand.

“Stand!” is the New Testament way of saying, “Wait on the Lord.”

“Wait on the Lord “ is one of the most frequent instructions given to us in the Bible.  But what does it mean to wait on the Lord?  Are we to sit back, do nothing, and wait for God to make everything okay in our lives?  Is that faith in God, or plain laziness?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus raised the issue of “Who do you serve?”

Matthew 6:24.

24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Jesus warns us that we cannot serve both God and mammon as our masters.  That word “mammon” can distract us from what Jesus is saying.  Most people understand the word “mammon” to mean riches; and if they’re not chasing after riches, they figure they’re okay.

But Jesus explains in very next verse exactly what he means by mammon.

Matthew 6:25.
25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Jesus is saying that you cannot serve both God and your next meal.  You cannot serve both God and your most basic needs.  Why is this?   Because God is going to give you instructions, and your needs are going to give you instructions, and many times they are going to be in conflict with each other.  When that happens, you’re going to have to decide whether to obey God even if doing so isn’t getting you where you need to go, or to do what it takes to get what you need, even though you have to disobey God to do it.  What you decide evidences who or what you serve, and, according to Jesus, who you or what you despise.

Jesus points out in verse 27 that while we’re so anxious to do things our own way, we don’t have control of even the most basic things in life, like growing ourselves.  But then Jesus offers us a solution.

Matthew 6:31-33.

31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

And right here we see what waiting on the Lord means.  It means continuing to do what you’re supposed to be doing, but not compromising in your obedience to God’s word in order to do what you need to do and get what you need to get, and instead trusting God to supply whatever needs are unmet because of your continuing obedience to Him.

What else does God’s word tell us about waiting on the Lord?

We are to wait on the Lord when we’re in trouble and God doesn’t seem to be anywhere around.

Psalm 27:8-14,

8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

We’re given here some explicit instructions about waiting on the Lord here.   While waiting:

· Seek God’s face.

· Stay meek (willing to receive instruction from God and correct our course accordingly) so God can teach you His ways.

· Be careful to walk uprightly.  (This is not a time to look for short cuts.)

· Remain confident that you will see God’s goodness.

· Be of good courage.  The Lord will help you to wait on the Lord.

We are to wait on the Lord when the wicked seem to be getting away with everything.

Psalm 37:1-11.

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

From this passage we learn:

· Keep your eyes on the hope of the righteous and the judgment of the wicked.

· Trust in the Lord and do what is right.  Don’t imitate the wicked. 

· Make God your delight, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Covetousness, by contrast, is making what you desire your delight, then going out and doing whatever your desire dictates to get it.

· Roll your way of life upon the Lord in utter abandon.  Let God look after you completely.  As you trust Him, He will deliver you.

· Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

· Don’t get frustrated because the wicked seem to be getting away with it.  The temptation will be to fight fire with fire, to fight evil with evil.

· Put away your anger, so that you are not incited to do evil.  Don’t allow yourself to be frustrated into doing evil.

· Keep your eyes on the hope.  Remind yourself:  what will be the ultimate end of the righteous, and of the wicked?

Waiting in hope for Christ’s return is part of waiting on the Lord.

Psalm 37:9

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

We are to wait on the Lord when the wicked seek to kill us.

Psalm 37:32-40.

32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

34 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.

35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

When the wicked threaten you:

· Trust that the Lord will not leave you in the hands of the wicked.

· While you wait on the Lord, remain firmly obedient to His ways.

· He will exalt you when He cuts off the wicked.

· Your end will be peace.

· The Lord will deliver you because you trust in Him.

We are to wait on the Lord when God is judging us.

Psalm 39:1-13.

1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,

4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.

10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.

11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

When God is judging you:

· Watch your mouth.

· Keep in mind how frail you are, and how mighty God is.

· Don’t chase after worthless (temporary) things.  Stay faithful to your true master.

· Seek God’s forgiveness and a right relationship with God.

· Ask God for mercy from His judgment.  Seek His face.

We are to wait on the Lord when we feel downtrodden.

Psalm 123:1-4.

1  Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

When you feel downtrodden:

· Seek God’s forgiveness.

· Keep your eyes focused on the Lord, waiting for His instruction and direction and His solution.

· Hope in His word.

We are to wait on the Lord when we want revenge.

Proverbs 20:22.

22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.

We are to wait on the Lord when we feel weak.

Isaiah 40:28-31.

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

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.

We can encourage ourselves to wait on the Lord by keeping in mind God’s faithfulness.  God reveals His goodness to those who wait on Him.

Lamentations 3:22-25

22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25 The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

When you’ve obeyed God instead of taking matters into your own hands and doing things your own way, but things don’t seem to be working out right, don’t despair, and don’t abandon God’s way and go back to your own way.  If you do, you’ll miss out on the rewards that God promises to those who obey Him.

Heb. 10:32-39

32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.

34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Instead, put on the whole armour of God in your mind, and make sure you’re doing what God says you’re supposed to be doing.  Then grit your teeth, plant your feet firmly in the ground, and take your stand until God comes through and does what He said He would do.

Wait on the Lord.