03/15/2026
What are we doing as we wait on God? Do we even know what we are waiting for? We have all been through times when we weren’t certain what we would like the Lord to actually do for us, or what His will was in our lives and faith, but we do know that being adrift on a sea of uncertainty is not good. So, when we find ourselves becalmed on a motionless sea, let’s not ask the Lord that we will reach our ultimate destination but simply pray for a breeze to fill our sails and how we should set our rudder, as we wait on Him. Then, as we wait for the breeze to pick up let’s go about the various tasks of living in the faith that Jesus, and God’s Word, have taught us.
“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.”
Psalms 25:21 KJV
I once attended a church that was approaching a season of uncertainty. The Senior Pastor was retiring, and the search for a new one was beginning. I had confidence that God would bring the right person to our pulpit, but in the meantime, as we waited, I continued to do those things of faith that I knew. I prayed that God would bring forth His chosen candidate, and I let my spiritual integrity and uprightness, preserve me.
What does that mean? It means that I continued to seek the Lord in prayer, it means that I continued to read the Word of God, it means that I continued to love my God with all my heart, and to love my neighbor as myself. It means that I continued walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ as I followed in prayer behind Him... it is living a holy life in a time of quiet as we wait for a heavenly breeze with certain anticipation.
Waiting is not our strong suit and continuing on in those things of faith that we have been taught, continuing to live our spiritual lives without fear, undue excitement, or any variance in outward manner, is extremely difficult for us. This is especially true when there is change, or turmoil in our churches or lives. We see this all the time... a family loses a child, and the marriage dissolves, or a church loses a key spiritual figure, and suddenly there is a surge as people leaving for other churches. Times like this are hard, and they require a more focused prayer life, and an increase in faith as we wait upon the Lord to bring us peace, or new direction.
Any schoolteacher can tell you that the closer it gets to Christmas, the more unruly their classes become. With each passing day it becomes more difficult to keep the students focused on classwork, and the excitement of the coming holiday brings chatter, and fidgeting, to a fever pitch... the children can hardly wait. Well, this is true in our spiritual lives as well; we ask God to provide, and then instead of going about our faith as normal, and continuing to remain in prayer, we begin to fidget, get excited, or in some cases lose hope and faith in God’s ability, or desire, to answer us. Think back on the Israelites as they waited for Moses to come down from the mountain...
“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."”
Exodus 32:1 ESV
They couldn’t wait... the anticipation grew too strong, the need for immediate action overwhelmed them, and even Aaron became caught up in it. So, a golden calf was constructed, and the people began to worship it. Have you ever had prayer that didn’t seem to be answered? Have you been waiting for God to deal with a problem, a life change, some crisis of faith, or an upheaval in your church, and were you suddenly tempted to move on your own? Did the temptation to build your own golden calf come upon you? How did you handle it? Did you continue to pray and fall back on your faith, or did you take matters into your own hands?
Our natural inclination is to do such things as become despondent, become unhappy with our spouse during a family crisis, to leave our church when some moment of change impacts us. There are any number of other solutions that can tempt us to take matters into our own hands. We need to decide what we will pray for in times like these, and make certain we are praying within the will, and Word, of God... then we must have the faith required to wait. We need to be able to go about our lives with integrity and uprightness as we wait on God to move, and we listen for His voice.
Perhaps the new Pastor our church selects won’t be to our liking, and we must decide what to do next. If this is the case, how long will we pray and wait before we take matters into our own hands and seek out another church? Will it be a month, a year, forty years, and what will we do as we wait... will we sow seeds of discord, or patiently go about our walk with Jesus? These are not questions easily answered; the answers to them will come from much prayer, and God’s will as He speaks to us. Maybe he will tell us to do something similar to what He told Joseph after the Magi had left… and uproot us...
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."”
Matthew 2:13 ESV
Or maybe God will tell us to stay put in that place He has called us to, and endure...
“So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”
1 Corinthians 7:24 ESV
The point here is that we should wait on God to move in regard to our lives and prayer, or to tell us how to move as we remain in His will; and through all of this we should continue praying and practicing our faith until he does. Placing our lives in the hands of God is an act of great faith but leaving our life there in the face of uncertainty, conflict, and suffering, takes not only faith, but perseverance, patience, obedience, and righteousness. Do we have these traits?
So, take a moment today and decide where you are and what you would like for God to do for you, then pray about it. Listen and wait upon Him as He works His will in and around you. Wait, on Him as He moves, and as you wait, go about your spiritual life faithfully.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for answered prayer in the face of the many challenges of life and faith. I thank you for the integrity and uprightness that you have taught me during my walk with you and your Son Jesus Christ. Help me to know how to pray and open my eyes and ears to your answer. Let me feel your hand upon my shoulder as you move me to the right, and to the left, even when you guide me slowly. Hear me Father when I come to you in uncertainty and need direction. Hear me Lord when I cry out to you in suffering and need your deliverance. Hear me Abba when in doubt my faith becomes frail and needs your strengthening. Hear me Holy Father in all things as my prayers abound and continue unabated before you; then speak to me and act in my life. I will praise you Lord God and wait patiently as you work your will in me. You are my keeper, my deliverer, my strong tower in the face of overwhelming odds, and in you I entrust my life, now, and for all eternity. I pray for this world, my country, my city, my community, and my church. I pray Father for my family, friends, strangers, and even my enemies... help me to know how to pray for each, and give me holy persistence in my prayers, and patience in my faith as I wait upon you. Great are you my Heavenly Father, and great is your Son Jesus Christ... let your Holy Spirit lead and strengthen me in my faith, and prayer, as I await the breeze of your will, one which I might find imperceptible, but which is ever present, ever coming, and always good, acceptable, and perfect.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
Romans 12:2-3 ESV
“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
Romans 8:25-26 ESV
Amen!
Rich Forbes