What Does it Mean to Wait on the Lord and Be of Good Courage?

Waiting is probably one of the most misunderstood words in the entire Bible. I am going to let you in on a truth about me, I hate waiting. When I go into a store or the post office, if I see a line I leave because I don’t want to wait in the line. (Don’t look at me funny you probably do the same thing.) Many times, we react this way when we are waiting on God. Part of the reason is we don’t understand what waiting really means and what it says about us. In many places in the Bible, we are told to wait on the Lord. Here is one of the verses you might be familiar with.

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." – Psalm 27:14 (KJV)

There must be some intrinsic value in waiting if God is telling us to wait. Because this principle is prevalent in the Bible, we must figure out what it means to wait on the Lord and be of good courage. 

What does it mean to wait on the Lord?

If you do a dictionary search on Google, you will find this definition of the word wait which I believe is fantastic for this conversation. 

Wait - stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens

Within this simple definition of the word wait, there are some things that are indicators of what waiting demonstrates in your life.

Waiting demonstrates trust.
One reason waiting on the Lord is so important is it demonstrates your trust in God. The person who is impatient and does not want to wait is telling God you are moving too slow or does not believe he is going to come through. If you think it through, is there a viable alternative to waiting on God? The only other option is to take matters into your own hands. Consider the logic, or lack thereof, in doing this. You take a situation from the hands of the one who is all-powerful, all-knowing who cannot and will not fail you and you tell God, “Thanks, but I’ll take it from here.” One of the best examples we have of not waiting is Abraham. His decision not to wait created a messy situation that still exists until this day. Simply, because he got impatient and chose not to wait on God’s promise. Hopefully you can see why this doesn’t make sense and when you choose not to wait the results are usually disastrous.

When you are waiting on God you are telling him you will continue to trust him, even when it doesn’t make sense or people around you are telling you to give up and do something else. Remember part of the definition of waiting is standing still until something else happens. When you wait on the Lord you are standing still in trust until he makes the next move. This is not always easy for impatient people like me but if you are going to trust God sometimes waiting is going to be involved.  

Waiting demonstrates expectation.
Waiting on the Lord also demonstrates an expectation that God is going to come through. In this sense waiting becomes an active thing, not a passive thing. One of the signs you expect God to do something, is you make room for him to do it. When this happens, you become an active waiter, because you have an expectation. Let me give you some practical examples where waiting can become active and not passive.

You are waiting on the Lord to bless you to purchase your first home, but you start learning now all the requirements it takes to become a homeowner. You are waiting on God to give you the green light to start a ministry or business. In the meantime, you treat your current position as if it is your ministry or business. You show up on time, do your best work, and become the employee or worker you would want to work for you.

There are other examples I could give but I think you are beginning to get the point. When you are waiting and expecting God to do something you make room and prepare for what he is going to do. Right now, we are all waiting for the return of Jesus. There is an expectation that he is coming soon, even though we don’t know the day or the hour. However, you demonstrate your expectation of his return by the way you live today. You are waiting for him to come and prepared to go when he does because you are anticipating his return. 

Waiting is a safeguard.
One of the best benefits of waiting on the Lord is it becomes a safeguard for your life. Let’s be honest most of the bad decisions we make in life are usually made in haste or impatience. Many times, the rushed decision happens because we believe we must act now and cannot wait. There are very few choices in life that must be made right now. Most decisions can wait. It is also important to note if God has something for you it is for you. Waiting on God is not going to cause you to lose what he has for you. You don’t have to rush to make it happen now because you run the risk of moving ahead of God’s timing, which is never good for you. The safety in waiting on the Lord can keep you from rushing and making rash decisions that end up doing more harm than good in your life.

What does it mean to be of good courage?

The second part of the question talks about being of good courage. Some translations interpret this as “be strong and let your heart be courageous.” This verse presents us with two statements we don’t often tie together. We don’t often equate waiting with strength. The person who waits is often viewed as weaker and not aggressive enough. Our society seems to reward those who are the aggressive go-getters. However, for the one who waits on God, he doesn’t call them weak but calls them strong. The one who is actively waiting on God is filled with trust, hope, and strong faith because it takes courage to wait on God, especially because we don’t often know God’s timeframe. For this reason, waiting and courage are natural companions instead of strange bedfellows. It does take courage to wait, but God has promised to reward it so as you wait, be of good courage and God will strengthen your heart.

One last encouragement for waiting.

There is one last thought that will help you know what it means to wait on the Lord and be of good courage. Waiting shows you are completely dependent on God. Here is a promise we often quote but is worth reminding you of.

"But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." – Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

If you need strength for the journey. If you need wisdom or encouragement. If you want to finish the race God has set before you, then I encourage you to wait on the Lord. Let him be the one who strengthens you, renews you, and carries you through the end. Your ability to stay strong in the journey is possible but it will only come as you continue to wait on the Lord. With that being said, there is only one thing left to do. Wait on the Lord and allow God to strengthen your heart. I trust you will discover there is no better place to be and no better thing you can do.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Elena Noviello

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club.  He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.