What does waiting for the Lord mean? That question is one to consider when waiting for God to act during this present time, and, ultimately rapture his church in the end-times.
I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait; I long for His Word! My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
Psalm 130:5-6
The Watchmen
Watchmen in the Bible played a vital role. Militarily, they watched for and reported the movements of an approaching army. They watched over fields at harvest and sounded an alarm when enemies came to raid the crops. God called his prophets watchmen; they were called to warn the people against sin. When the people repented, their lives were saved. And if the prophet failed to warn the people and people died because of it, God held the prophet accountable.
Why isn’t Sin Judged?
Watch and See
Habakkuk was a prophet who couldn’t understand why God didn’t immediately judge the sins of God’s people, the Jews.
“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the watchtower; and I will keep watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am reproved (Habakkuk 2:1).”
God told him to watch because He was sending the Babylonians to judge those sins. Habakkuk must have thought, “The Babylonians! They’re worse than us!” Habakkuk asked God why He’d send the evil Babylonians to judge the comparatively less wicked Jews. Then he set himself like a watchman to await God’s answer.
Wait and Have Faith
The Lord asked Habakkuk to wait and have faith. The Babylonians’ judgment would come, in turn, in God’s timing. But when evil exists among His people and their enemies, God judges His people first.
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if it begins first with us, what shall the end be for those who do not obey the gospel of God (1 Peter 4:17)?”
God is Our Just Judge
Not Our Role
We think we know what God should do and how He should do it. But God sees the end from the beginning, and His ways are always just:
- “Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; but wait on the Lord, and He will save you (Proverbs 20:22).”
- “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of those who prosper in their way, because of those who make wicked schemes (Psalm 37:7).”
Justice Waits
Evil tends to rush ahead while justice patiently waits. God asks us to place ourselves in the latter category.
What does waiting for the Lord mean? We long for instant justice, but God asks us to trust Him and His timing instead of taking vengeance ourselves. When we’re wronged, God’s on our side. When we retaliate, we lose God as an ally, and we suffer the consequences of our impunity:
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to God’s wrath, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19).”
What Does Waiting for the Lord Mean?
When Will it Come? Ultimately, When Jesus Returns
God has promised to return to right all wrongs. Where is the promise of Jesus’ return? When will everything be “on earth as it is in heaven?” Peter tells us why God waits:
“But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:8-9).”
We Wait on the Lord
The Lord is not slow about His Promised return. His motives are pure, to allow people time for repentance. Do you want to be saved today?
“I wait for Your salvation, O Lord (Genesis 49:18)!”
Receive salvation today. Trust in Jesus. To learn more, we invite you to watch this short video.
