Worship - Waiting on God

By Christian Weiss


"Waiting on God" is Isaiah's definition of fervent, effectual prayer. The prophet wrote: "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. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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" (Isa. 40:28-31).

There are several senses in which we wait on God, but to most believers "waiting on God" means waiting on Him in prayer. This concept of prayer is emphasized in the Bible, where very often prayer and waiting on God are equated. In a certain sense, a true Christian is always waiting on God; but in a special sense, waiting refers to prayer.

It is interesting to observe that in what the Bible says concerning waiting on God, ten Hebrew and Greek words are employed. We need to note some of these words, for they have quite different meanings.

Stillness

In Psalm 62:5 we read: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." In verse 1 the psalmist wrote: "Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation." And in Psalm 65:1 he wrote: "Praise waiteth for thee, 0 God ' in Sion." The word "wait" in these verses is translated from two words that are derived from a Hebrew root word which does not basically convey the idea of "waiting" but rather "being still" or "being quiet." Derivatives of this word are translated this way in a number of places in the Bible.

The root word is familiar to me from the Arabic language, and it is fairly easy to remember. It is dum, like "dumb," meaning "to be silent." In our language we have come to apply the word "dumb" to a person who is not very intelligent. This is probably because of the connection with the German word dumm, meaning "stupid," "dull" or "silly." But the basic meanings of the English word "dumb" refer to mute persons who are unable or unwilling to speak.

"Wait thou only upon God" signifies "be silent" or "only be silent" before God. We are to be still before Him. "Wait" sometimes means "to cease" or "to stop" whatever action may have been taking place. It behooves us to stop and pray. We should cease other activities before we come into the presence of God.

Sometimes this word is translated "stand still." When Joshua said to the sun, "Sun, stand thou still (Josh. 10:12), he used a word that is derived from dum. He was saying, "Sun, be still, stop, cease--just wait where you are." "My soul, wait thou only upon God" (Ps. 62:5) is the equivalent of saying, "My soul, be thou silent unto the Lord; remain still in the presence of the Lord; stop what you are doing, and seek the Lord."