A Series of “Waits” – Part 1

One day I was laying on my floor praying and I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “Wait.” He said it five times. I have a love for word studies. Each time He said, “wait”, He said a different Hebrew word for “Wait”. When you read the Word, you don’t realize this, because all of those five words are translated as simply “wait”. I had studied all of those words. 

I knew that the first time he said “wait”, it was the Hebrew word that meant “wait patiently”. It could mean wait patiently for a few hours, or 25 years, as in the promise He gave Abraham. We must learn to wait patiently. Some people can’t do that. King Saul couldn’t wait a week without offering the sacrifice. God had told him to wait for the prophet to offer the sacrifice, because kings weren’t allowed to do so in that time. Only priests and prophets could do so. Because he could not wait, and then usurped the anointing of another, God said, “You’re out. I’m looking for a man after My heart who can do what I tell him to do.” Do not forget the 500 were invited to wait in the upper room until the day of Pentecost would come. 380 of them couldn’t wait. Only 120 were able to wait for the Promise for the entire 10 days. 

The second word for “wait” means “to wait with trust”. You are to place your trust in the person you are waiting for that they will show up. You have built a strong enough relationship with Him and you’ve spent enough time in His Presence that you have built up a trust with them.    

“Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31; NASB)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

  • Sit quietly and ponder the word “wait” as in “wait patiently”. Can you patiently wait until the Lord shows up?
  • Can you sit still at all without your mind wandering? Ask God for grace if you are struggling.
  • Ask God to grant you a grace to wait for Him – for His Presence, for His direction, for His intervention. 
  • Repent if you have sinned in your not waiting.
  • Are you able to wait for Him, but struggle with trusting Him to show up? Is there something that has happened that has caused you to keep Him at a distance? Wait for Him and ask Him to minister to your heart over that area. He will. 
  • Worship Him.

A prayer you can pray:

God, I will wait on You. I will sit and wait until Your Presence comes into the room. If I struggle, minister to the place where the struggle is coming from. The waiting will be worth it, to be there with You. If my mind wanders, help me to immediately realize it and focus back on You. Grace, grace, grace, to any inability in me to sit and wait patiently for You. I desire Your Presence. I need Your direction and intervention in some areas of my life. I long to experience a place of deeper rest and intimacy with You that only happens as I learn to wait on You. Forgive me when I have jumped the gun and acted out of impatience or impulsiveness. King Saul did that and was removed from his throne for it. It is a serious thing to act on what I feel is the right thing, instead of doing what You tell me to do. If you have told me to wait for You, then this is even more serious. Forgive me, Lord where I have violated Your direction. Minister to any area of my heart that has been wounded, causing me not to trust You. Heal me, Jesus, so I can enjoy Your Presence more than ever before. (Worship Him.) Amen.

Today’s decree:

We will wait for You until You come to us and to our nation, Lord!