Waiting

Waiting on God is a recurring posture of biblical faith — the patient, expectant trust that God will act in his own time and on his own terms. The Hebrew qawah ("to wait, hope, expect") and chakah ("to wait for, long for") carry the sense of tense expectation rather than passive inactivity. The classic expression: "They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles" (Isa. 40:31). The psalmist repeatedly urges waiting: "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:7); "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (Ps. 27:14).

Waiting is the appropriate response when God has promised but not yet delivered. Abraham and Sarah waited for a son; Israel waited for deliverance from Egypt and from exile; Simeon and Anna waited for the consolation of Israel (Luke 2:25, 38). The NT opens a new dimension of waiting: the Spirit is the "guarantee" of the coming inheritance, and believers groan inwardly "as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons" and the redemption of bodies (Rom. 8:23). The early church's eschatological watchword — "Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20) — is waiting expressed as prayer.