How to Wait on the Lord Faithfully
How to Wait on the Lord Faithfully
By Kathy Penrod
One of the more gut-wrenching stories in the Old Testament is that of Joseph being sold into Egypt by his brothers and his subsequent life in Egypt. (Genesis 39-41)
During all of this, I am sure it must have been devastating for Joseph to be betrayed by his brothers and have to serve in slavery. Surely his prayers to God were supplications of relief from this intense trial he had to endure. But it took YEARS before Joseph was to be reconciled with his brothers. Years of waiting on the Lord.
Everyone has their own battles to face in this life. This may include those who are ill and waiting to be healed. This may include those who are isolated and lonely. This could include those watching a child suffer or someone struggling with infertility. This could include someone who is desperately looking for work so they can feed their family. The list goes on.
Life is just hard.
That’s no surprise to anyone. It’s full of heartache and trials and sometimes it feels like its just too much. When these times come, we may kneel in prayer, supplicating God for relief. When our trials aren’t immediately lifted, we begin our wait upon the Lord.
But just how does one wait on the Lord when life is so hard? Here are five ways we can faithfully wait upon the Lord.
1. Prayer
Prayer is our lifeline to Heaven. It is the way we commune with God. The purpose of prayer is not to change God but to align our will to His. Thus, when we pray, we should not try to “force” our will on God.
There is another story in the Old Testament of three young men: Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego. They were faithful followers of the one true God and because they wouldn’t worship a false god, they were threatened to be thrown into a fiery furnace. Their answer to the king was:
“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
I think when we offer prayers to our Heavenly Father, we need to have the attitude of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego. We need to have faith that God can accomplish all things. But, if our prayers are not answered in the way we wish or as soon as we desire, we still need to be committed to following the One True God.
In my case, I pray for my daughter who is chronically ill. I pray for her to get well. To faithfully wait upon the Lord, I can pray for her to get well, but if not, pray to trust God and His plans.
Through prayer, our souls can be calmed and we can gain the strength to endure any trial.
2. Recognize His Mercy
In the story of Joseph, we learned of a horrible betrayal. But there were also instances of mercy. Joseph was given trust and leadership as a Hebrew in an Egyptian world. This wasn’t a common practice. In Genesis 39:21 it says the Lord showed Joseph mercy. Undoubtably, being a slave is undesirable. But it sounds like God’s mercy followed Joseph as he continued to be given roles of leadership. So, maybe his situation wasn’t ideal, but God’s mercy was still present.
In my own life, I can see God’s mercy that my daughter’s illness isn’t terminal. This can help me have patience and trust God. If we take time to notice God’s mercy in our life, we will gain the perseverance we need to wait upon the Lord.
3. Serve
Serving another person can be a great way to wait upon the Lord. It can take your mind off what is troubling you and allow you to reach out in the Savior’s way to someone else who may be waiting on the Lord. Through kind acts of service, we can be the answer to someone else’s prayers.
Elder James B. Martino said,
“When we serve others, we forget our own problems, and by working to relieve the pain or discomfort of others, we strengthen ourselves.”
4. Be grateful
In the book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells the story of being grateful for the fleas in her barracks in the concentration camp. She and her sister literally thanked God for the fleas. Later they found out that because of the fleas, the guards left them alone more, allowing them to read their bible and have some level of freedom. Having gratitude can help us wait upon the Lord.
5. Trust
Our Savior is the perfect example of trusting God’s will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when He was suffering so much, He prayed that God would “remove this cup” from Him. Then He prayed, “Not thy will, but thine.” Meaning He was willing to do what God wanted despite His own wishes. He trusted His Father.
When we are willing to completely trust Heavenly Father, we will find peace amid our turmoil. We will gain strength in our trial.
Jeffrey R. Holland teaches,
“Faith means trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf.”
Waiting on the Lord can be challenging. But if we will do these 5 things, we will find that it becomes a little easier to wait on His divine purpose. Our loving Heavenly Father has promised us in Isaiah 40:31 “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.”
Have faith. Persevere. You will have your strength renewed as you wait upon the Lord. Things will work out and someday you will look back to see that the Lord has carried you through this difficult time.
