…waiting on and watching for what?  The object of our waiting and watching is not a what but a Whom. Throughout the Bible, God tells His people to wait on Him and watch for Him.

Waiting on God requires us to spend time seeking Him in His word so we will recognize His activity in our life. We wait on Him to answer the prayers we have prayed to Him. Isaiah 40:31 KJV says, “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.” Waiting on the LORD infuses God’s people with strength to continue in their journey in this life.

But, what does it look like to wait on God?  I often teach the women I counsel to sit quietly before the Lord to hear from Him whatever is on His heart to share with them at that time.  This means we discipline our self into the habit of talking less and listening more. This may be a new concept to you, because God wired us women as verbal/emotional processors and communicators.

God speaks to His people from His word, and that is how you will know it is God speaking within you…when the words that come to your mind line up 100% accurately within the context and true revelation of God’s word to man. God works through His Holy Spirit to reveal God’s word to His followers. Hebrews 11:6 KJV says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

Watching for God has both a present and a future component to it.  Watching for Him presently brings delight to our heart and mind as we see with spiritual eyes what He is working in the lives of the people for whom we pray, including our self. Watching for Him in the futuristic sense also brings comfort and joy to us who know Him and have the assurance of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ.

Points to Ponder:

Are you seeking God diligently so that He will reveal Himself to you when you pray to Him? God the Father is inviting you to connect with Him in a personal, life-sustaining relationship through Jesus Christ. And, He desires to commune with you through the reading of and meditating on His written word (the Bible) and through quiet times of prayer where you ask Him questions that are on your heart (one at a time) and then wait on Him for the answer (one at a time).

He does not answer us with a big neon sign in the sky. The Bible talks about God speaking to His people in a “still, small voice” that represents that voice of truth and wisdom speaking within our soul (mind) that points us right back to Him in His word. Hearing from the LORD and Creator of the universe is mind-boggling and the sweetest, most life-changing voice you will ever hear.

Do you know Christ as Savior? I mean, really know Him…? You can. But, He only reveals Himself to people who are genuinely seeking HIM by faith. See my Gospel page for more informaton about this possibility.

Listening Prayer: Jesus modeled this while He was on earth during His earthly ministry. Even though Jesus is Jehovah, the Bible says that He “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” (Philippians 2:6-7).

While on earth as a human man, Jesus had to communicate with His Heavenly Father the same way Christians do today — via prayer according to God’s revealed truth. His revealed truth is what is recorded in the Bible today. The Bible defines truth in its purest form, because it comes from God, and God is truth (John 14:6).

When God speaks to His people in that still, small voice, He speaks truth according to His written, revealed word to His followers who watch and wait for Him. We know that Jesus spent time listening to the Father speak to Him in His prayer times, because when He came back to the disciples or crowds after spending times in solitude with the Father, Jesus was full of wisdom. He often said to others that He only did the things that His Father told Him to do. Some Bible verses to ponder on this subject are:  Matthew 11:25, John 5:19 and John 14:26.

Are you watching for the Lord in your daily activities? God designed us to be fully dependent upon Him for the ability and strength to serve Him faithfully and obediently so that our life will produce spiritual blessings that last for all eternity. In John 15, Jesus calls all of His followers to abide in Him perpetually.  This  is the only way, according to John 15:5, that a Christian can accomplish anything that has eternal value in God’s sight.

Are you watching for Him to return any moment? Jesus gave various stories (or parables) in the New Testament to teach us what watching for Him looks like. I often think of the story of the ten virgins mentioned in Matthew 25:1-13 that put the Christian on guard to be ready every moment of every day for the Lord’s return, because it will happen suddenly without immediate warning (Luke 12:35-40).

Christ’s coming is imminent, and when it happens, it will be immediate and sudden.  There will not be any more opportunity to make amends with those we have offended or share the gospel with our unsaved neighbor or loved one who has been on our heart and mind to lead to Christ for salvation.

A final question to ponder… Does your daily behavior demonstrate that in your heart you genuinely believe today might very well be the day that Jesus claims you home? Our son died a very sudden, tragic death at 32 years young. None of us are guaranteed another tomorrow on this earth.  Let’s be wise and live with heaven in mind, knowing we are just a breath away from meeting the Lord face to face, whether through natural death or the rapture of the Church (1 Corinthians 15:50-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Selah.