When All You Can Do Is Wait

Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength... Isaiah 40:31

Author Steve Roll understands from personal experience that when life crashes in, knowing how to wait on God is critical.

But, what does it mean to wait on the Lord? Are we supposed to sit idle, and passively wait it out? Let enough time go by until something just happens?

That isn't the meaning behind the Hebrew word translated as wait. The Hebrew language is an action-oriented language.

So what, exactly, does wait mean? And how do we do it actively?

Roll explains that when God tells us to wait, he's telling us to do two different types of things: to bind ourselves closely together with Christ, and to eagerly expect and watch for God to act.

In the same way that the number of strands that are twisted or woven together in a rope determines its strength, our strength comes through being united with Christ through Bible study, prayer, worship, Christian fellowship. The closer we are to Christ, the easier it is to anticipate God's action.

If you find yourself questioning the pace of God's work in your life, and tempted to abandon the Lord's plan and devise your own, it's time to learn the art of actively waiting on the Lord. Roll illustrates exactly what that means, and how to go about it.

Steve Roll, founder and president of Restoration Ministries, specializes in helping people develop and maintain healthy relationships with God and the people they love. His 30 years' pastoral experience in both small churches and mega-churches make him a gifted teacher, counselor, life coach, crisis manager and problem solver. The author of two previously published books, he is an active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.