upon Him in the way of duty.
judgment, infinitely wise and just, and therefore, blessed are all they that wait for him (Isaiah 30:18). God will do His own work in His own way and at His own time. Even if we are driven back into the wilderness just when we thought we were on the borders of Canaan, we must acknowledge that we suffer justly for our unbelief and complaints. Yet, God acts wisely and remains faithful to His promises. His time to judge on behalf of His people and to show compassion to His servants is when He sees that their strength is gone. This has been seen before in the mount of the Lord and will be seen again. Therefore, let us remain in an attitude of waiting. Hold on to faith and patience, for it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
2. It also speaks of constant attendance upon Him in the way of duty.
Here, we take the day literally. It was David's practice to wait upon God all the day. This means both every day and all day long. It aligns with the command in Proverbs: Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long (Proverbs 23:17).
Doctrine: It is not enough for us to begin every day with God; we must also wait on Him every day and all day long.
To explain this, I will address: (I.) What it means to wait upon God; and (II.) Why we must do this every day and all day long.
I. What does it mean to wait upon God?
We have already discussed how it is our duty to speak to God in solemn prayer each morning. But does this mean our interaction with Him is finished for the rest of the day? Absolutely not. We must continue waiting on Him as someone to whom we are deeply connected and indebted. Waiting on God means living a life of desire towards Him, delight in Him, dependence on Him, and devotion to Him.
A. It is to live a life of desire towards God.
To wait on God is to be like a beggar waiting on their benefactor, earnestly desiring to receive from them. It is like the sick and infirm waiting at the pool of Bethesda for the stirring of the water, lingering in the porches with hope of being helped in and healed. When the prophet said, Lord, in the way of thy judgments we have waited for thee, he explained it further by saying, the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee: with my soul have I desired thee (Isaiah 26:8–9).
Our desire must not be solely for the good things that God gives, but for God Himself—His favour, His love, the manifestation of His name to us, and the workings of His grace within us. We truly wait on God when our souls thirst for Him, for the living God, when we long to behold the beauty of the Lord, to taste His goodness, to bear His image, and to be wholly conformed to His will. We wait on God when we desire to know Him more, love Him better, draw nearer to Him, and be made more fit for His presence. For there is none in heaven or earth that we can desire in comparison to Him.
Our souls should be continually soaring heavenward on the wings of holy desire, always pressing forward toward God and eternity.
Morning prayer is only the beginning. The desire that fuels and gives life to prayer—like the fire on the altar—must be kept burning continually, ready to receive the sacrifices that are placed upon it throughout the day. The soul's inclinations in all its motions must be toward God: serving Him in all we do and enjoying Him in all we have. This is what is meant by the command to pray always, pray without ceasing, and continue in prayer. Even when we are not actively addressing God in prayer, our hearts must remain inclined toward Him, just as a healthy person does not always eat but always has an appetite for nourishment.
Thus, we must constantly wait on God as our greatest good, moving continually toward Him.
B. It is to live a life of delight in God.
Waiting on God also means delighting in Him, as a lover delights in their beloved. Desire is love in motion, like a bird on the wing; delight is love at rest, like a bird upon its nest. While our desire must continually long for more of God, our delight must find complete satisfaction in Him. Believing Him to be all-sufficient, we must be entirely content in Him. If He is ours, we have enough.
Do we love to love God? Is it a joy to us to know there is a God, that He is all He has revealed Himself to be, and that He is our God—our Creator, who disposes of us as He pleases, and our Covenant God, who disposes all things for our ultimate good? If so, this is waiting on God—always looking to Him with joy and contentment.
Every soul values something as its treasure and reposes in it. What is it for us? Is it God or the world? What do we boast in? What makes us feel secure and complete? The worldly person boasts in their
riches: They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches (Psalm 49:6). They take pride in their own strength and their supposed ability to achieve wealth. But the godly person declares: In God we boast all the day long (Psalm 44:8). This is what it means to wait on God: to fix our eyes on Him with a sense of secret satisfaction, as one would upon that which is their pride and glory.
What is it that gives us the greatest satisfaction, that we embrace with the deepest contentment? Where do we find rest and comfort, saying, "This is all I need"? The worldly person says to their soul when their barns are full: Soul, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But the godly person cannot say this until their heart is full of God, Christ, and His grace. Only then can they say: Return unto thy rest, O my soul—here you can rest securely.
The godly soul dwells in God, is at home in Him, and finds peace and delight there. Whatever troubles they encounter in the world, they find sufficient comfort and strength in God to balance it all.
C. To wait on God is to live a life of dependence on Him, like a child who
waits on their father, trusting Him completely and casting all their cares
upon Him.
Waiting on God means expecting all good to come from Him, as the source of all good in us and for us, the giver of all good to us, and the protector who shields us from all evil. David explains this in Psalm 62:5: My soul, wait thou only upon God… for my expectation is from him. David looked to no one else for the good he needed,
knowing that every creature is to us only what God makes it to be, and that from Him all judgment proceeds.
Shall we lift up our eyes to the hills? Does our help come from there? Is the dew that waters the valleys merely from the tops of the hills? Shall we look higher, to the heavens, to the clouds? Can they give rain of themselves? No, for if God hear not the heavens, they hear not the earth. We must look above the hills, above the heavens, for all our help cometh from the Lord. Even a king—an ungodly one at that—recognised this truth, saying: If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? Out of the barn-floor, or out of the winepress?
Our expectations from God, as long as they are guided by and grounded upon His Word, ought to be humbly confident, with the full assurance of faith. We must trust that no word of God will fail and that the expectation of the poor shall not perish. Worldly people place their hope in their riches, saying to their gold: Thou art my hope; and to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence. They treat their wealth as their strong city. But for the godly, God alone is their refuge and portion in the land of the living. It is to Him alone they say—with holy boldness—Thou art my hope and my confidence.
All creation looks to God for sustenance, for he is good to all. But especially do His saints wait on Him, for he is good to Israel, to His people in a special way. They know His name, and therefore they trust in Him and rejoice, confident that they shall not be ashamed of their hope.
D. To wait on God is to live a life of devotion to Him, like a servant who waits
on their master.
This involves readiness to observe His will, do His work, and in all things seek His honour and interest. Waiting on God means submitting ourselves completely and unreservedly to His wise and holy directions and plans, and cheerfully accepting and complying with them.
A servant who waits on their master does not choose their own way but follows the master step by step. Similarly, we must wait on God, surrendering our will entirely to His and striving to align ourselves with His purposes. This is the mark of those redeemed by the Lord: they follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth—with implicit faith and obedience.
As the eyes of a servant are fixed on the hand of their master, and the eyes of a maid upon the hand of her mistress, so our eyes must wait upon the Lord, ready to do whatever He appoints and accept whatever He allots. We must say, Father, thy will be done; Master, thy will be done.
A servant does not wait on their master merely to perform duties but also to bring honour to their master. Likewise, we must wait on God so that we may be to him for a name, and for a praise. His glory must be our ultimate aim, and all that we are, have, and do must be dedicated to that purpose. We must wear His livery, serve in His courts, and follow His guidance as His servants so that He may in all things be glorified.
To wait on God is to make His will our
rule.