In close connection with listening to God is the idea of “waiting on God.” People are hindered from receiving direction from God simply because they are not waiting around long enough to hear what He has to say. We are religiously praying instead of spiritually listening. Waiting to hear is part of the prayer discipline.

Numbers 9:6–9 (KJV)
⁶ And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: ⁷ And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? ⁸ And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. ⁹ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

• How often do we treat God like He is a drill sergeant?
  • We think “God the great drill sergeant in the sky has to instructed me to pray.”
  • And so, we drop down and give God 20 prayer push ups.
• We jump up and leave that place of prayer without expecting God to answer us.
• It’s almost like we are saying, “Hey, God, don’t bother me right now. I’m praying now, can’t you see?”
• Can you imagine God waving His arms trying to get your attention saying “Son, I have the answer for you? I have the answer for you if you’ll just quit ‘praying’ and listen.”

Hearing from God Takes Time

You Can’t Rush It

• You have to be willing to spend the time.
• You have to be willing to wait.
• People say “I don’t have time.”
• Sit down and examine that thought “I don’t have time.”
• Is that really true?
  • You’re praying to get an answer, right?
  • If you don’t receive the right answer you may continue to be in deep weeds, right?
  • Do you have time to be in deep weeds?
• So, really you do have time to wait.
• It’s all a discipline and a mindset.
• You have the time for the things you think are important.

Little Devotional Times Produce Little

• There is no way around it.
• To produce, you have to sow.
• It’s the law of sowing and reaping.

[Tweet “People say “I don’t have time to wait on God. Do you have time to be in deep weeds?”]

Galatians 6:7 (KJV)
⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

•  Short devotional times produce…
  • Depleted spiritual vigor,
  • Arrested spiritual progress,
  • Dried up spiritual foundation.
• One writer even went on to say that it is a sure sign of backsliding.
• Calmness, understanding, and strength are never the companions of hurry.

Do You Value Hearing From God?

• Is hearing from God at the top of your bucket list?
• Hearing from God can’t be crowded into morning rush hour nor crammed into the tired part of your day when your body is saying go to sleep.
• God is always within call.
• His ear is ever attentive to your cry as His child.
• But, hurry up conversation does not produce the voice of the Lord speaking to you.
• What you value you will give yourself to and make time for.

Waiting on God is Not a New Concept

• Did you know there were people in O.T. Bible times that so valued waiting that they gave their children names that meant to “wait on God?”
• Here are two Examples.
  • JAHLEEL (Jah’ lih ehl) Personal name meaning, “God shows Himself to be friendly” or “he waits for God.” A son of Zebulun and grandson of Jacob (Gen. 46:14) who became a clan leader in tribe of Zebulun (Num. 26:26).
  • HACALIAH (Hak uh li’ uh) Personal name meaning, “wait confidently on Yahweh.” Father of Nehemiah.
• The children of Israel understood about waiting on God.
• That’s all they did for 40 years in the wilderness.
• The children of Israel were in a constant waiting mode in the wilderness.  They waited for the cloud or the pillar of fire to appear before they moved.

Numbers 9:21–22 (KJV)
²¹ And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. ²² Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

[Tweet “Calmness, understanding, and strength are never the companions of hurry.”]

• Israel did not move.
• They waited until the cloud moved.
• Waiting on God, then, is good Bible order.

Isaiah 28:16 (KJV)
¹⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, A tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: He that believeth shall not make haste.

• Whoever believes will wait on Him.
• Did you know God plays hide and seek?
• God hides himself.

Isaiah 45:15 (KJV)
¹⁵ Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.

• God hides himself and we are instructed to seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
6 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.

• The rewards goes to the seeker.
• He hides Himself from those who refuse to believe Him and reveals Himself to those who do.

Intimacy Requires Development

• If you want to have an intimate relationship with God, you are going to have to develop the fine art of faith and patience.
• Intimacy, where you are having a one on one conversation with God, requires you to develop faith and patience.
• Great spiritual people were not born fully developed.
  • Even Jesus grew in wisdom and stature (Lk. 2:52).
• The testimony of Enoch.

Genesis 5:21–24 (KJV)
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

• Notice the word “AFTER”. Enoch didn’t walk with God until after this child was born.
• We could say this safely, that he really didn’t hear from God prior to the birth of this child.
• Enoch had a great spiritual lineage. His great, great, great, great grandfather was Adam.
  That’s pretty good company.
• From the life of Enoch we learn that development takes time.
  • Don’t be hard on yourself.

ILLUSTRATION: Just Stick Around
My former Pastor told me when I expressed my frustration to her about not hearing God.  I hwas saved a whole six months at that point. She said, “Son, just stick around, just stick around.” She was right.

Four Benefits of Waiting on God

Strength

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
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.

• When you are praying, you are putting out but when you are waiting on God you are taking in.
  • Taking in translates to strength.
• Waiting to hear is a profitable exercise.
• It is not an exercise where nothing is taking place.
• Waiting is not emptiness.
• You can see where faith might get involved by waiting.
  • I’m not just waiting in nothingness.
  • I am waiting and expecting Him to talk to me.
• If faith is involved in waiting, then you can readily see that development will happen if you exercise yourself in this area.

Did you know that in the O.T. “waiting” and “hope” are so intimately connected that one of the Hebrew words translated “hope” or yahal is also rendered “wait”?

• Expectancy generates strength. The longer you wait in His presence the stronger you get.
• Expectancy is hope.
• Now if my motive for waiting on God is right, If I wait on Him because I love Him, you have no engaged the power triplets, faith, hope and love (1 Cor. 13:13).

Psalm 27:14 (KJV)
14 Wait on the Lord: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Goodness

Lamentations 3:25–26 (KJV)
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

• If your a parent, you believe in the concept of goodness and waiting.
• Did you ever say to your kids, ‘Good things come to those who wait?’
• God operates on the same premise.

Not Be Ashamed

Isaiah 49:23 (KJV)
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, And their queens thy nursing mothers: They shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, And lick up the dust of thy feet; And thou shalt know that I am the Lord: For they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Prepared Things

Isaiah 64:4 (KJV)
4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, Neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, What he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

A Listeners Prayer

• God
  Grant me to be
  silent before you–
  that I may hear you;
  at rest in you–
  that you may work in me;
  open to you–
  that you may enter;
  empty before you–
  that you may fill me.
  Let me be still
  And know you are my God.
  Amen.

Call to Action:

It is always more important to hear God than to give Him your ideas. One word from Him can alter your entire life’s path. Isaiah the prophet speaking by the Spirit said these words. “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21)

Questions: How has waiting on God impacted your life? How has it helped you to develop in the things of God? Please leave your comment, in the comments section below.