Tom and Ivan Tinklenberg praying for the sick in India.

Today, I would like to talk to you about waiting upon the Lord.

Several years ago, as I traveled around India with my friend, Ivan Tinklenberg, we had a running joke. One of us would say, “Should we go? Or should we wait?”

We were going around India teaching on the Great Commission. On the one hand, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” But in another place, He said, “Wait for the promise of the Father…” So one of us would say, “Which is it? Should we go? Or should we wait?” And then we would laugh.

Of course, the answer is that sometimes we should go and sometimes we should wait. Jesus told His disciples to “wait for the promise of the Father, of which you have heard from Me. For John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:5-6)

Certainly, we are called to go, but first, we need to wait for the power to accomplish what God wants us to do. Imagine if Peter, instead of obeying the Lord, would have said to the other disciples, “Boys, I know Jesus said to wait, but we need to get going. There’s a whole world out there that needs the Lord. If we don’t get started now, we will never accomplish the goal of evangelizing the world.” I venture to say that if the disciples had not waited for the power before they went, the Gospel would have never spread like wildfire all around the world. 

Since the day of Pentecost, we no longer need to wait for the Holy Spirit. He is already here. However, we still need to quiet our hearts and wait upon the Lord to receive His input into our lives.

How to Renew Your Strength

I think of the oft-quoted verse from Isaiah, “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who 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.” (Isaiah 40:30-31, MEV)

Some things can be accomplished with natural strength and ability, but far more can be accomplished with the power of the Holy Spirit. When you wait upon the Lord, you renew your strength. You soar in high places with God! You run and are not weary! You walk and do not faint!

Those of us who are over 70 could use a dose of this Holy Ghost strength. We need to be empowered and renewed by the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Word of God says that God “satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Ps. 103:5, MEV) Now, I believe good natural food can be helpful, but I believe that the food that will do the most to renew our youth is the Word of God. As we wait upon the Lord and feed on His Word, we can receive new strength and vitality from the Lord, which will enable us to fulfill our days and accomplish our mission in life.

Cool Your Jets and Wait Upon the Lord

There are also special times in our lives when we need to “cool our jets” and wait upon the Lord. In times of transition, when our environment and circumstances are new, we need to wait upon the Lord and get His marching orders before we go off to conquer the world. We need to lean our heads on the Savior’s breast and hear His heartbeat. We need to be refreshed in our relationship with God and tune our ears to the voice of the Spirit, so we successfully fulfill our new assignment.

Before Saul [later Paul] and Barnabas were sent out of Antioch, the church leaders “ministered to the Lord and fasted.” In other words, they pulled away from the normal course of life and worshipped and prayed. It was then that the Holy Ghost told them to send Barnabas and Saul to the work God had called them to. Once again, we see powerful results because they took time to wait upon the Lord.

‭As they worshipped the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”‭ ‭Then after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.‭ (Acts 13:2-3, MEV)

Waiting on the Lord is not a passive exercise. It involves worship and getting into a position to not only talk to God but also to listen to His voice. In this way, we can receive the peace, comfort, strategy, and strength to fulfill our mission in life. As David says: ‭”Wait‭‭ on the LORD‭: be of good courage‭‭, and he shall strengthen‭‭ thine heart‭: wait‭‭, I say, on the LORD‭.‭” (Psalms 27:14, AV)