Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Isaiah 30:18 (NKJV)

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

 

There is a distinction to be made between waiting for God and waiting on God.

Waiting for God means resting in God until He is ready to act. It is the ability to believe in God and fully surrender our will to His perfect timing in all things. It is your faith in His ability to make all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Waiting on God means God is resting until you are ready for Him to act. It is the attitude of trusting God who can do all things. It is your faith in His power to work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28).

Waiting for God and waiting on God are two sides of the same coin. Some believers, however, choose to focus just on one side of the truth rather than embrace both. Others find one aspect more difficult to comprehend than the other. Isaiah, on the other hand, tells us that both are valid in our relationship with God. Both waiting for God and waiting on God works like two oars in a rowboat. Both are required for us to grow in faith, and without a healthy tension between the two, we are easily crushed by fear, doubt, and concern.

The Prophet Isaiah uses two Hebrew words to describe “wait”.

Waiting for God is called chakah, which means "tying a knot, binding." Waiting on God is qavah, which means "to seek, to linger." When we combine both meanings, “wait” means to bind ourselves to a covenant-keeping God through a loving and trusting relationship with Him, knowing that He is both true and faithful to meet you at every turn of life. In this sense, waiting increases your intimacy with God and your ability to hear Him.