“Waiting on the Lord” is a theme in the Bible. Waiting on someone implies we expect them to show up and act, and this is true when we talk about waiting on God.
God has made us many promises in his Word, the Bible, and he fulfills them all, whether we have experienced that fulfillment yet or not.
The first promise of God we must take hold of is God’s promise to save anyone who trusts in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sin (John 3:16; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 6:23; Romans 3:23; Romans 10:9). In his death on the cross, Jesus suffered the punishment we deserve. Those who trust in the death and resurrection of Christ will be saved and brought into a loving relationship with God and become a child of God (John 1:12). The Bible describes the rest of a believer’s life as “living by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20), which means continuing to rely on and trust in Jesus day by day.
Living by faith requires us to learn to wait on the Lord, who is faithful to keep his Word. We wait for God to act in accordance with his Word and to keep his promises.
We want to open the Bible with you and point you to the places that talk about waiting for the Lord. The Bible tells us what we wait for, how to wait, what God promises those who wait, and what it might feel like to wait.
What Do We Wait on the Lord For?
We Wait for God to Fulfill His Word and Keep His Promises
1. Psalm 130:5-6 ESV
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
We Wait for His Deliverance
In the following verses the word salvation refers to rescue from trial and harm, not the ultimate salvation offered to us in Jesus. That salvation happens immediately when we trust in him!
2. Genesis 49:18 ESV
I wait for your salvation, O Lord.
3. Psalm 62:1-5 ESV
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken…For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
4. Psalm 59:9 NLT
You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.
We Wait for Answers to Prayer
5. Psalm 38:15 NIV
Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God.
We Wait for Justice
6. Proverbs 20:22 ESV
Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
We Wait For God Himself
7. Isaiah 33:2 ESV
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.
8. Micah 7:7 ESV
But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
We Wait for the Eternal Hope God Has Promised Us Through Jesus.
9. Romans 8:19, 23-25 ESV
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. . . . And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
We Wait for Jesus to Return
10. Luke 12:35-36 NIV
Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
11. 1 Corinthians 1:7 NIV
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
12. James 5:7-8 NIV
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
We Wait for Jesus to Complete His Work in Us by Making us Righteous
13. Galatians 5:5 NIV
For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.
We Wait for Jesus’ Final Victory Over Evil to Eradicate It From the World
14. Hebrews 10:13 ESV
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
We Wait for the Mercy of Jesus
15. Jude 1:20-21 ESV
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
What Does It Feel Like to Wait on God?
It May Feel Wearying
16. Psalm 69:3 ESV
I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.
It May Feel Like God Is Hiding His Face
17. Isaiah 8:17 ESV
I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
What Does God Promise Those Who Wait on Him?
God will not let those who wait on him be put to shame.
18. Psalm 25:3 NASB
Indeed, none of those who wait for you will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
19. Isaiah 49:23 ESV
Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.
God will protect and help those who wait on him.
20. Psalm 33:20 ESV
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
God will bless those who wait on him and show them mercy and grace.
21. Isaiah 30:18 ESV
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
God will renew the strength of those who wait on him.
22. Isaiah 40:31 ESV
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
God will act and work for those who wait on him.
23. Isaiah 64:4 ESV
From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.
God promises to do good to those who wait on him.
24. Lamentations 3:24-26 NIV
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
How Do I Wait on the Lord?
Wait on the Lord with Courage
25. Psalm 27:14 ESV
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
26. Psalm 31:24 ESV
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!
Wait on the Lord Patiently
27. Psalm 37:7, 9 ESV
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! . . . For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
28. Psalm 40:1 ESV
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
29. Hebrews 6:15 ESV
And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
Wait on the Lord by Obeying His Commands
30. Psalm 37:34 ESV
Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
31. Psalm 119:166 NIV
I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands.
32. Isaiah 26:7-9 NIV
The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Wait on the Lord Quietly
33. Psalm 62:5 ESV
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
34. Lamentations 3:26 NIV
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Wait on the Lord by Pursuing Love and Justice
35. Hosea 12:6 NIV
“But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.”
Wait on the Lord by Living Self-Controlled, Upright, and Godly Lives
36. Titus 2:11-13 ESV
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Wait on the Lord Eagerly
37. Hebrews 9:28 ESV
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
If the Bible verses listed above edified you, and you would like to think more about them, we heartily recommend to you Andrew Murray’s book Waiting on God. It is a 31-day devotional, each day meditating on a Bible verse about waiting on God. You will recognize many from this list in his book.