Years ago I often heard the phrase, 'wait on the Lord.' It seems to have fallen out of use. What does it mean, and is it something we should be doing, or doing more?
The English phrase occurs in several places. Psalm 27:14 contains a double exhortation, 'Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!' It occurs twice in Psalm 37 as a contrast with the wicked and a double-promise to the righteous concerning their inheritance. Isaiah 8:17 uses it as a statement of confidence in the Lord in a time of trial. In Isaiah 40:31 it identifies those whose fading strength the Lord supernaturally renews.
We must ensure – especially with vocabulary which becomes part of evangelical jargon – that phrases are used in an accurate sense, not taking on a meaning of their own. In particular, this language was often and sometimes appropriately used to describe looking to God for guidance in a particular season of life.
