Topical Bible: Waiting: Saints Resolve On

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In the Christian life, waiting is often seen as a period of spiritual growth and reliance on God's timing. The Bible provides numerous examples and teachings that illustrate the importance of waiting on the Lord, emphasizing patience, trust, and hope as key virtues for believers.

Biblical Examples of Waiting

1. Abraham and Sarah: One of the most notable examples of waiting in the Bible is the account of Abraham and Sarah. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, yet he and Sarah waited many years for the birth of their son Isaac. Despite their advanced age, they learned to trust in God's promise. As it is written, "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, 'So shall your offspring be'" (Romans 4:18).

2. Joseph: Joseph's life is a testament to the virtue of waiting. Sold into slavery by his brothers and later imprisoned in Egypt, Joseph waited many years before seeing the fulfillment of God's plan for his life. His account demonstrates that waiting can be a time of preparation and refinement. "But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden" (Genesis 39:21).

3. David: Anointed as king while still a young shepherd, David waited many years before ascending to the throne of Israel. During this time, he faced numerous trials, including persecution by King Saul. David's psalms often reflect his resolve to wait on the Lord. "Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!" (Psalm 27:14).

Teachings on Waiting

1. Trust in God's Timing: The Bible encourages believers to trust in God's perfect timing. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states, "He has made everything beautiful in its time." This verse reminds Christians that God's plans are always for their good, even when the reasons for waiting are not immediately clear.

2. Strength in Waiting: Isaiah 40:31 offers assurance that waiting on the Lord renews strength: "But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint." This passage highlights the spiritual empowerment that comes from trusting in God during periods of waiting.

3. Patience and Endurance: James 5:7-8 encourages believers to be patient as they wait for the Lord's coming: "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient until it receives the early and late rains. You too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near."

The Role of Hope

Hope is a central component of waiting in the Christian faith. Romans 8:25 states, "But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently." This hope is not wishful thinking but a confident expectation rooted in God's promises. It sustains believers through periods of uncertainty and delay, reinforcing their resolve to wait on the Lord.

Practical Application

For Christians today, waiting can manifest in various aspects of life, such as waiting for guidance, healing, or the fulfillment of personal desires. The biblical call to wait on the Lord encourages believers to cultivate a posture of prayer, reflection, and active faith. By doing so, they align themselves with God's will and prepare their hearts for His divine intervention.

Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 52:9
I will praise you for ever, because you have done it: and I will wait on your name; for it is good before your saints.
Nave's Topical Index

Psalm 59:9
Because of his strength will I wait on you: for God is my defense.
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Library

The Misery of those Who, Besides Losing the Saints' Rest, Lose the ...
... at the door of eternity; and death is waiting to open the ... Resolve on it immediately,
and let it be done, that I may see thy face in rest among the saints. ...
/.../baxter/the saints everlasting rest/chapter vi the misery of.htm

National Sorrows and National Lessons
All Saints' Day and Other Sermons. ... for us to be born, and a whole eternity waiting
to see ... to face, may call out in us some valiant practical resolve, which may ...
/.../kingsley/all saints day and other sermons/sermon xxxiv national sorrows and.htm

Assurance
... To me who am less than the least of all saints.' Ephesians 3:3 ... If we can resolve
two queries: (1:) Have we high ... are graven on the dial, it is but waiting a while ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/6 assurance.htm

The Broken Fence
... by a bold profession, and by a firm resolve, have vanished ... rested on him in all holy
living and waiting upon God ... his land lay in the parish of All-saints, or in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the broken fence.htm

The Unchangeable Christ
... the reformers, or the confessors, or the saints in the ... betrothment he has gone into
the glory, waiting for the ... returned to it with a strong resolve, saying to ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 40 1894/the unchangeable christ.htm

Letter Xlvi. Paula and Eustochium to Marcella.
... apparition there of the bodies of the saints could be ... upon your face; and when, after
long waiting, we at ... of the cross, and rise in prayer and resolve upon the ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter xlvi paula and eustochium.htm

Habakkuk-On his Watch-Tower
... so horrible, and so hated of all God's saints, as is ... our God may well say to His
waiting and ministering ... made a holier or a more fruitful resolve than when he ...
/.../whyte/lord teach us to pray/ix habakkuk-on his watch-tower.htm

The Need and Nature of Conversion
... may obtain the mercy and pardon that God is waiting and willing ... of the great sin
of persecuting the saints; but see ... "I must forsake it; well, I resolve that I ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 48 1902/the need and nature of.htm

Letter Lxvi. To Pammachius.
... if I may so call it"of four saints turned out ... thy riding be salvation." [1922] With
like resolve if with ... one yoke, they obey one driver, not waiting for the ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lxvi to pammachius.htm

The Blood of Sprinkling (Second Sermon. )
... he came with ten thousands of his saints; from his ... After waiting a little while she
again cried, "Father ... I should pull myself together and resolve to understand ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 32 1886/the blood of sprinkling second.htm