What does it mean to "wait on the Lord?"

Believers, remember Isaiah 40:31-

"But those who wait on 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."

How many times have we heard the phrase "wait on the Lord" interpreted as  going without food or bodily comfort and with a sombre face for a certain period so that God can answer our prayers? By God's grace, let's delete this misleading and deceitful interpretation from our mind. It is not of Christ. Romans 8:32 shows us God's nature and His manner of giving to His children in Christ - 

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

In Christ, our Lord God gives us ALL things FREELY and not because we did anything to deserve His goodness. This is Grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour. In Christ, we are blessed by our heavenly Father and escape the curse because of Christ, not because we fasted or obeyed the Ten Commandments. That fasting, law-keeping and other "trade by barter" righteous works which many think will ginger God to bless them only provides one with the opportunity to boast in his works and even look down on those who cannot. You will think that you were "delivered" or blessed  because you did something to deserve it when without Christ, we can do nothing. This is not being saved by grace. It is attempting to be saved by righteous works of self (aka self-righteousness) which Isaiah 64:6 describes thus:

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." 

In Christ, we are our Abba Father's little children. Imagine your kids skipping meals for 70 days, losing sleep and engaging in all sorts of activities because they feel that this is how to get you to feed them, pay their school fees, get them medical attention when they don't feel well, help them when their grades are slipping or take them on unnecessary leisure trips! The way many "pastors" present our heavenly Father to the flock today, most earthly courts would have charged God with child abuse! Believer, a child's good manners or lack of it is dependent on the kind of training that he receives from his parents. How much more we who have the Lord God Himself as the One who trains us up in the Way that we should go? Trust the One who can never fail to transform even the vilest offender to godliness and right living. 

Beware of false preachers who try to present God as a “trade by barter" Father who will not deliver you His own child from generational and other curses and trouble in general unless you first fast for 70 days. Are we talking about the same curse that His own beloved Son Jesus Christ has redeemed all who believe from? There is nothing like generational or other curse in the life of a true believer according to Galatians 3:13. By Grace, flee from antichrist pastors who promote dependence on the arm of flesh (human effort) for the attainment of godliness (be like God.) Their doctrine has been Satan's doctrine since he first used it to deceive Eve in Eden. His "pastor" agents specialize in getting churchgoers to focus on re-doing Christ's finished work of our salvation from sin and death by human effort.

If there is a need for your kids to skip meals or stay up all night in order to achieve particular results, you will organise the whole thing without their input. Like sheep, they follow. For instance, I keep my older son up reading until really late sometimes when I feel that he hasn't prepared enough for an exam. He doesn't want to. But I make him do it. He always thanks me with huge smiles on his face when his results come in. How much more our Father in heaven! In Christ, we don't give to get; we get to give. God's goodness and mercy hunt us (His little children) down every day so much so that we get so blessed to overflowing that we can't help but have His goodness overflowing and spilling over to bless others. 

Sorry, got carried away. We were talking about "waiting on the Lord"🙂

So what does it mean to "wait on the Lord?" It's something that all believers in Christ (who have Him as their Righteousness and Strength, not under law but under Grace) are already doing and only by God's Grace:

The word "wait" that is used in "But those who wait on the Lord..." is the Hebrew word "qavah" meaning "to bind together like a cord,” - not in the way you tie up a bundle of firewood with a cord but how a rope is made by weaving/binding many tiny strands together to form a strong rope. 

One strand by itself (you and I on our own) would snap at the smallest pressure because it has no strength.  But together, pressure on the whole rope makes the strands that form the rope closer together. A strand's strength comes from being one with the entire rope. Our strength comes from being united with Christ. To "wait on the Lord" is to be so deeply woven and intertwined with Him that we are ONE with Him. He is our Strength. 

So how do we wait on the Lord? What's the practical application according to God's word? See this in John 6:56:

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." 

See the Contemporary English Version: “If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you are one with Me, and I am one with you.”

Partaking of the Holy Communion by all who believe in Jesus (having Him our His Righteousness and Strength) is Christ's way for us to remember and put into practice "wait upon the Lord." Also See 1 Corinthians 10: 

"16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. 18 Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?" 

We remember and practice our being ONE body with Christ by partaking of the Holy Communion (the body and blood of the Lamb of God, our Sacrifice) 

Believers, when we eat the bread (His body that was broken for us) and drink the cup (the New Covenant between God and His people, an everlasting agreement confirmed by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through which we are made righteous in God's sight,) we partake of our Saviour Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us at the cross. We partake of Christ with whom we are united (qavah - bound together like a cord.) This is what it means to "wait on the Lord." 

"But those who wait on the Lord (partake of His flesh and His blood)

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."

Also see the provision of our Lord in Psalm 104:15-

"And wine which makes the heart of man glad,

So that he may make his face glisten with oil,

And bread to sustain and strengthen man’s heart."

His body (bread) to strengthen and sustain us and His blood (wine) for the assurance and gladness that all our sins have been forgiven and we are righteous in God’s sight through Christ's blood and apart from works-

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God." Romans 5:9.

Don't let anyone deprive you of this blessing of partaking in the flesh and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Partaking in an unworthy manner does not mean partaking when you have sinned. All have sinned, even the one dishing out the communion elements. Only the blood of Jesus can wipe away sins and Christ has finished that work at the cross ONCE for all. Only believe. Partaking in an unworthy manner means eating without discerning His body (not understanding why His body was broken for us.) See what it means to partake unworthily here:

 http://rightbelieving101.blogspot.com.ng/2017/02/how-does-one-partake-of-lords-supper-in.html?m=1

It does not refer to partaking when you have sins. The Holy Communion (Christ Himself) is the Medicine that frees us from sin and death:

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Anyone that tells you that you cannot partake of the Holy Communion because of your sins is simply telling you that you cannot take the Medicine for your sickness because you are sick. Beware of such.

To wait on the Lord also has the figurative meaning of looking to Him expectantly for our every need, like a child anticipating his daily needs or birthday presents from his parents- FREELY. In Christ, God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In Christ, we are His little children.  Like little children,  sometimes we want to drive Daddy's car right now but He knows what's best for us at all times.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.