Waiting Expentantly on the Lord as the Lord waits for you
Abraham’s 25 year wait for Isaac shows that God’s timing is perfect. Waiting is not passive, it builds faith, exposes motives, and positions us for His promise. Impatience births Ishmaels; trust births Isaacs. Those who wait on the Lord exchange weakness for His strength, soaring like eagles, running without weariness, and walking without fainting. Waiting is worship, trust, and surrender never wasted, always fruitful.
Introduction
Waiting on God is not only difficult; sometimes it seems impossible. We want things to happen in our own timing, according to our plans. But God doesn’t operate on our schedules, and expecting that He will sets one up for disappointment. We live in a fast-paced culture that demands everything now. That’s one reason why waiting on God is difficult. Sometimes, the prayers we lift up to the Lord of Hosts are answered immediately, and that encourages us to further trust and confidence. However, sometimes the Lord’s answers are delayed. Waiting on God is a spiritual discipline.
We will look at the principle of waiting for God from the life of Abraham. Why? He is father of all believers; and we can walk in the footsteps of Abraham’s faith. His life is a kind of pattern for us. (Rom 4:11-12)
We start in Gen 12: Abram is 75 years old and God calls him from his father’s house in Laban to the land of promise Canaan. He was told he was going to have an heir and through this heir God would bring forth a nation through which all other nations would be blessed, and that his descendants would be multiplied as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore. And everything in his life ultimately depended on the fulfilment of the promise of an heir. But for this he had to wait for God.
At this moment Abraham had no offspring and a member of his household (Eliezer of Damascus) would be the heir. Abraham follows God and moves and we move to Gen 15 , about 10 years later Abraham is 85 now and still childless, God makes a covenant with Abraham of offspring, generations and land saying ‘Eliezer shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir’ v4.-6 “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.’ God is saying literally look up and try to number the stars – how many are there? Innumerable and yet at one time there were none – I am such a God and will do the same for you and your offspring.
To confirm it further God foretells the future for Abraham and his generations “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” The land and dimensions are in verses 18-21.
Gen 16: After ten years he got tired of waiting for the promised heir (10 years of living in the promised land) and so he did something to help God or “play God’” He did it in his own cleverness and in his own strength. Impatient in the waiting, Abram and Sarai grafted a Plan B into God’s promise. Sarai was barren, so with her full consent and in fact, at her suggestion, he took as a concubine Sarah’s Egyptian maid, Hagar, and he had a child by her who was called Ishmael. (God hears) He was 86 years old. This created contempt between Hagar and Sarah and situation at home was chaos, fear, rivalry.
A child that was to bring love and carry the promise brings contempt, hostility. What went wrong? Ishmael was a product of Abraham and Sarah’s flesh-driven efforts to rush the timing of God. The result is a “wild donkey” who will live in hostility toward all his brothers. The father of the Arab nations of the Middle East. The problem that started then, has continued and is more acute now than it was then, because it’s the descendants of Ishmael who are the unrelenting totally opposed enemies of the state of Israel, and of the descendants of the promised seed, Isaac and Jacob. See, that’s a very vivid picture of what comes of not waiting for God and His timing —just going ahead and doing what seems right in our eyes, accepting somebody’s helpful suggestion, trying to help God : the result is not that we solve our problem, but that we aggravate our problem. God had promised Isaac, but Abraham and Sarah grew tired of waiting. They created something with human effort that looked reasonable, understandable, and even productive but it was not God’s best. Ishmael was a substitute born from fear of delay. Isaac was the promise born from trust in God’s timing.
For 13 years, Ishmael was Abraham’s only son. Abraham loved his boy very much. But God didn't leave Abraham in his failure. Abraham still saw the fulfilment of the promise in Ishmael but God rejected this and reinstituted and clarified the promise son, an heir to the covenant through Sarah. God was saying “ I meant this! I haven’t changed My mind. It hasn’t been fulfilled yet.” Abraham fell on his face and laughed because he was 99 years old, and Sarah was 89. It was impossible!
God gave Abram (Avraham – exalted father to Father of nations/multitude) and Sarai (Sarah - my princess to Princess) new names and the seed promised Isaac (laughter), born of Sarah. The Lord took note of Sarah as He had said and did for her as He had promised . . . at the appointed time, she gave birth to the son of promise, the covenant son. It was Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah 90. (Gen 21:1). God established the covenant with Issac whom Sarah bore to Abraham.
The WAIT : 25 years. 300 months. Approx 1300 weeks. 9125 days. That’s how long Abraham waited between hearing God’s promise and holding his promised son upon which everything that mattered in his life depended – He waited in faith. He saw his own body grow old; Sarah grow old; realise that in the natural all hope is totally gone. Medical tests and all human intellect say it’s not possible.
What changed here? Heb 11:11-12 “By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” God restored to them the ability to have a child. We may grow weary, but we have a God who never grows weary and He wants to exchange our weariness for His strength. A wonderful exchange – gaining new strength His strength and in place of our own worn our bodies, our own limited natural ability, we will receive this divine, supernatural strength and enabling. God typically waits until we have nothing to offer before the promise is fulfilled, so that it will be all about His power and His renown.
What are you waiting on? Whether we're waiting on an answer to prayer, clarity for a decision, healing from a sickness, the fulfilment of a promise the space between “now” and “not yet” can feel like a silent wilderness. But here’s the beautiful truth: God never wastes a wait—there is always a purpose to this season of life! And in the waiting there is a blessing.
What does waiting do?
It builds character, maturity and faithfulness needed to carry what God has entrusted to us. Character to steward the kingdom of God accurately.
It exposes our heart motives : does one love the gift (destiny) or the Giver (the Lord). Many are found out here. Motives exposed.
Positioning of others who are sovereignly being built into the destiny structure of life. Delays are not always due to one’s lack of faith, disobedience, enemy’s schemes, but others are not yet in position. KEY: Trust Gods sovereignty and goodness in perfect timing.
What to do while Waiting on the LORD. COMFORT & STRENGTH
This reminds us of the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah , Is 40:28-31. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 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.”
What does this mean to us today? “Wait” is word Qavah in Hebrew: not a passive endurance, sitting quietly until something happens - in the sense of expecting. Root meaning is to bind together, to twist into a cord, to intertwine. It is related to the Hebrew word for hope, Tikvah, which appears in Jer 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Literally this is a cord/ thread stretched out and held under tension. It is an active, directed, sustained orientation of the whole person toward God (BODY, SOUL, SPIRIT). The posture: someone who has chosen to remain bound to God, whose hope is in God, who keeps turning back to God rather than resolving the tension by running toward another source of strength no matter how attractive they seem or no matter the cost.
What This Means Practically for the person waiting on the LORD and His perfect timing. The waiting room of life is one of the most fruitful places to pursue God intentionally.
Embrace the tension. The gaps of life challenge our desire for control. That’s probably why waiting is universally disliked. Our God is already in our tomorrows – He is ever present and a God of mercy and comfort. Welcome the tension as a normal part of waiting. Believe that the God who saved you hears your cries (Micah 7:7) CHECK: Where am I in my situation? Be faithful in little things – Luke 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” << rescue Lot, Melchizedek, circumcision>>
Cultivate intimacy with Lord: Even when you don’t have a clear path forward, use those seasons to build a strong intimate relationship with the Lord. We can be tempted to put our hope in things that may disappoint us in the end and many get bitter and disillusioned here. Let your waiting be WORSHIP worthy to the LORD. The person who is waiting on the Lord is actively praying steadfastly, being watchful with thanksgiving, actively trusting, actively choosing God as their source and has no PLAN B. They have not stopped moving. They have rooted their movement in the right source God. Total attention on God not the promise from shakeable to unshakeable GOD. Waiting in silence for God to move or being silent yet stable before Him. It's looking and continuing to look to Him, not taking hasty or unwise actions, not yielding to our worldly pressures, but focusing our attention upon God, waiting in silence for Him. Waiting for God develops stability. Psalms 62:2, says, “I shall not be greatly shaken,” v5-6, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; my fortress; I shall not be shaken at all.” So, we see a transition to complete stability out of waiting for God. Confidence in Him being everlasting, the Creator, unwearied and unsearchable. Yesterday → Today → Tomorrow & Forever. CHECK: Am I living in the blessing of His presence or just for miracles? Check my heart motives.
Look Back at His Faithfulness & Look Forward to His Promise in Hope. Psalms 25:4-5 David looked not only up, back, and forward, but down to the path God had set before him today. “Lord, teach me today, lead me today, help me today. Let today be marked by present obedience, joyful submission, even as I wait for you.” There is a blessing in the waiting. God always works in His times and seasons. Jesus was born in the fullness of time Gal 4:4. His return will also be in the fullness of time. When God gives a promise, when He unfolds a purpose, there is a time lapse before the fulfilment of that purpose. In the meantime, like He did with Joseph – son of Jacob , He tests and refines us to make us whole (Psalm 105:19).
Rest vs strive : Focus your heart posture - Resist fretting, refrain from anger, be still, and choose patience: Abraham strived to open a door before Gods time that has led to centuries of turmoil. A rested person refuses to force doors open but waits for perfect time. Our struggle with waiting often involves a focus on what we don’t know. Waiting on God means I learn to live on what I know to be true about God when I don’t know what’s true about my life. While I wait, I can focus on His trustworthiness, not on my expected timing. Psalm 37:7-9 “Rest in the Lord (Be Quiet and Still – damam SUN stood still) and wait patiently(fruit of Spirit) for Him (not the promise – He will do it). Fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself, it leads only to evil doing. For evil doers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord— they will inherit the land.” Waiting for God produces serenity. It’s the answer to fretting, anger and wrath. What is the opposite of waiting patiently? Fretting. So, waiting patiently deals with that tendency in us to fret, to get anxious. Waiting for the Lord deals with problems of anger and wrath. We receive His Shalom. Anger is the kettle on the stove getting hotter all the time. But wrath is when it blows off steam. So, if you give way to anger, in due course, wrath will come. So, the only solution is turn the stove off. How do we turn the stove off? The answer is by waiting for God. Matt 5:5: “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Alternative translations of ‘gentle’ are ‘humble’ or ‘meek.’ So, waiting for God develops humility, or meekness, or gentleness. And that qualifies us to inherit the earth. Isn’t that exciting? God delights in using surrendered people—not perfect.
It’s easy to say we trust God, but our response to delays, frustrations, and difficult situations exposes where we are actually placing our hope. CHECK:
Am I convinced God is listening?
Do I believe He is good always?
Do I accept that He sovereignly ordains our circumstances?
Do I doubt ever slightly that He really cares about us?
Let our actions be not only honour God but encourage others to put their hope in him as well.
Divine exchange of Strength: Hebrew Word Chalaph translated “renew” means to change, to exchange, to put off one thing and put on another. We do not need to have more willpower or more natural resilience. We need to bring their emptiness to the Lord and what comes back is not a top-off of the same supply but a different kind of strength altogether. It is not that God gives you a break so you can come back to your own strength refreshed. This is not refuelling. It is a transfer. God’s strength will replace yours and make you whole. God’s own energy and capacity working through them. CHECK: Am I trying to wait for God while still running on my own reserves?
Notice three images and the order: When we rely on Him and in His Strength.
Mounting Up With Wings Like Eagles: The most dramatic: soaring like an eagle. Eagles do not flap continuously to stay aloft. They locate the rising thermal currents, spread their wings, and allow the invisible upward force to carry them. This describes the experience of being carried by God’s power in moments of significant spiritual lift: the experience of prayer or worship or breakthrough, where we seem to rise above its ordinary limitations effortlessly. The storms do not have to overcome us; God’s power lifts us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives.
Running and Not Growing Weary: This is the steady pace of sustained effort: running without becoming weary. The daily grind of faithful obedience, the discipline of showing up in prayer, in the Word, in service, in consistency, without burning out. It is a sustained output that does not deplete because the supply is supernatural coming from the LORD.
Walking and Not Fainting: The most ordinary and, probably the most significant: walking without fainting. Walking is the basic pace of daily existence. It is the ordinary mundane of a life lived in faith and led by His Spirit. The promise that those who wait on the Lord will walk without fainting is the promise that covers the ordinary days when nothing spectacular is happening, the prayer is yet to be answered, and the person still has to get up and keep moving. Not fainting in ordinary walking is harder for most people than soaring in the high moments. Show up daily.
The Eagle Season Is Not the Only Season: Many of us want the eagle experience of soaring and feel disappointed when most of life looks like walking. God’s strength sustains all three.
Benefits of waiting on the Lord :
He Acts on our Behalf – He acts on your behalf as we wait for Him. “For from of old no one has heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him.” Isaiah 64:4.
He Strengthens Us – As you are waiting for God, He strengthens you. Isaiah 40:31. It is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them.
He Blesses Us – When waiting for God, He blesses you. “… therefore, the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore, He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favour, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!” Isaiah 30:18. Imagine this – The LORD waits for us , as we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. (Jas 4:8). As we wait on God and His timing, He can accomplish so much in our hearts. Often we find new purpose in life, receive answers to prayer, see God work, increase our faith, and most often we see God’s perfect plan fulfilled in our situation. Remember, waiting is not wasted time!
Show up like the Samaritan woman (even in hardest times at 12 Noon), He waits on us and is waiting even now for us to show up even before we come. Come to the well and drink of living water.
She came to draw water → Jesus offered her living water.
She carried a complicated past → Jesus spoke truth and grace and restored her.
She left the well → Her perspective and response changed.
She went back to the people → she began to testify about Jesus and city of Samaria came to Jesus the Christ (Messiah).
Take-aways & application for NT Believers:
We see in part, God sees in full. Trust Him even at the cause of ridicule and laughter. Who is this God? Covenant keeper , Faithful , true , same (Yesterday → Today → Tomorrow & Forever). God‘s ultimate blessing to the world would be the Messiah, Jesus. Jesus had to come through an earthly family, and God chose Abraham. If God has spoken a promise to you and it has been years or decades without fulfilment – hold fast! Trust. Believe Him. For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Lord open my eyes of faith to see what you plan (bigger than I can imagine) and let me agree to walk in harmony with you. Carry the seed in faith and wait for the rains of Holy Spirit. Don’t look for shortcuts. Don’t discard the seed/promise and partner with anything else. Don’t try to be God. Check with the Lord like David : will your presence go with me and give me victory?
What is one such thing God has promised you and waiting for? Jer 33:3 - Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. It can be frustrating and crazy to keep waiting. Abraham & Sarah waited 25 years for the promise. Take a moment to bring it before Him, repent if you need to and tell Him I want to partner with you and have it the way you want. Your plans are bigger and larger than I can imagine. Speak freely and honestly to your Father. Lord renew and give me new strength just to be held by you. I am a son/daughter of promise and hold on to you God of promise. Bring forth the Issac ‘Laughter’ in my life.
For the ones waiting eagerly on marriage: Do not settle for an Ishmael: a relationship that meets an immediate emotional need rather than waiting for an Isaac, a covenant aligned with God’s purpose and timing. Wait on the Lord. Continuously.
An Isaac (covenant promise) is worth waiting for. An Ishmael may come quickly , but it carries consequences that echo for years. And sometimes, the most loving thing God does is make us wait until we are whole enough to receive what He promised.
Self Check:
Am I living in the blessing or for miracles?
Am I a Covenant keeper, or one who will walk with God to satisfy the desires of the flesh?
Background
Kainos Church India, Bengaluru led by Ps. Manoj and Lincy Iype is a gathering open to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is ideally located for believers in the Koramangala, HSR Layout, Agara, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur areas of Bengaluru and our Church Service in English starts at 10am on Sundays.
These notes are from the Sunday Sermon held on 6th September 2026
