They that wait upon the lord – Part 5

“And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him,” (Isaiah 8:17 – NKJV). “Therefore, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me,” (Micah 7:7 – NKJV).

All through the ages, men have had to wait on the Lord for one thing or the other. They have waited because they know that the answers to their problems lie with the Lord. Above are statements of two prophets, one a major prophet, the other a minor prophet. Both prophets, Isaiah and Micah emphasised the importance of waiting on the Lord. They remind those who wait on the Lord that their waiting will not be in vain. There is hope for them. Child of God, even when it seems that the Lord is hiding His face from you, still wait; don’t give up so quickly.

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Both Isaiah and Micah were speaking from their life experiences. Isaiah stressed the same point of expectation in Chapters 40:31; 49:23 and 64:4.

Micah, as a watchman, would intently look for evidence of God’s working, trusting God to act in His own time and way in the unpleasant circumstances that he faced (cf. Hab. 3:16–19). Optimistically, he said: “My God will hear me.” What a solid assurance!

The door of hope is still open to everyone who waits on the Lord. A little perseverance will bring him/her to the place of salvation. Satan’s strategy is always to douse and extinguish one’s hope. He does this through discouragement, despair, doubt, feelings of hopelessness and impatience. We must resist all his plans.

For several decades, some of us have borne the burden of waiting for a transformed nation. I must confess that it has not been easy with many intercessors. There is hope for those burden bearers, who have patiently interceded and waited on the Lord for the redemption of Nigeria. Though the redemption of our nation may take long to come, intercessors should not despair. “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent and give Him no rest till He establishes, and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth,” (Isaiah 62:6-7 – NKJV).

There is hope for those who have laboured in prayer and waited on the Lord for the revival of the Church. May their bended knees never be weakened. “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end, it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry,” (Habakkuk 2:3 – NKJV).

There is hope for those parents or mothers who have toiled in prayers for the salvation of their children. Their tears will not be in vain.

There is hope for those who wait on the Lord for one answer or another to their prayers; let them persevere and not give up.

There is hope for those who wait for the salvation of their loved ones, let them not give up on hope. The scriptures say: “…weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning,” (Psalm 30:5).

We must not give up on hope. Hope does not bring shame. Though God may seem to hide his face from us, we should still hope in him. Hope is our anchor to a bright future.

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