Prayer, Worship, Devotion

There are several senses in which we wait on God, but to most believers "waiting on God" means waiting on Him in prayer. This concept of prayer is emphasized in the Bible, where very often prayer and waiting on God are equated. In a certain sense, a true Christian is always waiting on God; but in a special sense, waiting refers to prayer.

It is interesting to observe what the Bible says concerning waiting on God. Combining both the OT and NT concepts, ten Hebrew and Greek words are employed. We need to note some of these words, for they have quite different meanings.

Stillness: In Psalm 62:5 we read: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." In verse 1, the psalmist wrote: "Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation." And in Psalm 65:1 he wrote: "Praise waiteth for thee, 0 God in Zion." The word "wait" in these verses is translated from two words that are derived from a Hebrew root word which does not basically convey the idea of "waiting," but rather "being still" or "being quiet." The root word is a familiar word from the Arabic language, and it is fairly easy to remember. It is “dum,” sounding like "dumb," meaning "to be silent." Derivatives of this word are translated this way in a number of places in the Bible. "Wait thou only upon God" signifies "be silent" or "only be silent" before God. We are to be still before Him. "Wait" sometimes means "to cease" or "to stop" whatever action may have been taking place. It behooves us to stop and pray. We should cease other activities before we come into the presence of God. Sometimes this word is translated "stand still." When Joshua said to the sun, "Sun, stand thou still” (Josh. 10:12), he used a word that is derived from “dum.” He was saying, "Sun, be still, stop, cease—just wait where you are." "My soul, wait thou only upon God" (Ps. 62:5) is the equivalent of saying, "My soul, be thou silent unto the Lord; remain still in the presence of the Lord; stop what you are doing, and seek the Lord."

In Psalm 37:7 we read: "Rest in the Lord." "Rest" comes from the same word, “dum.” The instruction is "Be silent before the Lord, or unto the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." The word "wait" here is an entirely different word. Words derived from “dum” are translated "silent" or "silence" twelve times in the King James Version. Six times it is translated "still," and twice it is translated "rest." Of course "to rest" means to stop and be still.

In his book The Praying Christ, James G. S. S. Thomson makes this statement:

"Stillness of heart is an important and essential factor in our waiting before the

Lord in prayer." We all know this from personal experience. I do not think you can really start to pray until you have stopped to be quiet and still before the Lord. I know there are times when you can, and even must, pray on the run. Someone once said to D. L. Moody when a building was on fire, "Let us pray." Moody replied, "We'll pray while passing the water buckets."

To really pray is not a matter of dashing into the presence of God, "spitting out" to Him what is on our minds, and then dashing away again. We will never get very far in prayer that way.