LISTEN (wait)

Pray, (a lot); Listen, (wait); God leads: We follow; God blesses. 

When praying is followed by waiting on the LORD a healthy lifestyle has occurred. This is the hardest part to accomplish in this five-part series. Be encouraged because there is a lot of reference in the Bible about waiting on God.  700 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem note what Isaiah wrote. 

“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. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

This link includes 29 Bible verses about waiting on the LORD:  
    https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Waiting-On-God

You might enjoy this specific verse about waiting on the LORD because it includes a promise.  “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation My God will hear me."  Micah 7:7

Although after praying to God is followed by listening for wisdom to move forward in the grace of the LORD, waiting is just not our nature. As we observe from Isaiah when we wait for the LORD our strength is renewed. I like this passage for several reasons.

Before starting a consulting business as a father with young children I prayed for wisdom. As I was waiting for an answer to that prayer this passage gave me the direction I needed. From this passage I named the business EAGLE 7. EAGLE represented the fact that as a young man I felt this passage provided the direction from the LORD I needed. My strength was renewed and I proceeded and was not weary but refreshed. And in the Bible is the number 7 is the foundation of God's word.

Now many years later this passage is still a great encouragement to me. 

My friend Dr. Harold Sala says in his book AGE is JUST a NUMBER, How to Age Without Growing Old;

Those who wait on the Lord will accomplish three things:

•   They will soar high on wings like eagles.
•   They will run and not grow weary.
•   They will walk and not faint.

He wraps it up by indicating Isaiah was focusing on three periods of life:

•   In our youth we “soar like the eagles”
•   In our middle years “we run without growing weary”
•   In our later years “WE CAN WALK WITHOUT FAINTING!”

ACTION POINTS:

•   Consider praying specifically with the intension of waiting for an answer.
•   Talk with a friend about praying so they will know you are person of prayer.
•   When you have waited for an answer to your prayer and God answered you know he is leading.  That is the next part of this series God leads.

SCRIPTURES:
“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD."  Psalm 27:14

“Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.”  Hosea 12:6

“Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.”  Psalm 25:5

After you pray and you listen to the LORD, yes you wait, the next thing that happens is the LORD leads and that is the third part of this five-part series.