To wait on the Lord is an Old Testament concept which is nowhere to be found in the New Testament.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

So many professing believers today are “waiting on God”.  They don’t want to take any initiative because, as they say, they are waiting on God to lead them, to give them a word, to guide them by the Spirit and whatever other excuse they can muster to avoid rolling up their sleeves and putting their hand to the plow.  Yes, it is an excuse because it is not scriptural.

Even in the OT, the word translated wait according to Strong’s is the Hebrew word qâwâ:

Strong’s No. h6960, qâwâ; a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect: — gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).

This word is used more in the sense of expectation than physically waiting, or better said, doing nothing at all until one is told what to do.  The same word is translated as “gathered together” as we should be gathered together with Christ in all that we do.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. Genesis 1:9

Instead of translating qâwâ in most translations as strong expectation and us gathering together as one with Him, patiently tarrying in labor, consistently and unrelenting, looking unto Him for his anticipated approval of “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”,  qâwâ is being interpreted today as it sounds – coward, not willing to step out in faith, hiding from the work, resting on our laurels and waiting for Him to do that which He has commanded us to do.  Instead of expecting Him to meet us in our labor as our Helper alongside, we resign and take a backseat, fully expecting Him to do all the work as we continue to beg Him, which we call praying, to do it all.

O, I am just waiting on the Lord.  Don’t want to get ahead of Him, now do we? He will do it if I just wait on Him, right? That’s what we are told to do, to wait on Him. So I am waiting for Him to move.

No!  He is waiting on you to move!  The Holy Spirit is the Greek word Paraclete or Helper alongside.  He is the Helper not the doer.  You are the doer and He is waiting for you to do something so He can help you in your doing.

Here is the perfect modern day church’s definition of the word “wait” from the Cambridge Dictionary:

“To allow time to go by, especially while staying in one place without doing very much, until someone comes, until something that you are expecting happens or until you can do something:”

In contrast, the NT is filled with confirmations of what the Lord has instructed us to do in writing, black and white, or red and white if you are reading from a red letter edition.  There is no need or requirement to wait on Him or to receive a special word or a leading when He has already put it all in writing.  Like Curry Blake says that most people are waiting for a phone call when they have already received a letter.

The problem is that people don’t necessarily want to do what He has commanded them to do.  They are waiting for a better opportunity for an easier job that, so they think, that will better suit their personality and their character (read ego).

• “…you will be witnesses for Me.“(Acts 1:8) – “Well, that is for pastors and I am not a pastor.  That’s their job.”
• “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19) – “Nah, that’s for missionaries and I am not a missionary.”
• “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8) – “But I can’t do that.  I have a full time job.  Besides that was for those days and that died with the apostles.  So that’s not for us today.”
• “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.” (John 14:12) – “Well, how can I possibly do the same things Jesus did? He must have meant that for His disciples and it died with them.  That was for that time and is not for today.”

And they stack one excuses upon the other until they are totally immobilized, convinced they are justified, snared by the words of their own mouth (Proverbs 6:2), totally resigned to being hearers and not doers.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

Deceiving your own selves?  How are they deceiving themselves?  Here is the meaning of the word in Greek: paralogizomai (G3884), to deceive by false reasoning.  They are lulling themselves to sleep in the conviction that they only need to be hearers of the word.  Isn’t it true that faith comes by hearing?

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

But what good is this faith if not applied to the work of doing the word? It is then rendered useless and of no value.  It is dead.  It is salt that has lost its savor.  Faith must be exercised and applied daily, often hourly, to remain alive and profitable.

What [is] the profit, my brothers, if anyone may speak of having faith, but he may not have works? Is that faith able to save him? James 2:14 (LSV)

So also faith, if it may not have works, is dead by itself. James 2:17 (LSV)

Then what is it to be a doer of the word?  Just read Jesus’ commands above without all the excuses.  These are just a few of the many instructions (read commandments) Jesus gave us.  Just ask yourself: “Am I healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and cleansing the lepers as He directs in Matthew 10:8?  Are the signs of a believer following me as in Jesus’ own words?”

“And signs will accompany those believing these things: they will cast out demons in My Name; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they may drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the ailing, and they will be well.” Mark 16:17-18 (LSV)

But he also gave us promises.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Corinthians 1:20

There is a popular teaching going around in the church today stating that when you pray, God’s answer is like a traffic light.  Sometimes it is red which means no, and sometimes it is yellow which means wait and sometimes it is green which means yes.   This is one of the most ridiculous teachings out there and it is totally unscriptural.  Try to find a NT bible verse that supports that.  You won’t find it.  Instead God’s word in the New Covenant is always yes and amen!

for as many as [are] promises of God, in Him [are] the Yes, and in Him the Amen, for glory to God through us; 2 Corinthians 1:20 (LSV)

Jesus never said no or wait to anyone that came to him for whatever they needed except to the young man who asked him to tell his brother to share the inheritance with him because He did not come as a judge but as a servant to heal and to save and to make them whole.

However it does still appear in some mistranslations such as here:

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Romans 8:25 (KJV)

Notice the difference in the literal translation:

And if what we do not behold we hope for, through continuance we expect [it]. Romans 8:25 (LSV)

Kind of changes the whole meaning, doesn’t it?  The only places He told His disciples to wait was to tarry in Jerusalem to be endued with power from on high by the Comforter which came at Pentecost.

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. Acts 1:4

And here where the word wait is really to watch for.

And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:10

If He gave us the power to become the sons of God, then we have been given the power to do the same things that Jesus did. 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who is believing in Me, the works that I do—that one will also do, and greater than these he will do, because I go on to My Father;” John 14:12 (LSV)

Did Jesus wait on God?  Did he ever tell anyone that came for healing, I have to wait on what God’s will is for your healing?  No, He immediately healed them never once asking God if it was okay to do so.  Why?  Because it was God’s will for Him to do so — as it is for us.

There is a big difference between being a servant of God and being a son of God.  The servant does not know what His master is doing.  But a son does.

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15

Friends was the closest thing to sons He could call them because He had not raised form the dead yet.

Who is a son and who is a servant?  Those that say that they don’t know or cannot know what God is doing, these are servants and not sons.  Those who after having put their hand to the plow and looking back are servants and not sons.  Those who are hearers only and not doers are servants and not sons.  They are professors but not possessors.

So many modern Christian songs sing “I am a child of God”.  Wrong!  There is not one verse that calls you a child of God, only collectively are we the children of God.  You were not born again to be a helpless little child of God but a mature and fully grown son of God.  You were not born again to be a baby and a servant but to manifest as a son.

So that you are no longer a servant, but a son, and if a son, also an heir of God through Christ. Galatians 4:7 (LSV)

for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, Galatians 3:26 (LSV)

The only waiting sons do is as a waiter waiting on tables choosing to serve others as sons of the most high God, manifesting as the sons of God doing the same works Jesus did as He commanded in John 14:12, see above.

for the earnest looking out of the creation expects the revelation of the sons of God; Romans 8:19 (LSV)

As Fanny Crosby wrote in her hymn, To The Work!

To The Work! To The Work! (Toiling On)

Additional resources:  Not the Hearers but the Doers are Justified

Divine Healing Technician training – free: https://www.dominionlifemovement.com/training

Franciscus M. Dartee

Grow in Faith | Walk in Power

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