Wait on the Lord
Waiting on the Lord is a habit of prayer and continual communion with God that renews our strength, brings spiritual depth and rest, and enables us to experience God's fullness and power in our lives.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the profound significance of waiting on the Lord, which he describes as the 'practice of the presence of God.' He explains that this habit of continual prayer and communion with God not only involves asking but also receiving His answers. Simpson encourages believers to embrace this waiting period as a means to renew their strength and deepen their spiritual lives, ultimately leading to a fuller experience of God's love and power. He highlights that true spiritual depth comes from living in God's presence and absorbing His life, urging listeners to wait patiently and attentively on the Lord.
Text
Wait on the Lord. How often this is said in the Bible; how little understood! It is what the old monk called the "practice of the presence of God." It is the habit of prayer. It is the continual communion that not only asks, but receives. People often ask us to pray for them and we have to say, "Why, God has answered our prayer for you; now you must take the answer. It is awaiting you, and you must take it by waiting on the Lord." It is this that renews our strength until we "mount up with wings as eagles, run and are not weary, walk and are not faint." Our hearts are too limited to take in His fullness at a single breath.
We must live in the atmosphere of His presence till we absorb His very life.
This is the secret of spiritual depth and rest, of power and fullness, of love and prayer, of hope and holy usefulness. Wait, I say, on the Lord. I am waiting in communion at the blessed mercy seat; I am waiting, sweetly waiting on the Lord; I am drinking of His fullness; I am sitting at His feet; I am hearkening to the whispers of His Word.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Practice of Waiting on the Lord
- A. A habit of prayer
- B. Continual communion with God
- C. Receiving God's answer
- II. The Result of Waiting on the Lord
- A. Renewal of strength
- B. Spiritual depth and rest
- C. Power and fullness
- III. The Necessity of Waiting on the Lord
- A. Limited human understanding
- B. Need for spiritual growth
- C. Dependence on God's presence
Key Quotes
“It is what the old monk called the 'practice of the presence of God.'” — A.B. Simpson
“We must live in the atmosphere of His presence till we absorb His very life.” — A.B. Simpson
“Wait, I say, on the Lord.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must cultivate a habit of prayer and continual communion with God to experience His fullness and power in our lives.
- Waiting on the Lord renews our strength and brings spiritual depth and rest, enabling us to live a life of holy usefulness.
- We need to depend on God's presence and guidance in our lives, rather than relying on our own human understanding.