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Eight Steps to Wait on God

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are

the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day
(Psalm 25:5).

You need to be born from above to understand the

things of the Spirit and observe God who lives in
heaven. That which is born of flesh is flesh, minds
earthly things and therefore is incapable to observe
the things of the Spirit. Your physical body with its
senses and God who is Spirit live in two different
realms and that is why carnal man fails to notice
Him who inhabits heaven. Because you cannot feel
God with your hands, or smell Him with your nose,
or hear Him with your physical ears, or see Him
with your eyes of flesh, or taste Him with your
tongue does not mean He is not there. The wall of
separation and veil of blindness is removed in
Christ. When you are born-again, God place you in
the body of His Son and you are joined to Christ
and become one spirit with Him. From that moment
forward the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth by
revealing to you the Son of God and the things of
the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One that bring you
to the knowledge of the truth.

There are mainly two ways in which one can come

to the knowledge of the truth. The first is to see the
Truth revealed in Scripture and the second is to
know Christ’s voice through the Holy Spirit. Jesus
answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not
knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God (the
Holy Spirit)” (Matthew 22:29). From the beginning
of the transgression God intended for man to know
his voice and since God’s written word was freely
available, He intended for man to know Him also in
Scripture. God has never changed His intention for
us to heed His written Word and to know and obey
His voice.

When we meditate on the word, the Holy Spirit

takes of what is Christ’s and declares it to us. As
God is one, the Word and the Holy Spirit will never
contradict each other. The Holy Spirit uses
Scripture to reveal Christ to us. We often err in
judgment because we do not know the Scriptures
or the voice of the Holy Spirit. Just reading Scripture
is not good enough. We need to meditate on it until
the word of God lives in us. We need to meditate
on the word of God that we may manifest
Christ, which is the will of God for every born-
again believer.

The main purpose of the Bible is to introduce you to

God’s worldview so that you may manifest the
character and power of His Son. The degree in
which you do not manifest Christ is the degree of
your deception. As a Christian you must set your
heart to walk in truth, which is to manifest
Christ’s character and power. When the Lord
looks at you, He is not looking for perfection but for
faith. Faith is the virtue that brings joy and
fulfillment to God’s heart. Faith procures the
substance of the manifestation of Christ in you. God
will judge you according to the light and talents
that you have received. Therefore, you need to
express faith toward God according to the measure
of grace He gave you, which is the measure of your
faith.

In these last days, like in the times of Joseph and

Daniel, the voice of the Lord will be in demand. As
in the past, the Lord will favor His servants the
prophets. It becomes increasingly important to
know the voice of the Lord as our choices may
amplify outcomes. Our choices on global, national
and individual levels will have magnified
consequences. It is like a ship that is about to enter
into a harbor. When a ship is far from its
destination small navigation errors can be tolerated
because it can easily be rectified. When a ship is
entering the harbor navigation errors can cause
devastating accidents because of a lack of space
and time to maneuver away from disaster areas.

Waiting on the Lord is to practice hearing the voice

of God. Your body of death which is earthbound
cannot observe and experience the Lord with its
physical senses because God is Spirit and dwells in
heaven. You observe things in the realm and place
of your dwelling. If you live a carnal life you will
predominantly observe things in the soulish and
natural realms. If you mainly dwell in the spirit you
will observe, by the Holy Spirit, the things of the
Spirit. The more you focus on Christ the more He
fills the field of your vision. Therefore our walk with
the Lord is not through our physical senses but by
faith. Because God is Spirit and one with your spirit,
the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to you in your spirit.

Waiting on the Lord is practicing your spirit to live

in heaven while being bodily on earth. It is to
practice to be more at home in heaven than on
earth, which is to live with our Bridegroom. The
highest level of knowing God can be compared to a
godly couple that is married for many decades and
know each other’s heart just by observation and
hardly any talking. Deep love is to know each other.
Waiting on God is all about the deepest love. Love
is a painful longing with constant focus on the
Beloved, to observe His slightest movement and to
await His least command. It is to have only eyes for
Jesus.

Waiting on God is not a religious quick fix to

solve a poor relationship with God but a
lifelong pursuit in training your spirit to
become constantly aware of God’s presence
and to know His voice. Initially it is an awkward
and difficult exercise, like training a muscle that
was never used before. It is foreign for man to live
in the realm of God’s Spirit. So, it is a lifelong quest
to experience heaven while being on earth. If you
want to observe the things of the Spirit you need to
dwell in His realm. A heart distracted by the things
of this world or any legalistic mechanics to enter
His presence prevents you from experiencing
Christ’s indwelling presence because your focus is
on the world and self and not on Him. Self and the
things of this world dwell in the carnal realms of the
soul and the physical while Christ is in heaven
(spirit). Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of
it spring the issues of live (Proverbs 4:23). You are
in the world but not of it. So, share all things with
Him. It is wisdom to know Him in all things.

Knowing the voice of the Lord is as solid or as weak

as your dedication to wait on God. Seeking the
voice of the Lord takes patience and perseverance.
Nothing comes by itself but only through faith,
substance is created. The dedication of your faith to
wait on Him is as vast or as little as your hunger for
Him. You need to keep your focus as long as
possible, in a relaxed manner, on the Lord. To be
single-minded is to be mentally honest. It is a
sincerity of mind toward Christ, free from pretense.
Manifesting undivided faith toward Christ is
pleasing to God.

Waiting on God with expectation can be likened to

my dog sitting patiently next to me awaiting my
attention or command. The difference between my
dog and you is that he can observe me with his
physical eyes while you can only observe the Lord
and His ways with the eyes of your heart. Your
motivation should not be to seek a fresh revelation
but to seek a revelation of the Lord. True revelation
emphasizes the glory (character and power) of God.

Waiting on the Lord is directing your attention to

God with a deliberate expectation to meet and hear
Him, like expecting a valuable item in the post. It is
also seeking or attentively watching the ways of the
Lord. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts
to the children of Israel (Psalm 103:7). It is wisdom
to know God’s ways. The wisdom and knowledge of
the Lord change hearts. The kingdom of God does
not come with observation but it comes within you.

Waiting on the Lord is full of hope and faith. You

express faith and unbelief all the time in your
thoughts, attitudes, words, works, habits and your
general walk before God and man. Your hope is to
experience Christ, regardless how He wishes to
reveal Himself.

Waiting on the Lord is the Lord’s expectation and

His deliberate waiting for your fellowship and
worship. Worship is not always singing and praise
but it is always an attitude of your heart where you
say, “He is God let me worship Him.” I had this
dream many years ago. I dreamed that I thought to
myself, “He is God let me worship Him.” The next
moment I smelled the incense of that attitude that
went up before God. It was a very pleasant aroma
which I could still smell 30 minutes after I woke up.
The moral of the story is that worship is more than
just singing and praise. Worship is an attitude of
heart where you acknowledge God as supreme in
all areas of your life. Worship is an attitude of love
and adoration toward God and one need not always
to express it visibly.

Often when I wait on the Lord I just open my heart

to God and love Him for who He is, and not for what
He can do or give to me. Let me illustrates it
through a very short story. There was a very rich
young man that loved a certain lady very dearly.
He would normally buy her expensive presents. He
was a lover of flowers, especially daisies and this
lady was aware of his love for daisies. One day he
found a very peculiar daisy in his garden. He was so
pleased with his discovery of the flower that he cut
it and presented it to his lady friend so that she
could share in his joy. She was so upset because it
was not an expensive present that she destroyed
this beautiful flower in the palm of her hand as well
as the excitement in the heart of this young man
over this peculiar daisy.

I approached the Lord in the beginning with the

same rotten attitude as this woman toward this rich
young man. As long as I could receive blessings and
revelation from the Lord I did not care to wait on
Him. I did not know how to be thankful for little
things because I was blind toward the small
mercies of the Lord because I had not learned to
share little excitements with Him. I had a long road
to travel to discover true love – thanks to my wife
who has discerned this lack in my heart.

Why should we wait on the Lord? There was no

need for Adam to wait on God while he walked with
God in the Garden of Eden. He was in complete
harmony with God and creation. His existence
consisted of joy and fulfillment in God. When
questions roused in his heart the Lord immediately
answered it, and he must have delighted himself in
the light of divine knowledge and wisdom. Adam
was not acquainted with the concept lack of God’s
wisdom, knowledge or His presence or any other
thing. He knew no need. When sin entered Adam,
he fell from fulfillment in God and he was
introduced into lack and need outside of Him. Since
Adam sinned we all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God. Ever since the transgression we
share in Adam’s need for God. Therefore, all borne-
again believers have a need to wait on God to
know His voice and to experience His presence. It is
not the only way to experience Him but it is one of
the best ways to learn His voice. His sheep knows
His voice.

How do I practice the prayer of silence or waiting

on the Lord? Firstly, I need to be physically
comfortable. I will take a shower to get rid of sweat
on my body. I normally use cold water at the end of
my shower to sharpen my spirit. Warm water tends
to make me drowsy, especially during summer
months. Occasionally I drink a glass of cold water. I
do not like any bodily distractions when waiting on
the Lord. I will switch of my cell phone and go to my
big chair.

I normally wait on the Lord round about 4h00 in the

morning. This time suits me best because it is the
time when I am physically rested and mentally and
spiritually the most alert. It is also the time with the
least distractions. I have friends that prefer to wait
on the Lord in the evening. I choose not to do it
after dinner because food makes me heavy and
lethargic. My evenings are full of distractions, due
to dinner, attention to my wife and possible phone
calls. There are responsibilities in my live that I
cannot neglect without leaving the will of the Lord.
So I prefer early morning hours. Other times may
suit you.

Secondly, I also need to get spiritually

comfortable. My spirit need to be open to God. I
need to be focused on the Lord, get silent in my
spirit and at rest inside of my innermost being.
When I remember You (focus on Christ) on my bed
(place of rest), I meditate on You in the night
watches (time of silence) (Psalm 63:6).

It is not always possible just to start relaxing your

heart and to focus on the Lord. After waking up
from sleep or coming back from work you cannot
just cold start your human makeup to focus on God
unless you know how to practice His presence while
busy with other activities. Initially you will need to
enter the presence of the Lord by doing some faith
exercises. Normally, I start to pray for about 20
minutes both with my understanding and also in
the Spirit.

After praying I will read a few verses of Scripture,

just enough to meditate on it for about 5 to 10
minutes. To make everything count I will choose a
passage in line with what the Lord is speaking to
me. We must ponder those things where the
present emphasis of the Holy Spirit is. I do these
exercises to line myself up with the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes I am just pondering those things that
concern or excite me, as long as I believe that it is
of the Lord. I do this normally when I am looking for
an answer from God.

Thirdly, I need to empty or clear my mind of all

preconceived ideas or doctrines that may stifle the
voice of the Lord. I am determined to know nothing
except God’s truth. It is not a blanking out of the
mind. Do not attempt doing this because it is
dangerous. You must always maintain your focus
on the Lord. Use your imagination but without
words, like a television that is on mute mode.

Initially my thoughts love to run off just like my dog

investigating every tree and bush when we go for a
walk. It is difficult to control my thoughts. I
endeavor not to develop a struggle within me. So I
trick my mind by imagining the Lord and me going
for a walk. Sometimes we walk in forests, then on
the beach, then in the mountains and then down a
river. I will remain silent and just watch him silently.

Use that which works for you. It is not about

feelings but faith. It is Christ who lives in you and
all of His faith and hope and love flows through you.
Sometimes God will bless you with feelings but
mostly not. Feelings are deceptive. The heart of
man is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked [Hebrew: incurable]; who can know it?
(Jeremiah 17:9) Eventually you will develop a sense
of Christ in your spirit but it is rather a deep-rooted
awareness and knowledge of Him and not so much
feelings. You must remember your spirit dwells in
the realm of spirit but feelings belong to the realm
of soul. As the spirit and soul belongs to two
different worlds, so does faith and feelings.
Fourthly, when you are looking for an answer from
God you need to focus both on the Lord and the
object of meditation simultaneously. Meditate on
your question and ask the Lord for the answer. It is
the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory
of kings is to search out a matter (Proverbs 25:2).
You may meditate on Scripture, word from God,
problem, invention or project. We need to know the
Lord in all our ways and not to lean on our own
understanding. Finally, brethren, whatever things
are true, whatever things are noble, whatever
things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever
things are lovely, whatever things are of good
report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy – meditate on these things
(Philippians 4:8). To illustrate: The keys of my
house were gone. I asked God where they were. I
focused both on the Lord and the keys
simultaneously. I saw in a vision where they were.
Sometimes He will, but seldom, answers you
immediately as it was in this case. Normally it takes
time to find the answer. You need to persevere and
practice patience for some time (hours, days,
weeks, months and sometimes years or even the
afterlife). It is the Lord’s way of drawing you into a
relationship with Him, to teach you to trust Him and
to love Him regardless of delays. God is always on
time; it is man that must learn endurance and
patience. You will not receive fresh revelation every
day. The Lord will give you revelation and then
illuminate and break it open day by day as long as
you seek the Lord. The Lord will give you new
revelation if you are faithful with what He has
already given you.

When I only seek to fellowship with the Lord I focus

on Him alone.

Fifthly, record your impressions. Then the Lord

answered me and said: “Write the vision and make
it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it”
(Habakkuk 2:2). The impressions that you have
recorded should agree with the Scriptures. The Holy
Spirit and the Word is one and shall never disagree.
Sometimes you receive a witness from the Holy
Spirit concerning personal matters, which cannot
be verified in Scripture. Time alone can prove if it
was a word from God or not. Sometimes you
receive conformation of a word from God, but it
does not always happen. The Holy Spirit normally
gives you an unfolding revelation of the will of God
in bits and pieces. So in recording your revelation
you can discover after a short time what the Lord’s
will is for your life or what He is working out in your
life. For precept must be upon precept, precept
upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a
little, there a little (Isaiah 28:10). When you start
writing pages then know you have an overactive
mind. The Lord normally speaks short and to the
point.

An example of my Devotional Journal is as follows:

April, 18, 2010: 1) Place your eye on me. 2) Avoid
conflicts inside of you. 3) If you become nothing in
your own eyes, I will be so exalted in your sight, to
the degree, where I will fill your whole vision. He
must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).

I believe I have received these words from God, not

only as personal instructions but also as a result of
rewriting this article. Everything the Holy Spirit
speaks has purpose. I am normally changing or
rewriting my articles as a result of new revelation
and growth (my practical faith) in my relationship
with the Lord. Stagnancy is death; it becomes
mechanics without His presence.

If I see visions while waiting on the Lord I will record

them immediately in my “Dream and Vision
journal.” The longer I delay the more detail I forget.
Record all details such as colors, numbers, direction
of objects, field of vision and your frame of mind, if
it was a positive or negative experience. Do not add
(never assume) or take away from the vision, as it
will influence the interpretation. Have a pen and
paper on you while waiting on the Lord. Sometimes
you will see visions and sometimes not.

Sixthly, sift, sort and evaluate impressions after

recording them to discern between carnal input and
what was from the Holy Spirit. I normally go
through this exercise over and over. I am recording
impressions which I believe I have received from
the Holy Spirit on a word processing program. It
leaves me with the opportunity to come back to it
and to change it as often as I wish.

Seventhly, meditate on your impressions and

interpretations of your visions. Let us consider the
impressions, which I believe I have received from
the Holy Spirit on April, 18, 2010. It mainly refers to
a focus on the Lord. The more you focus on the
Lord the less inner conflict you will experience and
the more He will be exalted in your heart. The first
two impressions I heard were as clear as an audible
voice. The last one is a deep inner knowledge, yet I
heard His voice; a word of wisdom. Now you can
continue meditating on these important words from
the Holy Spirit. To focus on the Lord is the heart of
waiting on God.

Lastly, take responsibility for what the Holy Spirit

has revealed to you by praying it through until its
fulfillment. As long as you cry out for wisdom and
understanding to do His will, He will let you prosper
in all areas of your life. And he sought God in the
days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the
visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord,
God made him to prosper (2 Chronicles 26:5).

For what period of time must you wait on the Lord?

It can be anything between 20 minutes and two
hours or longer. It depends on your hunger for the
Lord. Why do I say 20 minutes? While I was doing
athletics I believed that training for less then 20
minutes did not yield any physically benefits. It may
be a wrong assumption as far as waiting on the
Lord is concerned. When you start out waiting on
God it will be beneficial if you wait on the Lord for
short periods, a few times a day. This is to condition
your system for this new experience. The secret is
enjoyment otherwise you will grow weary of it and
quit this way of coming to know the Lord.

Be flexible. If one way is not working for you,

experiment with some other way until you find
what is working for you. When your spirit is trained
in this manner you will unconsciously starting to
wait on the Lord while being busy with other things.
This does not happen overnight. Training your spirit
takes perseverance and patience. The more you do
it, the easier it becomes. No matter what, do not
quit! You will never regret it!