WAITING ON THE LORD

Written By Pastor Leo T Mukumba

Scriptures: James 5:7–9; Genesis 26:1–14; Genesis 24:12; Luke 5:4–7

Introduction

Waiting is not weakness; it is worship in motion. Waiting on the Lord is one of the most misunderstood spiritual disciplines in the Church. Many confuse waiting with inactivity; delay with denial; and patience with passivity. But biblically, waiting is active trust, obedience under pressure, and faith that refuses fear.

Isaiah declares, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). The Hebrew verb for “wait” here is קָוָה (qāvāh), meaning to bind together, to intertwine, to hope with tension. Waiting is not sitting still—it is clinging to God while tension remains.

As we are praying today:

• Pray for patience like spiritual farmers (James 5:7–9)

• Refuse fear and pray for faith-filled obedience (Genesis 26:1–11)

• Pray for good speed and prosperity without compromise (Genesis 24:12)

• Obey Jesus even when logic resists (Luke 5:4)

And through it all, we declare: boundaries will break, and increase will come.

The Spiritual Farmer: Patience That Produces Harvest

James 5:7–9

James exhorts believers under pressure: “Be patient… until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth…” The Greek word for patience here is ὑπομονή (hypomonē)—not passive tolerance, but endurance that stays under God’s process without quitting.

The Farmer’s Wisdom

A farmer teaches us three spiritual truths:

1. He sows before he sees

2. He waits without panic

3. He trusts timing he cannot control

A farmer does not dig up seeds every morning to check progress. Impatience would destroy the harvest. Likewise, believers who rush God abort miracles. Prayer without patience is like planting today and harvesting tomorrow, it violates divine order. God’s increase always flows through process, not shortcuts.

James also warns: “Do not grumble…” Complaining during waiting seasons leaks faith and poisons unity. Waiting well requires anchored hearts.

3. Refusing Fear: Faith under Famine

Genesis 26:1–11

Isaac faces famine, economic pressure, uncertainty, and fear. Egypt looks logical. Escape looks safe. But God commands him to stay. “Do not go down to Egypt… dwell in the land which I shall tell you” (Gen 26:2). Fear pushes people to move prematurely. Fear produces:

• Compromise

• Short-term decisions

• Integrity erosion

The Hebrew phrase for fear in verse 7 reflects internal terror, not wisdom. Fear caused Isaac to misrepresent his wife and lie, not because God failed, but because fear silenced faith.

Fear makes you rush. Faith makes you wait. Yet in the same chapter, Isaac does something shocking after learning his mistakes: “Isaac sowed in that land… and the Lord blessed him” (Gen 26:12). He sowed in famine. Breaking Boundaries through Obedient Waiting

• The harvest was hundredfold

• Increase was progressive

• Boundaries collapsed

• Enemies noticed

This is not prosperity through manipulation, but increase through obedience.

Prayer for Good Speed: Prosperity without Compromise

Genesis 24:12

Abraham’s servant prays: “O Lord… send me good speed today” The Hebrew word for “good speed” implies divinely enabled success, not human haste. This prayer teaches us that waiting and speed are not opposites, they are partners when God leads.

Speed without Prayer = Error

Speed with Prayer = Alignment

The word of God shows Biblical Pattern of Prayer-Activated Speed when:

• Daniel prayed → the angel came swiftly (Daniel 9:23)

• Elijah prayed → rain returned (1 Kings 18)

• Nehemiah prayed → favor with kings (Nehemiah 2)

• Joshua prayed → the sun stood still

Prayer does not remove distance, it compresses resistance. God can do in one day what fear delays for years.

Launching into the Deep: Obedience Beyond Logic

Luke 5:4–7

When He had finished speaking, He said… Launch out into the deep.”Jesus speaks after the failure. After exhaustion. After logic says, “We tried.” Peter waited and was listening, and after Jesus had spoken, Peter responds: “Nevertheless, at Your word…” That phrase is everything. It emphasizes obedient trust over experience. Night fishing made sense. Day fishing did not. But obedience broke the limitation.

Because of Boundary-Breaking Obedience

• Nets were breaking

• Boats were sinking

• Partners were needed

Increase came after obedience, not before. Some miracles are locked behind instructions that offend logic. Deep water obedience always precedes deep water harvest. Waiting aligns us with kairos, where one act of obedience unlocks generational increase. May the Lord give us Faith; Steady trust that produces action (Habakkuk 2:4). May He give us Endurance, Hope-powered perseverance (Romans 5:3–4). May He give us the Trust (pistis), Relational confidence in God’s character.  May this year be your appointed time (καιρός (kairos)) which is God’s decisive moment vs χρόνος (chronos), human time. When your

Kairos moment comes nothing can stop it.

• Pray daily for patience: Not tolerance, but endurance

• Refuse fear-based decisions: Fear lies about urgency

• Sow even in famine: Faith invests where fear retreats

• Obey promptly: Delayed obedience is disguised disobedience

• Expect increase: Waiting does not cancel reward

Conclusion:

May the Lord give you the power and ability to Waiting That Breaks Boundaries. Waiting on the Lord is not standing still, it is standing firm. Patience is not weakness, it is faith refusing fear. Obedience is not risk, it is alignment with heaven. Like Isaac, sow in famine. Like the servant Eleazar, pray for good speed. Like Peter, launch into the deep. Like the farmer, wait for the rain. And as you wait, boundaries will break, and increase will come. The bible in Genesis 26:12–14 says “The Lord blessed him… and he became very prosperous.” 

My prayer for you is Lord, give us patience that endures, faith that refuses fear, obedience that breaks limits, and prayer that activates divine speed. We wait on You, and we will reap. Waiting That Breaks Boundaries