"And, behold there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, WAITING for the consolation of Israel: and the holy Spirit was upon him." (Luke 2:25).

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved." (Psalm 62:5-6).

         The word "consolation" comes from the Greek word "paraklesis" and means "a calling alongside." It comes from the same root for the word "Comforter," one called alongside to be our help. Simeon was waiting for that hour when THE LORD would come alongside of Israel to be their help and deliverance. In Isaiah 40:1, the prophet cries out, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people." Surely Israel was in desperate need for One to come and be their Comforter, to give them consolation, and to guide their steps in the way of peace. And Simeon personally saw this Consolation, embodied in the form of a Babe, our Lord Jesus Christ, and he was satisfied. Faith reached out to grasp the fact that here was He who was destined to be the Ruler over all Israel, the One through whom comfort would come to all, in due time.
         Next, we note the word "waiting" from the Greek "prosdechomai" meaning: to look for, wait, to receive. Thus it bespeaks of a waiting that keeps you looking with the expectancy of receiving. It requires this whole statement to actually give the real depth of meaning in this one word. The same word is used in Titus 2:13, "LOOKING FOR that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."
         And again, "LOOKING FOR the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal  life." (Jude 21).
         Paul wrote, "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience WAIT for it." (Romans 8:25).There is much that we do not see, for it has not yet been brought to us, nor can we generate it in ourselves. And so, since a man can receive nothing except it be given him from above, all we can do is LOOK, WAIT, AND EXPECT TO RECEIVE at His appointed time, while patience has her perfect work, and we are duly purified and prepared so as to be ready when our victory has fully come.
         "WAITETH for the manifestation of the sons of God." (Romans 8:19).
         "WAITING for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." (Rom. 8:23).
         "WAITING for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 1:7).
         "We through the Spirit WAIT for the hope of righteousness through faith." (Galatians 5:5) .
         "Who also himself WAITED for the kingdom of God." (Luke 23:51).
         If we are waiting for the full manifestation of HIS KINGDOM, then we cannot be constantly building our own little kingdoms. If we are waiting for the consummation of His righteousness in us, then we cannot be busy developing our own self-righteousness. If we are waiting for the coming (revelation) of Jesus Christ, then we certainly need to cease concocting our own carnal concepts, but we would open ourselves to the holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. If we are waiting for the redemption of our body,  then we will not become entangled with idle tales and pseudo-revelations of a longevity for this present corruptible body, but we shall LOOK AND WAIT FOR a change, that we might be fashioned anew like unto His glorious body. And if we are WAITING for the manifestation of the sons of God, we will not try and manifest ourselves, but we will steadfastly be focused on Him who is our life.
         Truly, "The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam. 3:25-26). QUIETLY WAIT-- the Hebrew word is "dumam" meaning "silently." Herein is a precious thought to consider. So much of our waiting is noisy-- complaining about the time element, fussy about the current circumstances, critical of the people involved in our day by day processings. How we need for the Lord to quiet us down as we wait for things to work out for His glory and praise. I found it most interesting one day, while listening to an interview, when a young man was asked what he wanted most in life, and he answered" internal silence. " He longed for inner quietude, and inferred that it would make him more God-conscious. He stated he had experienced small measures of this betimes, and he wanted much more. How often have we sat in an outwardly quiet place and found that we were anything but quiet within-- for there was an on-going murmuring of thoughts within, with so many voices clamoring for attention. But in those rare times when we were inwardly quiet before the Lord, it was peace beyond our telling. Indeed, "Thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." (Isaiah 30:15).
         David's life was certainly full of noise, turmoil, activity, warfare, etc. and yet he knew somewhat of this realm of silence, and said, "Truly my soul waiteth (is silent) upon God: from Him cometh my salvation." (Psalm 62:1).
         Many a person can identify with those times when crisis circumstances seem to overwhelm us as situations reach emergency proportions, and everything is screaming "do something now." We would, if we only knew what! So we have to WAIT UPON THE LORD, and His faith holds us steady, believing, in expectation. This waiting becomes a transition-- out of our time zone, into God's time zone. I dare say, it has been well stated, "God can out wait anybody." And so He waits until we have exhausted all of our human possibilities, and when we have been brought to the end of ourselves, we find that He is there with answers far beyond all of our expectations.
         "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine hands." (Job 14:14-15) .Our appointed time-- literally, the Hebrew here is "warfare." We have to WAIT out all the days appointed to us, and hold steady in faith, assured that HE will complete the change IN US as He has purposed. "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." (James 5:7-8).The illustration is very meaningful-- for while we could contemplate the Lord's doing a quick work, even as it is written, "For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." (Romans 9:27). Yet we also find that HE, as a Husbandman, must patiently wait until the time cycles are complete. While we are waiting for Him to complete His work in us, and change us, yet He also is waiting for us to be fully processed, purified, and conformed to His image. We are persuaded that HE is working in us at the fastest speed possible, and still bring forth the desired product, for He is perfect in all His ways and workings.
         "For from of old, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who earnestly waits for Him." (Isa. 64:4, Amplified). Full well He knows that of ourselves we can do nothing. HE must perform all our works in us. "Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou hast wrought all our works in us." (Isa. 26:12). And we do well to learn to WAIT FOR, AND UPON Him. As the Psalmist said, "I waited patiently for the Lord." (Ps. 40:1). The Hebrew text reads, "In waiting I waited. .." This is not jumping from one foot to another in impatience, or crying out "hurry, hurry." But there is a willingness to WAIT for GOD'S TIMING, knowing that He will do exactly what He promised-- and He doeth all things well.
         "Therefore will the Lord WAIT, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him." (Isaiah 30:18).
         He will be gracious-- He will be exalted-- He will have mercy-- and He will WAIT until all conditions have been met, and we have learned to WAIT WITH HIM. It is a dimension of its own value and purpose. We can shout aloud the need to wait upon the Lord, but this is another realm entirely, where we learn to wait WITH Him. And as long as He waits we can do nothing but wait with Him, for we cannot bring to pass nor hasten His timing.
         It is not a lethargic waiting, a lifeless, listless putting in time, not in the least. But recognizing that the timing is in our Father's hand, we can only wait until He initiates the action. Our unwavering testimony is of the Father's love and grace that shall consummate in total redemption at HIS appointed time-- this is the stance we take, while we WAIT for our Lord to finish His work IN US. Holding our confidence and rejoicing of hope firm unto the end, until the vision He has given us is fulfilled. Patience, my brother/sister, patience. One cannot say very much about waiting, without recognizing the parallel working of patience.
         2 Kings 6:24-33 gives an interesting record. Israel was in dire straits, as Benhadad king of Syria gathered his hosts and besieged Samaria. There was a great famine in the city, people were reduced to eating dove's dung. And one woman even boiled her son and ate him. When this was told to the king of Israel, he was very distressed, and so he vowed to execute Elisha. Rather than recognizing his own sin and need, he directed his anger toward the prophet. A common happening even these days. God imparted to Elisha the knowledge of this threat, so when the messenger came that was to kill him, Elisha had him held at the door, for he knew that the king was also coming. As soon as the king appeared he began to reproach, not only the prophet, but the Lord also. "I see," said he, "this evil is of the Lord: what (or wherefore) should I wait for the Lord any longer?" It is amazing! The poor man, he had to admit that God was the cause of this judgment and processing, yet he did not want to WAIT TILL GOD HAD FINISHED. Whatever would he do without Him? It little becomes us, creatures as dependent as we are, to be out of patience with our Maker. Not wait for Him? It is "in Him we live, and move, and have our being." Thus our first priority should always be to WAIT UPON THE LORD-- wait for His working-- for it is always right on time, and most successful. Elisha then promised immediate relief, but the lord that was with the king, scoffed at the promise, and received the judgment of God upon him, for the next day the scoffer was trampled in the street, while God provided an abundance for the people.
         How often have we felt like the king of Israel-- we had to recognize that our trial was "of the Lord," but we didn't like what was happening, and so we think-- "Wherefore should I wait for the Lord any longer?" Yet if we set about to solve the situation ourselves, we have no answers. To go our own way is as futile as when Peter said, "I go a fishing." But "that night they caught nothing." (John 21:3). We pass through the dark night of our soul-- no answer seems to be forthcoming, and we say, "Why should I wait on the Lord any longer?" But to do our own thing doesn't work either. Ah, we do well to just keep our faith focused upon our Lord, the answer is IN HIM.
         Another powerful illustration, Samuel appointed a set time when he would come to Saul to offer burnt offerings, etc. But the WAITING was difficult, and when Saul saw the enemy pressing in, and that the people were scattered from him, he went ahead and offered the burnt offering himself. Immediately Samuel came, with a strong word against Saul, that because he had not kept
the commandment of the Lord, the kingdom would be taken away from him, and be given to another. (1 Sam. 13:8-14). Not waiting GOD'S TIME, but going ahead with our own self-works, will cost us dearly, no matter how religious we appear to be with our sacrifices and offerings. And for sure, in this day when Christendom places such heavy emphasis on being "up and doing," quite literally plagued with a case of the "do-its," it becomes even more of a challenge to WAIT ON THE LORD until He directs each step, that we might be one in His will.
         I realize that these truths can be twisted and misunderstood, but the wise will understand, the rest may lay them on the shelf until their experience needs this confirmation. When the whole of our being is harmonized to that singleness of prayer, "THY WILL BE DONE," then even this hardly needs to be uttered, for it is that out-breathing desire that pulsates through us, and we can wait with the Lord, fully assured that His victory will be revealed in due time.
         Psalm 25:2-3, "0 my God, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed. ..Yea, let none that wait on Thee be ashamed." How often have we felt ashamed, like we have to apologize for God, because He did not do what we asked Him to do, when we asked Him to do it. We had our time schedule, and when God did not meet it, we felt ashamed and let down. That is NOT waiting on the Lord. True waiting on Him means we have submitted ourselves to HIS WILL, HIS TIME and HIS METHOD of doing it, and then it can be said, "whosoever believeth ON HIM shall not be ashamed." (Rom. 9:33). This quote is taken from Isaiah 28:16, where it reads, "He that believeth shall not make haste." Patience is not a virtue that we are born with-- tribulation worketh patience, and it takes a lot of processing to develop patience-- curing our hastiness.
          "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; WE HAVE WAITED FOR HIM, and He will save us: this is the Lord; WE HAVE WAITED FOR HIM, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." (Isaiah 25:9).
       SALVATION IS OF THE LORD! He gives the kingdom! He brings the added grace! HE works for them that wait upon Him. And what do we do? Ah, this is the word of the Lord unto His people, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." With our whole being attuned to Him-- focused in on seeking the kingdom of God, loins girded up, the confession of our faith holding steady regardless of how the stormy winds blow, we would "serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven." (1 Thess. 1:10).
         It is true, "The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own." (Romans 8:19, Phillips). But these sons are "Looking (Greek, waiting) for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil. 3:20). The world will never see what they are looking for in God's first fruit sons, until the sons see their Saviour, and are brought into the fullness of their redemption. Thus with EAGER ANTICIPATION we wait for our Lord, every further revelation of Him will bring us that much nearer to the time of the promise.
         Yet there be those who, like Israel of old, "believed they His words; they sang His praise. (But) they soon forgot His works; they waited not for His counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert." (Psalm 106:12-14) .How fickle! How unstable! When it is revival time, when they can see God's miracle works, and hear soul-stirring truths, they "sing His Praise." Yet ere long they lose patience with their God, and while they slowly trudge through the wilderness, they forget all that He has done/is doing, and they lust after more of the flesh realm. To wait for His counsel requires that we turn away from all the carnal/soulish, giving ourselves to Him unreservedly, to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
         So the prophet admonishes, "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him." (Isaiah 8:16-17). There is a commitment here to the testimony and law, believing His Word and therefore willing to WAIT upon Him to fulfill it according to His own pleasure. This is far more than just quoting the commandments by rote, or mentally giving assent to the Scriptures. It is a heart involvement! What God said shall come to pass, we need not belabor that point. But there is something here which challenges us to give ourselves to His testimony whole-heartedly and unreservedly. Then we can give ourselves to WAITING for, upon, and with Him. No matter to what degree He hides His face from us, we will continue to LOOK FOR HIM with expectancy-- that's what waiting for Him really means.
         "Wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My  jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent." (Zeph. 3:8-9) .
         Wait ye upon Me-- UNTIL THE DAY that I rise up. All through the Scriptures we read of a day appointed-- in that day-- when God will do various things. The timing is His, we can either fret and doubt His promises, or we can lay hold of the Word, with faith, and know that HIS day will come. This needs to be understood both in regards to our own personal processing, as well as embracing the whole earth, and God's plan for all mankind.
         Be it noted, there are many applications and fulfillments of His Word, both individually, and collectively. The past few years I have been encouraged with Isaiah 9:8, "The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel." For some time I have been in awe at how He sent a word into a man but by the time it was to be fulfilled it lighted upon a nation. This great expansion from one to many gives us a glimpse into the tremendous handiwork of God. The thought is two-fold. Individually the change was in turning Jacob into Israel, typifying our going from flesh to spirit-- going from the old creation into anew creation. So that the promise that was given to Jacob could not be fulfilled until a spiritual change had been wrought. But collectively, though given to one man it lighted upon the whole nation of Israel. Often times we can only say "Whatever God means by this, is what we desire," for who can comprehend such a glorious out-reach love and grace, an awesome magnification. Rejoice! HE is wonderful!
         But now there is another thought that has come to light, and that is the unknown time factor. In regards to Jacob and his change, whatever time was in his wrestling with the angel, receiving the promise and the blessing of the Lord, that was but a short manner of time. But when you think of Israel as a nation, it took over four hundred years, before some of the promise of God "lighted on Israel." And then it was fulfilled by degrees as God led them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, into the promised land, and they slowly obtained that which God has sworn unto Abraham to give them. I would love to see such great expansion, but do I want to WAIT FOR IT? Wait with a stedfast hope that does not gag and sputter over the time God purposes?
         Perhaps we can identify somewhat with David, "I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God." (Psalm 69:4). I daresay we need to beware lest our eyes (vision) fail while we WAIT for my God. To test the strength and steadfastness of our faith and committal to our vision and hope in Christ, God will allow, during our times of waiting, those who will come our way with strange doctrines of self-centered drivel that is being peddled in religious systems today. Hence the need to "anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see." (Rev. 3:18) .
         There is an occupying until, but it must be in harmony with our WAITING on the Lord, abiding in Him. In all of our activity we need to maintain an alertness to what the Spirit saith unto the called out. And if we learn the secret of abiding in Christ, then we will not be distressed regardless of where He places us to "be" during our occupying. When we know that this is what God wants for us, we will not have to justify ourselves to people. Men will not always understand why you do, or don't do, certain things for they might not have your vision as to what you are WAITING for, and therefore they cannot comprehend the process which has such an end in view. But if we are WAITING ON THE LORD, abiding in Christ, then we are not abiding in people. "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Gal.1:10).
         For sure, waiting upon the Lord does not indicate a feverish activity, but neither does it indicate a passive state, it is simply "living in Christ." The discipline of just walking a day at a time, not continually striving with the Lord, "what about tomorrow," might go quite contrary to one's own nature, especially if they are programmed for order and planning ahead with proper schedules. Yet we find that listening to His voice, and doing each day those things which He impresses should be done, there is no fast pace, stress, strain, nor any unfinished business. HE does it all just right.
         "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law." (Isaiah 42:4). The isles, the far-flung corners of the world, the isolated, separated places shall WAIT for His law. Men are inclined to dash hither and yon to make sure the whole earth has been covered with "their doctrine," but we rejoice to know that GOD has a purpose and plan to reach them all. They are not waiting for religion but for a relationship-- the righteousness of His law. And it is our heart's desire to be sovereignly led by His Spirit, with His truth, which will satisfy the hungry soul, and bring life to those who have waited so long for Him.
       The end is secure, "All flesh shall see the salvation of God." (Luke 3:6). "Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me." (Micah 7:7). We wait for the Lord, we wait upon the Lord, and we wait WITH HIM, for He has mercy and life for all men. amen.
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(1)Prinzing, Ray and Doris "Letters of Truth"  Boise, Idaho 83705, P.O. Box 5822

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