The Waiting Hour

("The Waiting Hour" refers to the time of kneeling in God's presence and waiting on Him.)

When we go before God and pray for what we need, we must remain on our knees until He places a thought in our hearts. Simply saying "Amen" and leaving is not respectful.

Pontius Pilate once asked the Lord Jesus Christ, "What is truth?" However, before the Lord could answer, Pilate went back into his house. If he had waited as a judge should, the Gospel writers would have recorded the Lord's response, and we would have known it today.

When we call out to someone, we wait for their reply, don't we? We don't stop calling out until they respond. In the same way, we should wait in prayer. Let us not stop praying the moment we hear a response.

The ancient prophets spent a great deal of time waiting in God's presence. Because of their waiting, they were able to write great prophetic scriptures and understand God's will. If they had followed their own thoughts, they would have made mistakes.

After waiting in prayer, we not only experience the joy of having prayed but also the joy of knowing that God has answered us. However, this practice of "waiting in prayer" is not widely encouraged in churches. Some believers follow it, but it is not a common practice in the entire congregation. If churches begin to embrace this practice, faith and joy within the congregation will grow tremendously.

The Waiting Hour Resolves Everything

In the waiting hour, all things will be resolved. The answers to your most difficult questions will be revealed. The Bible speaks of waiting on the Lord, and if we read those scriptures, we will understand its importance. The time required for waiting on God is not fixed—it could be an hour, or even just half an hour, until our hearts receive clarity.

Let us not speak like the unbeliever in 2 Kings 6:33, who said, "This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for Him any longer?" Instead, let us trust in the power of waiting on Him.

Some may argue, "We already struggle to follow existing religious customs, and now you introduce a new one. How can we fulfill it?" To such questions, we can only say, "Try it and see for yourself." No amount of debate will satisfy those who seek to criticize.

If others refuse to listen, do not be discouraged. Instead, consider yourself privileged to wait on the Lord.

For those who truly believe that the Lord's return is near, the waiting hour is a great tool to prepare. It is beneficial to all—believers, non-believers, and every human being.

Three Key Aspects of Waiting on God

1. Concentrate
   • Keep your mind free from negative thoughts.
   • Do not dwell on even good memories.
   • Focus only on one thought: that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are before you.
   • This is the greatest task you must undertake—practice it diligently.
2. Do Not Be Discouraged by Lack of Experience
   • If you feel you have been waiting on God for many days but have not experienced anything, recognize that the very act of waiting is already a blessing.
   • The ability to wait on God itself is a privilege and a gift.
3. Learn from Those Who Wait on God
   • Speak with those who have spent time in waiting.
   • Gain insights and learn from their experiences.

Scriptures on Waiting on God

1. "No one who waits for You will be put to shame." (Psalms 25:3)
2. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (Psalms 27:14)
3. "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." (Psalms 37:7)
4. "Praise awaits You, our God, in Zion." (Psalms 65:1)

5. "My eyes grow weary looking for my God." (Psalms 69:3)
6. "They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His plan." (Psalms 106:13)
7. "But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
8. "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him." (Isaiah 64:4)
9. "I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. And the Lord answered me: 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.'" (Habakkuk 2:1-3)
10. "And while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, 'you heard from me.'" (Acts 1:4)
11. "Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel." (Psalm 69:6)
12. "Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off." (Psalm 37:34)
13. "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation." (Psalm 62:1)
14. "I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly." (Psalm 52:9)
15. "These all look to you, to give them their food in due season." (Psalm 104:27)
16. "As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us." (Psalm 123:2)
17. "Do not say, 'I will repay evil'; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you." (Proverbs 20:22)
18. "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." (Isaiah 30:18)
19. "I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him." (Isaiah 8:17)
20. "Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame." (Isaiah 49:23)
21. "Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things." (Jeremiah 14:22)
22. "It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lamentations 3:26)
23. "Therefore wait for me," declares the Lord, "for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed." (Zephaniah 3:8)
24. "So it was broken on that day, and the sheep traders, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord." (Zechariah 11:11)
25. "Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him." (Luke 2:25)
26. "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks." (Luke 12:35-36)
27. "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Romans 8:25)