bible verses about waiting

Bible Verses About Waiting: 12

Bible verses about waiting: 12 Scriptures on waiting for the Lord with hope, quiet strength, and trust when answers delay.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 29, 2026Updated October 6, 20265 min readPsalm 27:14 (NIV)

A person waits among young grapevines with a few small clusters of green fruit.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

— Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about waiting want Scripture for delayed answers, slow healing, or a promise that has not arrived yet — not advice to pretend the wait does not hurt. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about patience, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about perseverance, Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about trust, and Love and patience. Here the focus is waiting for the Lord — distinct from patience with people (Bible verses about patience) and from perseverance through trials (Bible verses about perseverance).

Word study (lead theme). In Hebrew, "wait" in Psalm 27:14 is קָוָה qavah (Strong's H6960) — to wait, look for, hope, expect; related to a cord drawn tight with expectation. See also Bible Hub H6960. Related: יָחַל yachal (Strong's H3176; Bible Hub H3176) — to wait, hope, tarry.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalm 27 presses waiting with courage: "Wait on the Lord… he will strengthen your heart" (Bible Hub commentaries on Psalm 27:14; fuller MHC at Bible Hub MHC Psalm 27). On Lamentations 3 he names the goodness of quiet waiting: "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord" (Bible Hub commentaries on Lamentations 3:26; Bible Hub MHC Lamentations 3).

12 Bible verses about waiting

  1. Psalm 27:14. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Waiting is repeated on purpose — strength and heart for a second wait, not a single pep talk. See Bible verses about strength.

  2. Lamentations 3:24. "I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'" The wait has an object: the Lord as portion, not a blank delay. See Bible verses about hope.

  3. Micah 7:7. "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Watching and waiting assume God hears. See Bible verses about prayer.

  4. Psalm 130:5-6. "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning…" Whole-being waiting — body and hope toward morning. See Bible verses about hope.

  5. Isaiah 64:4. "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." God acts for waiters — the wait is not ignored. See Bible verses about faith.

  6. Habakkuk 2:3. "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." Lingering is not failure — appointed time still stands. See Bible verses about perseverance.

  7. Psalm 62:5. "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him." Speaking to your own soul — rest and hope sourced in God. See Bible verses about peace.

  8. Isaiah 30:18. "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Waiting meets grace and compassion — not cold delay for its own sake. See Bible verses about mercy.

  9. Psalm 40:1. "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." Waiting can end with being heard — cry included. See Bible verses about prayer.

  10. Psalm 33:20. "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." Hope, help, and shield in one waiting sentence. See Bible verses about protection.

  11. Hosea 12:6. "But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always." Waiting includes returning and keeping love and justice — active faithfulness while you wait. See Bible verses about justice.

  12. Psalm 25:21. "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you." Integrity while waiting — character is part of the wait. See Bible verses about holiness.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for a delayed answer, a slow healing, or a promise that has not landed — not twelve. If you need courage to wait again, start with Psalm 27:14. If you need the Lord as your portion while you wait, start with Lamentations 3:24. If the word lingers, start with Habakkuk 2:3. For patience with people, see Bible verses about patience and Love and patience. For endurance in trials, see Bible verses about perseverance. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about waiting on God?

Psalm 27:14 (wait for the Lord; be strong), Lamentations 3:24 (the Lord is my portion; I will wait for him), and Psalm 130:5-6 (whole being waits for the Lord) are clear starting places.

What does waiting on the Lord mean in the Bible?

It means hoping and expecting God to act (Hebrew qavah), often with prayer, integrity, and quiet trust — not passive despair. See Micah 7:7 and Isaiah 64:4.

Is waiting the same as patience in the Bible?

Close but not identical. Waiting often means waiting for God; patience often means long-suffering with people and seasons. Cross-link Bible verses about patience.

What Bible verse helps when God feels slow?

Habakkuk 2:3 (though it linger, wait for it), Isaiah 30:18 (blessed are all who wait for him), and Psalm 40:1 (he turned and heard) are often read when delay hurts.

Start with Love and patience, then Bible verses about patience, Bible verses about hope, and Bible verses about perseverance. When the question is expectant dependence on YHWH (qavah), see Bible verses about waiting on God. When the question is God's appointed season rather than the posture of waiting, see Bible verses about God's timing. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Sources

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