bible verses about waiting on god

Bible Verses About Waiting on God: 12 Scriptures on Waiting on the Lord

Bible verses about waiting on God: 12 scriptures on waiting on the Lord, from those who wait upon the Lord renewing strength to being still and waiting patiently.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 30, 2026Updated October 27, 20267 min readIsaiah 40:31 (NIV)

A person sits quietly on a sandstone overlook beneath an olive tree, looking toward a distant village.

"but those who hope in 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 (NIV)

People who search scriptures on waiting on God or verses on waiting upon the Lord want Scripture for expectant dependence on the Lord — not only the general waiting list for delayed answers, the patience list for long-suffering with people, or the trust list for resting faith alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about waiting, Bible verses about prayer, Bible verses about trust, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about patience, and Bible verse of the day. Waiting on God here means qavah — hoping and looking to YHWH himself — distinct from general delay language and from patience-with-people alone. For the best-known verse on waiting on the Lord, see Isaiah 40:31. Waiting on God goes hand in hand with seeking God.

Word study (lead theme). In Hebrew, "wait" / "hope" for the Lord is often קָוָה qavah (Strong's H6960; Bible Hub H6960) — to wait, look for, hope, expect; a cord drawn tight with expectation toward God. Related: יָחַל yachal (Strong's H3176; Bible Hub H3176) — to wait, hope, tarry. Waiting on God is not empty stalling — it is directed hope toward the Lord who renews strength.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 40 presses renewed strength for those who wait on the Lord: they mount up, run, and walk without faintness because their hope is in him (Bible Hub commentaries on Isaiah 40:31; Bible Hub MHC Isaiah 40; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Isaiah 40). On Psalm 37 he urges quiet trust: rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him — fretting does not hasten his justice (Bible Hub commentaries on Psalm 37:7; Bible Hub MHC Psalm 37; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Psalm 37). (General waiting and patience-with-people lists live on those pages; this list centers expectant dependence on YHWH.)

What does the Bible say about waiting on God?

Scripture treats waiting on God as something you do, not something that happens to you. It is hope pointed at the Lord himself.

  • Wait with courage. "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14).
  • Wait with your whole self. "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, more than watchmen wait for the morning" (Psalm 130:5-6).
  • Wait in stillness. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).
  • Wait expecting an answer. "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me" (Micah 7:7).
  • Wait for his timing. "Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3).

David's testimony is the shape of it: "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1). For the general list on delays, see Bible verses about waiting.

12 Bible verses about waiting on God

  1. Isaiah 40:31. "but those who hope in 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." Waiting on the Lord renews strength — soar, run, walk. See Bible verses about hope.

  2. Psalm 37:7. "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." Stillness before the Lord — wait, do not fret at the wicked's success. See Bible verses about trust.

  3. Psalm 37:34. "Hope in the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it." Hope in the Lord and keep his way — waiting includes obedience. See Bible verses about obedience.

  4. Lamentations 3:25-26. "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." Quiet waiting for salvation — good because the Lord is good. See Bible verses about hope.

  5. Isaiah 25:9. "In that day they will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.'" Trusted waiting ends in saved rejoicing — "this is our God." See Bible verses about trust.

  6. Psalm 123:2. "As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy." Eyes fixed on the Lord's hand — dependence until mercy. See Bible verses about prayer.

  7. Psalm 25:5. "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." All-day hope in God the Savior — waiting that asks to be taught. See Bible verses about truth.

  8. Isaiah 49:23. "…Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed." Hope in the Lord is not ashamed — he proves he is the Lord. See Bible verses about faith.

  9. Psalm 52:9. "For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good." Hoping in his name because his name is good — praise while you wait. See Bible verses about worship.

  10. Proverbs 20:22. "Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you." Wait for the Lord instead of personal revenge — justice deferred to him. See Bible verses about justice.

  11. Psalm 37:9. "For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land." Hope in the Lord inherits — evil does not get the last land. See Bible verses about waiting.

  12. Acts 1:4. "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.'" Even the apostles waited for the Father's promised gift — obedience includes waiting. See Bible verses about the Holy Spirit.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for a season of delayed answers, fretting at the wicked, or needing renewed strength — not twelve as a passive checklist. If you need renewed strength, start with Isaiah 40:31. If you need stillness instead of fretting, open Psalm 37:7. If you need the broader delay/waiting list, open Bible verses about waiting. If you need patience with people, open Bible verses about patience. For prayer while you wait, open Bible verses about prayer. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about waiting on God?

Isaiah 40:31 (those who hope in the Lord renew their strength), Psalm 37:7 (be still and wait patiently for him), and Lamentations 3:25-26 (it is good to wait quietly for the Lord's salvation) are clear starting places.

What does "they that wait upon the Lord" mean?

The KJV wording of Isaiah 40:31 reads, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength." The Hebrew verb is qavah, to wait with expectation, so "wait upon the Lord" means looking to God in hope and depending on him, not sitting idle. The NIV renders it "those who hope in the Lord." See Isaiah 40:31.

What scripture says to wait patiently on the Lord?

Psalm 37:7 says, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." Psalm 40:1 says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry," and Psalm 33:20 says, "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield."

How do Bible verses about waiting on God differ from waiting or patience?

Waiting pages center delayed answers and the posture of waiting in general. Patience pages center long-suffering with people and seasons. A waiting-on-God page centers qavah as expectant dependence on YHWH himself — then cross-links waiting, prayer, trust, and hope. See Bible verses about waiting and Bible verses about patience.

What does qavah mean?

Hebrew qavah (H6960) means to wait, look for, hope, or expect — often pictured as a cord drawn toward God. Related yachal (H3176) means to wait, hope, or tarry.

Is waiting on God passive?

No. These texts pair waiting with keeping his way (Psalm 37:34), looking to his hand (Psalm 123:2), and refusing revenge (Proverbs 20:22). Dependence is active trust, not idle despair. See Bible verses about trust.

Where can I read more about waiting, prayer, and hope?

Start with Bible verses about waiting, then Bible verses about prayer, Bible verses about hope, Bible verses about trust, and Bible verses about patience.

Sources

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