The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season.
—Psalm 145:14-15
Psalm 104 is a psalm of Creation, and the words, “These wait all upon Thee” (verse 27), were used with reference to the animal creation. Here, we have a psalm of the kingdom, and “the eyes of all wait upon Thee” appears especially to point to the needs of God’s saints, who fall and are heavy laden. What the universe and the animal creation does unconsciously, God’s people are to do voluntarily. Man is to be the interpreter of nature. He is to prove that there is nothing more blessed in the exercise of our free will than to use it in waiting upon God.
If any army marches out into an enemy’s country, and news is received that it is not advancing, the question is asked, What is the cause of the delay? The answer will very often be: “waiting for supplies.” Without these, it dare not proceed. It is likewise in the Christian life: at every step, we need our supplies from above. And, there is nothing so necessary as to cultivate that spirit of dependence on God, which refuses to go on without the needed supply of grace and strength.
If the question is asked whether this is anything different from what we do when we pray, the answer is that there may be much praying with very little waiting on God. In praying, we are often occupied with our own needs, and with our own efforts. In waiting upon God, the first thought is of the God upon whom we wait. We enter His presence and feel we need just to be quiet, so that He, as God, can overshadow us with Himself. God longs to reveal Himself, to fill us with Himself. Waiting on God gives Him time to come to us in His divine power.
Before you pray, bow quietly before God, remember and realize who He is, how near He is, how certainly He can and will help. When praying, let there be intervals of silence, reverent stillness of soul, in which you yield yourself to God, in case He may have other things He wishes to teach or to work in you. Learn to say of every want and every lack of grace: I have waited too little upon God, or He would have given me in due season all I needed.