Isn't this a great verse! When you read something like this though, do you ever want to know where it is quoted from? Yes, I quoted it from 1 Corinthians but Paul (the writer of 1 Corinthians) quoted it from the Old Testament. If you have a concordance in your Bible, it will probably tell you where it comes from. The verse that Paul is quoting above was taken from Isaiah 64:4.
Here's what Isaiah 64:4 says: For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, Neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.
Obviously the two verses are based on the same concept but there's a difference: The one in the New Testament talks about God acting on behalf of those who love Him. The one in the OT talks about God acting on behalf of those who wait for Him.
It's not a contradiction. It's an illumination. Those who love God will choose to wait for Him. If we aren't good at waiting on God, then our love for Him is lacking.
Do you agree? Let's look at another kind of situation that involves love and waiting. A young man and woman get engaged. The man is in the Army. He is sent to war. The young woman has no idea how long he will be gone but she says she will wait for him. If she waits for him it is an indication she really loves him. If she grows impatient and marries someone else while the man is away, she didn't love him (or she didn't love him enough to wait).
Do we love God enough to wait for Him? To wait for His incredible miraculous will? To wait for His impossibly good and lovely and joyful provision?
If you wait on God you might get a bit frustrated at times but you won't be disappointed. I guarantee it!