WAITING!


Waiting is a fact of life. We wait...

  • in emergency rooms, 
  • in birthing suites for a precious bundle to make a grand entrance, 
  • in doctors offices,
  • lines in stores or boarding a plane, 
  • a job to open, a raise or promotion to be offered, and ... YES, traffic, too.



 Webster defines wait this way- to remain inactive expecting something. 

 Waiting is not always the easiest to do.  At least for me it isn’t. It requires patience. It means I have to stop my busyness. However, on the positive side it requires me to be EXPECTANT! A surprise comes at the end of the wait. 

 So, THEN, how do I handle the ‘patience in the expectant’? When I am in traffic jams obviously I can take a picture. It’s a great time to check emails and text messages. This kind of waiting is not so difficult because I know fairly soon there’s an end in sight. I’m still moving- slower than I would like, but there’s movement. 

 What happens when it seems there is no movement. JUST WAITING?! Then what? The group Shane & Shane sing a beautiful rendition of Psalm 130 about waiting- I will wait for You, I will wait for You, On Your word, I will rely, I will wait for You, Surely wait for You, Till my soul is satisfied. The “You”is Jehovah, God. And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.   -Psalms‬ ‭39:7‬ ‭

 I might question God (yes that is ok) AND listen for His response. That is what we learn from David, the one who wrote many of the Psalms. In these Psalms look what David tells us- be strong, take courage, God is our help and shield, be still (that’s the listening time), wait in patience, don’t worry or fret (that’s a tall order some days in the waiting), and wait in silence with HOPE! God is going to act when we least expect it because that way He gets the glory because it is His miracle. 

 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!  -Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭

 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.  -Psalms‬ ‭31:24‬ 

 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.  -Psalms‬ ‭33:20‬ ‭
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Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.  -Psalms‬ ‭37:7‬ ‭‬‬

For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.  -Psalms‬ ‭62:5‬ ‭
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‬‬But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.   -Romans‬ ‭8:25‬ ‭‬‬

 How do you wait? 

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