WAIT

Wait.

“My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved. 

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

And my refuge is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.” 

(Psalm 62:5-7)

Wait (dumiyah) - Still, silent, trusting.

There is a time to wait silently for God alone. In our most difficult times, internally, we ache. We may scream; we cry. The pain can be unbearable. It is here that I have learned to wait this way. To be still and silent. To know that God is my defense. To know that He is my refuge. To know that I can trust Him. 

Do not misunderstand me. I do the screaming. I feel the aching. But I also feel the helplessness of myself. Yes, I want to be understood in my pain but I have learned that I do not want to live there. In my younger days, it was harder. Letting go of pain felt like I was minimizing it, devaluing it. Holding on to it felt like I was legitimizing it, justifying it. But the truth is that it was only suffocating me, stealing my life- and mine alone. 

One day in a moment of real heartbreak, I poured out my heart. I saw Jesus. He was across the room from me. I yelled at Him. “I know You are over there, waiting for me to have faith and to get better so I can come to You. But I just can’t do that right now.” In a moment, He was at my side. “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m sad about this too.” And then He sat down with me, put His arm around me, and we cried together. 

Jesus isn’t waiting for us to be better to come to Him. He is waiting for us to wait for Him. Be still and know that He is God. He is your hope. He is your rock and you will not be shaken when you depend ultimately on God alone. Yell and scream and cry. Pour out your heart to Him. Then wait. Be still and trust that He is with you, collecting every tear in a bottle.

In a free will world there is pain. Oh Humans, do we not love our freedom to choose? Then we must not blame God for mankind’s corruption of it. We should instead know that He too weeps over it. Let us celebrate that He gave His only Son to pay for it! And wait on the promise that He can always work good from it all. 

Wait.

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31).

Wait- (qavah)  to twist, stretch, with a tension of enduring; braid or entangle.

Eagles wait. Eagles find updrafts, hot jets of air that rise up from the earth. Without an ounce of energy spent, they spread their wings in faith and are entangled in energy. They are carried high above the earth as they circle, weaving in and around their currents. Their perspective high, their strength renewed, they can see what is below and powerfully plan their attack. Whatever they have to do, they are set up for success. Through no strength of their own, they are positioned for greatness.  

Faithful God has designed updrafts to be found everywhere, every day. An eagle is never without the provision of currents to ride on. In the same way, God’s presence is always available to you. You can wait on Him, seek His updrafts, allow your spirit to entangle with His Spirit. He wants to strengthen you. He wants to position you. He waits for you to wait for Him. 

It needs be intentional, and therein lies the only hindrance for humans. Eagles don’t think about it. Their God-given instincts never allow them the choice of intermittent flapping of wings instead. They simply spread their wings and soar.

What if you went past the humanity that weighs you down and decided to go looking for God? What if, in faith each day you went looking for HIs Spirit updrafts? Look for His goodness. Look for His faithfulness. You’ll find it. Spread out your arms in praise and thanks. Your soul will begin to feel the lift of grace. Stay entangled in worship. Keep circling, your eyes on Jesus. Ride up into the Heavens on Spirit wings to get your perspective and your strength.

Wait.