I love to drive. I hate traffic. I love visiting new places. I hate meandering endlessly
through security or immigration lines at an airport. And I hate standing in lines at places
like the DMV. (Truth be told, I am convinced that those governmental offices might be
precursors to one of Dante’s levels of hell.)
I just hate to wait, and I am sure I am not the only one.
But I recently looked at the Old Testament Hebrew word for “wait.” At its root, that term
means to be intertwined. It conveys the idea of being tied up together, maybe like we
might be in a three-legged race. Those ropes attach two people together for a common
purpose. Hopefully then, those two folks could run the race and maybe win.
Isaiah 40:31 is a familiar passage that speaks to the understanding of Biblical waiting. It
says that “They that wait (your Bible version might render that word as “hope”) upon the
Lord will renew their strength, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be
faint.”
If we can wait, (pause when He pauses, run when He runs, turn when He turns, stop on
His bidding), we can gain strength, not lose it. But all too often we choose to grab
control and try do it all our own way.
Think for a moment about watching a boring movie on TV. When we lose interest, we
grab for the remote and start clicking on the Fast Forward button. We are anxious to get
past the dreary stuff. And all too often, we tend to do life that same way.
When we hit a tiresome patch, we desperately want to move on. No one wants to
endlessly endure a toxic work environment. Nobody enjoys listening to relatives drone
on about life in “the good old days.” No one wants to suffer through painful moments of
life.
But we often forget that we do not control those timelines. And we forget that waiting
with perseverance is a way of acknowledging that we are attached to Him. When we
wait patiently, we are demonstrating that we trust Him not only for the destination of our
lives (heaven) but also for the journey.
So, this week, when we find ourselves in some sort of a “holding pattern,” let’s all
determine to wait on the Lord. Let’s renew our strength rather that dissipate it with
endless fussing.
Let’s take to heart David’s advice: “Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait
for the Lord” (Ps. 27:14).