They shall mount up with wings like eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40: 31
I was thinking about the “waiting for the Lord ” part. What does it mean? Sometimes scripture talks about waiting “on” the Lord too. I would have to do some digging around in Hebrew to see if there is any real difference in meaning. But until that gets done (or not), here’s what I think about waiting for/on the Lord.
Sometimes waiting for the Lord means not running ahead of God. I might get an idea and immediately want to run with it. Wait! Did I talk to God about it first to find out if this is just my idea or something that God has put on my heart? This is hard. It requires taking time to pause and, yes, pray first.
Sometimes waiting for the Lord means I feel like I’m standing still (figuratively) and am waiting for God’s help, waiting for the next step. Will healing happen? Will I ever get a job? How long does this grieving go on? When will I see clearly what to do next? This is hard; it requires faithfulness, perseverance and trust when I don’t see anything happening.
Sometimes waiting on the Lord means being attentively ready, focusing on what God might want next. Perhaps I’ve been watching too many Masterpiece Theatre’s butlers and maids whose whole focus is serving the master/mistress. My focus should be God and what God is doing. That happens most clearly when I read scripture or am in worship that is God-centered. The butler/maid waiting analogy eventually breaks down since God-focus is not just a job…it’s love.
I don’t think the Bible talks about waiting with God…not exactly. But I remember the story of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane asking the disciples to stay awake with him. He invites prayerful watchfulness and waiting. I think I wait with God every time I ask for world peace, every time I long for something that God is longing for. Waiting with God means being a companion with God, sharing the same hope, the same prayer.
Isaiah’s promise is this: when we wait for the Lord, our strength is renewed. How could it not be? If we do much waiting for the Lord, we’ll end up discovering that the Lord is always hanging around, and has been waiting on, waiting for and waiting with us first–before we even were aware of it. Realizing that can keep giving me energy for a long time.
Joseph says
You sure got that right. Wait, listen. Missed that word of wisdom before, for sure. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t made that mistake. Cool
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jnkuebler says
I just got caught up with reading your new “prayer journal” posts; thank you! I have read some of “Unbinding” and am intrigued, but have not yet taken the plunge. I’ll be praying for you all on this prayer journey.
Elaine Dent says
Snow days are great days to get caught up 🙂 Thanks for your prayer for this group. There are good conversations and a new focus on prayerful listening….and new ideas beginning to bubble up.