Wait!
Wait!
Waiting. Waiting is always hard. Never fun. Never easy. It costs a lot. It weighs a lot too! It can be stressful, turbulent, anxiety-filled.... did I say heavy? Well, that's not fair to say, 'always' and 'nevers' might be a stretch.... but USUALLY anyway! Most times. Especially if it's waiting for a thing that you want so badly! One of those "I can hardly wait" waits, you know!
I've been waiting on a particular thing from the Lord for a long time now. Something I believe with all of my heart that He's promised...... It's been such a very L-O-N--G time! The Scripture that I've often held onto is Psalm 130:5,6, "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope, My soul waits for the LORD, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." I've said that to God often enough... and often when saying so, I end it with the words from Genesis 18:14, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" ...because I believe in Him... and I believe Him for what I believe Him for... basically because I believe He's told me!
It's a heavy wait! We could call this a double wait... a weighted wait. For the thing that I wait for only God Alone is able to do. No man holds the power. But that's the key... My God IS able... and I simple believe Him for it!
A friend of mine is in the "waiting" process too. I wait on one thing, while she waits on another. She's waiting for the okay to go get her adopted daughter from China. There's so much to get done in the process. She sent me a list of what she's done today. I wrote and told her: "I loved your check list! We have no idea what all goes on behind our "wait"!!!"
Those words sent me on a search for wait's definition. Its definition made me grin a crooked smile with a shake of my head. I loved reading the words to define this word's meaning. The more I read... the harder I laughed! The simplicity of the defining did more for me than anything else. I typed the definition below... loving each description.
Wait -
1) to remain or rest in expectation [Wait a minute! WHO can "rest" in their expectation????]
See synonym at "stay"!
That's what made me laugh so hard!
Being told to "STAY!" So much easier said than done!
2) to remain or be in readiness
3) to remain temporarily neglected, unattended to, or postponed [WOW! To remain (like: where else can you go???)... to remain TEMPORARILY NEGLECTED!!! To remain UNATTENDED TO... or POSTPONED! Ever felt temporarily neglected or unattended to???? or postponed???? I have! Though to be fair in our 'waits' with God, we're never temporarily neglected, it's just that we can't see what all behind the scenes is being done.]
4) to remain or stay in expectation of; wait one's turn!
5) to look forward to confidently (anticipate/count on/depend on/expect)
6) to continue to be in a place (abide/linger/remain/STAY! )
Informally means = stick around!!!!
Idiom - stay put!- I LOVE THAT!
7) to work and care for
Tutor's tip: Another word that sounds like "wait" which means to be in a state of expectation, is "weight" which means heaviness. - Okay... I'm rolling here!
Wait is a command which pauses until execution of a background process has ended!
Hmmm... I think the last sentence holds the biggest impact on me (Though I really like, "Stay!"):
"Wait is a command which pauses until execution of a background process has ended."
It's like what I first told my friend before looking up wait's definition, "We have no idea what all goes on behind our wait." Whoa! I'm happier waiting nowjust knowing that the background process is executing until it's done while I am "stayed" until my wait doesn't have to wait any longer because its process has ended.
:)
What does God said about wait?
He says in Isaiah 40:31, "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles..."
There's just something about it that God meant intentionally to do in our 'wait'.... it's to build strength in Him as if lifting weights, growing our faith stronger in Him! :)
Hope and Wait all in the same day??? Do you think maybe God is trying to tell me something?? God gives a desire...and then a promise...and then the wait. "To rest in expectation"...oh if it were as easy to do as it is to type! I am completely at peace with whatever our outcome is...and praying to grow in the "wait". I am so thankful that God can use the internet to draw His children together, that they might bring each other comfort and encouragement. One day...one day we will have such a celebration!!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, friend, that was fast!
ReplyDeleteDon't you think it interesting that in Isaiah 40:31 ["But they that wait upon the LORD...] that in some versions the "wait" word is translated instead as "hope" ["but those who hope in the LORD..."].
Hmmm.... there it shows you how closely united hope and wait really are. For if we weren't hoping for a thing, we definitely wouldn't be hanging around in the wait for it.
The meaning for it's Hebrew word means: "to wait, to look for, to hope, to expect".... I love the visual! I can just picture me with my binoculars anxiously anticipating and watching for the wonder! :)
Amen though, to all that you said!
Love how you said, "something about it that God meant intentially to do in our 'wait'."
ReplyDeleteBeautiful thought.
Blessings,
michelle :)
Our 'waits' with God are never in vain... but they can really seem like a very long time. I love that He's working regardless of what we're privy to see Him doing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michelle, for your comment.