The Tension in Waiting and the Strength of It

 

Wait is not something that comes naturally to many of us.  

We may have moments of patience, of waiting but when it touches a spot that really matters to us; we usually want it now or to at least know of its timeline.  

We order a pair of shoes and we check its status. 

The deck furniture that's taking longer than you expected; so you make you  call to check its status. 

A child who is expecting a grandparent to come, waits and peers out the window; looking expectantly. 

We wait and think it's a trial.

But what if the wait is the place of strength?

What if this place is the place where one's soul finds a peace and strength that exceeds our understanding?

Wait in the Hebrew means to bind together, to collect, to expect, gather, look.

When Jesus tells us to be still, to yoke with Him and receive His rest; we join Him. 

In Isaiah 40:31 when it tells us to wait upon the Lord and our strength renews, is a place that intrigues me.

I'm sensing an upside-down way. I'm curious about this way and wonder at its possibilities...

When I bind myself to Jesus and look with expecting wonder, I discover hope.

When I look for Him, bind myself to Him; I have access to His strength.  

As the water and tea leaves join, the water begins infused with the strength of the tea leaves. In the same way as I stay with Jesus, His strength infuses my heart and mind and I can rise. I can soar. Because of He who never tires or sleeps.

The wait is not to be feared, but it's an invitation to something greater than ourselves. It's an invitation to know Jesus, deeply and personally.

The wait is the space for curiosity and wonder what God is up to.

The wait is the 'peering ou the window', to look for the ways of God.

To wait is to receive God and to know His unbounded strength and love. 

Today, in the midst of your prayer is an opportunity to trust the One you have given your heart's desire to. It's the space where you wait with expecting and wonder because of the One you joined forces with. And when it goes differently than your human mind thought would be good, that's when you gather evidence of His goodness and believe His heart is still good towards you.  Because sometimes it's more about knowing God than it is about receiving exactly what you asked for.