The Waiting Game

There’s a song I used to love singing that ended with the words, “Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait.” Its beginning comes from Isaiah 40: 30 – 31: “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.” 

I loved the thought of having the stamina of an eagle. Such majestic and powerful birds. I didn’t like, however, the word wait.

 

Who likes to wait? Men wait for their women… at least they say they do, I have a differing perspective on that. Parents wait for their children, and children complain they’re always waiting on the grownups. Waiting for promises to be fulfilled can tax anyone’s patience. I remember as a little girl pacing the driveway while my parents took their sweet time completing preparations so we could leave on our great family vacation. Ugh. What a chore, this waiting game.

But then, a dear friend of mine—who is no longer waiting to see Jesus face to face—shared with me something unique about the word ‘wait’ when connected with Isaiah. He told me a story of a tree in the forest.

This tree grew next to another, a different species. A little boy and an older man walked by this tree and noted their differences. One would be strong, the other weak and hidden in the shadow of the stronger one. Years passed and the same two passed these trees again. Oddly, their trunks had begun to meld together, becoming one tree. The older man said to the younger, “This is what it means to wait upon the Lord. To allow ourselves to become intertwined, hidden in the strength of the larger, stronger, sheltering tree.” (paraphrased)

I think about this often. Wish I had a picture to remind me. To wait upon the Lord is to become hidden in Him. Take on His strength. Glory in His power. Rest in His peace. Know that He is God . . . and be still, don’t fret, don’t run off and try to fix things on my own. 

As a young adult, spiritual mentors shared this Scripture with me, saying they believed God wanted me to know, His strength is mine as I go through life. They encouraged me to get a firm hold on it and never stray from it. Bind it about my neck, and allow God to write it on the tablet of my heart.

Years have passed and the light of this passage has grown dim. Not because it’s powerless, but because the cares of life have obscured its truth. Yet, here I am, asking Him once again, “Teach me Lord… to wait. . .  ‘Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name,’” (Psalm 86: 11 NKJV).

He has instructed me to wait. Wait I will.

Come Rain or Shine, Keep Dancin'

K. A. Jacobsen
Writer
southpawscribbler@gmail.com