waiting for the Lord

“Our soul waits for the Lord.” (Psalm 33:20, ESV)

Waiting for the Lord is a key aspect of walking with God.  He is the one who sets the tone, the pace, and the agenda, not us.  Thus, waiting for the Lord teaches us to walk with him and not charge ahead of him. 

Somehow, however, waiting has become synonymous with doing nothing or with nothing happening.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  We don’t wait because nothing is happening; we wait because something is already happening.  God is at work and we are just trying to hold space for him to do what only he can do.

Therefore, waiting is not passive but active.  It requires being fully present and paying careful attention.  It is about trust and openness and yieldedness.  It is about surrendering our will and our ways to him.

Waiting for the Lord is not about disengagement, but about engagement of the highest order.  It is not about disconnection, but deep, intimate connection.  It is not about enduring God’s absence but engaging his presence.   

Waiting is where transformation takes place.  It’s not about trying to transform ourselves, it’s about him forming his very life within us.  Waiting is life in the cocoon, the womb, the tomb, the belly of the whale.  It’s where our life ends and his life within us, among us, and through us begins.