Waiting Is Action
Waiting patiently in the moment, knowing that waiting itself is an intentional and powerful action.
Photo by christopher lemercier on Unsplash
Psalm 40: 1-3
A Song Of David
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
As odd as it seems, waiting is an action. Waiting is something we do. We choose to wait; our choice is our action.
When times are good and we expect more good things to come, we eagerly wait for the future to unfold.
Sometimes we wait in dread of what we know is coming or in fear of what may happen. When we expect the worst, we wait for the proverbial “other shoe to drop.”
For David, within the context of Psalm 40, the “other shoe” has dropped. David’s circumstances have gone from bad to worse. Instead of frantically pressing ahead to get out of this mess, David waits . . . and David remembers the outcomes of his past waiting:
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
At the beginning of his song, David remembers waiting on God in the past as he waits on God in the present. Waiting for the Lord is a spiritual rhythm in David’s life. David learned through experience that when he faced difficult situations with no way out that waiting on the Lord was his best course of action!
Waiting and Your Life
Remember the eager waits, such as . . .
The anticipation of seeing a loved one or a dear friend after a long separation.
The longing for your wedding day.
A long-planned adventure.
Remember the difficult waits, such as . . .
The days of uncertainty and waiting for medical test results after a preliminary diagnosis.
Days, weeks, months, even years spent giving end-of-life care to a loved one.
Enduring a time of personal suffering: physical, emotional, financial, or relational.
How did these waiting times shape the person you are today?
What are you waiting for now? How does David’s waiting song bring hope and encouragement to you in your waiting?
What would you like to say to God about your waiting experiences and outcomes in the past and in the present?
What are your thoughts? Let’s share in the comments our experiences of waiting as action.