Ceuti67's Blog

Psalm 130 – “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
I remember being at a church service once where the Pastor said, “Never pray for patience; you will not like how God teaches you.” Most of us are not very good at or look forward to the experience of waiting, whether it’s for food to be served, a traffic light to change, or test results to arrive. In the world we find ourselves in today (it is 2021 after all!), waiting is usually an irritating inconvenience.

When the psalmist writes that his “whole being waits,” perhaps you like me can relate to that feeling. His heart and soul long for a sign from God, a flicker of light while hanging out in the depths of darkness. He wanders back and forth between calling out to God and reminding himself of the goodness and faithfulness of God.

As a child, I eagerly anticipated exciting dates on the calendar.  Things like my birthday, summer holidays, or Christmas.  As a teen, I counted down to graduation and couldn’t stand waiting for my teacher to hand back my tests.  Now as an adult, the wait and anticipating of my wedding day, the longing and waiting for the birth of our precious children, were tests in patience that produced joyful results.  There have also been tests of patience that have been accompanied by suffering and loss, times I remember with pain and sadness.  I remember these most acutely when I think of loved ones that have passed away – specifically my grandmother and my father.  For you there may be similar life moments that you can recall, and for others you may think of different moments – different seasons of life that have required patience of you, even as you longed and maybe even believed your life depended on this one moment or answer.

If we are honest with ourselves, doesn’t fear and a loss of confidence sometimes creep into our waiting when there’s a possibility of bad or unwanted news—and that can make the situation feel unbearable to us.  Like the Psalmist, we must keep our eyes fixed on God, the source of hope for this life and forever.  Our fear and crumbling confidence as we struggle to patiently wait on HIM has a knack of erasing our memories and instead replacing HIS promises with our frailty and fears.  When we need HIM in the moment, we so often forget that there is no outcome that God will not help us through (1 Corinthians 10:14).
The truth is I am the prodigal son, as I ahamedly must admit to abandoning the perfection of communion with my heavenly Father to worry over and seek the reassurance and approval of the world all while my heavenly Father continues with his patient and loving heart toward me…..waiting to run out to meet me and welcome me home.  I believe their is strength and forgiveness in confessing daily our failings and in earnestly remembering how HE has been faithful to us – even as we ask for the Holy Spirit to fill us daily with a measure of those disciplines where we lack.

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” — Isaiah 40:31