Waiting

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130:5

I've been thinking about waiting today. We probably spend a fair amount of our life waiting for things - a doctor appointment, a traffic light, for a meal to cook, the mailman to come, a holiday, etc. I'm sure you can come up with your own list of things that cause you to wait. Some of us do better with waiting than others do.

Psalms 37:3a encourages, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." There are times that we pray, beseeching the Lord for guidance and He answers quickly. Other times it may take a while, before we sense His leading in our life.

Patience isn't always something that comes easy to me. If you asked my husband, he would readily agree that he is more patient than I am, in most situations. But I love what it says in Isaiah 40:31, "But they who wait for 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." (ESV)

This is such a vivid picture in my mind - giving my concerns to the Lord - waiting and trusting Him to provide the answers. As I wait, He gives me strength. Then when the answer comes and I know it is from Him, I find myself soaring like the eagles. Where I once was weary with the unknown, I now am strengthened and encouraged.

I feel this is the vision that God desires for us to have. We bring our burdens and concerns and lay them at His feet. He knows when the timing is right to answer us. Until then, we trust in Him. He knows what is best for us, because He can see our future.

For over a month I have been praying for a specific answer from the Lord. He had shown me towards the end of January of the need to pursue the area that He has gifted me. I heard His calling and answered. I then was awaiting further, specific instructions. Up until yesterday, I had no answer, but continued to trust God that He would answer when the time was right.

Then my friend and I spent a leisurely day sight seeing and walking along the beach. We also climbed a lighthouse. When we arrived at the top, I realized how afraid of heights I really am. My friend bravely walked around the outer walkway at the the top. I clung to the wall and crept along it. I was glad when we started the descent to the bottom.

But in those few moments at the top, when I put my eyes on the horizon instead of thinking of plummeting to the earth below, something happened. In those minutes, God answered my prayers from this past month. He gave me the direction I desired.

Even though I was scared of the height, I also felt myself soaring like on the wings of an eagle. I sensed a new freedom. It had been a very long time since I had direction in this area. I was reminded of the passion that God gave me in my youth. He has stirred it again.