There on the cold, April bleachers I watched the bustle of activity.
Middle school milers and elementary hurdlers ~ stretching to warm and ready their lean legs for the event.
Rakes combing well-groomed stripes in the sand.
A rectangular pit. Ticket counters clicking. The unfolding of green, as it moves from one side of the table to the other. Dark, wet ink seeping in to make its mark. Stamped on the back of a hand.
Approval to enter.
How grateful we are that the gates of Heaven are not like this.
There is no ticket to purchase.
The price has been paid for us on the Cross.
No patterns impressed into our skin.
The scars that He bore are the classification of our acceptance.
…
But the waiting….
That we have to endure. Or so our finite minds cling to this limited understanding.
What does waiting on the Lord truly look like?
At first glance, we imagine waiting as strictly the passage of time.
To “remain in readiness for some purpose”. A desire for something or someone who has not yet come to pass. A delay in the action. An emptiness.
Other words that might capture our sentiments on the subject of waiting:
Dependent.
Fearful.
Frustrated.
Vulnerable.
Wanting.
…
The aching struggle encountered when pending a job change. A new opportunity. Waiting to be freed from the oppression of a demanding employer. Or, from the emotional burdens of unemployment. Longing to provide for family.
Perhaps waiting looks like something else in your home. You watch in anguish, the progressing illness of a loved one. Or maybe it is you. Waiting for answers. Waiting for healing as fear and anxiety compromise your hope.
What about the teenager who finds little to no love and encouragement in his world. Consumed by the fires of anger in the home. Lost in the bewilderment of what this life was supposed to look like. Waiting to see a glimmer of compassion in the eyes of someone who cares. Desperately alone.
Another might be that friend who finds themselves single in this couple-filled world. Waiting for a companion. Someone to be there to listen when the days fall apart. Arms to be held in when they have no more strength to endure the rigors of responsibility.
Possibly the woman who is reminded of the loss of her child. Miscarried. She dreams of feeling her little one in her arms. Her precious bundle of warmth and love, never to be held here on earth. Waiting. Yearning to one day see her child’s beautiful face.
…
Waiting can take many shapes. Many forms.
Often painful.
But what if we look deeper…might we find another side to the struggles in this life?
This thing called “waiting”.
On one hand….there is quiet.
Stillness.
Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
A familiar verse.
We are told by God Himself, to be still. More than a physical cessation, we find the word “still” to hold the essence of quietude.
Of peace. Restfulness. Tranquility.
So even in this stillness, we are called to serenity. Not to idle wanting.
His Word tells us that He is God.
This alone, means that He holds the next steps of our journey in His great hands. Trusting. Trusting in His Principles.
His Promises.
His Purpose.
His Power.
Knowing that His Glory will forever be triumphant.
No matter the outcome of our waiting.
…
Often times in the stillness of waiting there is worldly stress. We are overcome by fatigue and weakness ensues. It is in this place, that the enemy slithers and hides. Residing in dark crevices of uncertainty, seeking opportunity to prey on our thoughts.
But in our doubt and questioning, God offers an additional perspective to waiting.
An alternative.
A place of hope and encouragement, and one that is often overlooked.
The action in waiting.
The doing ~ the participatory portion of waiting with God.
Rather than simply waiting on Him.
Psalm 52:8-9
But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.For what You have done I will always praise You
in the presence of Your faithful people.
And I will hope in Your name,
for your name is good.
“Flourishing in the house of God.”
Flourishing. A verb. An action word. Suddenly when there is movement, we tend to find a sense of purpose.
Waiting becomes a confident expectation. Expectation in who God is and what He is doing in our lives.
“For what you have done, I will praise you.”
“I will hope in your name.”
Praising. Hoping. Additional actions. Something productive for us to be engaged in as we wait. We participate. We don’t have to sit by indolent.
We can actually begin to see a benefit in this time.
Psalm 37:34
Hope in the Lord
and keep His way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
In His Word we discover the favorable aspects of waiting.
In our action, we seek God.
Rather than focusing on what we are waiting for, what we don’t have…
We focus on the Cross.
This simple act of changing focus makes all the difference in our perspective.
Time is no longer spent finding things to fill up our empty wanting. Instead, it is spent seeking a closer relationship with Christ. Studying The Word. The action of waiting with God calls us to prayer.
Prayer for discernment.
How can we be moving in Him to reach the people we are with right now? Before the time of waiting is over.
Meditating on who God is.
Asking what He desires of our hearts. The direction of our intention. We can take action to examine our attitudes and motives in this space of pending outcomes.
Anticipating His goodness and worshiping while we wait.
Stepping outside ourselves.
Outside the outcome.
And into praise.
Who you become while you wait
is as important
as what you’re waiting for.
~ John Orlberg
In Christ, we are called to a new identity in waiting.
He is shaping our souls in the process.
After all, He is the Almighty Weaver. Like a rope, twisting together the strands of positive and negative. In the blending of the good and the less than desirable elements of waiting, we become stronger in the trials.
We are given the gift of great strength in Him.
In courage to persevere. And endurance to finish. To finish this life in the true contentment of His loving embrace.
God calls us in waiting.
He calls us closer to Him.
To Joy.
To Hope.
To anticipate great things in His Mercy.
Psalm 62:5-6
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from Him.
Truly He is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Waiting on the Lord means casting our weighted burdens of life at the foot of the Cross.
The Cross where His only Son died for our freedom from sin. To win our Peace in Him. Resting in God’s timing rather than on our own, we find amazing blessings. Blessings of growth.
Of stillness.
Of wisdom.
We can even delight in the waiting.
For He was.
He Is.
And ever shall Be.
My Sweet Louise 
Please share your thoughts.