Bind Together.

Let’s be honest. waiting.is.hard. Especially when we’ve been waiting for a prolonged period or under uncomfortable circumstances. At a young age, we all learn how painful it can be to wait. Think about an infant crying for a bottle. When they sense the bottle is almost ready, it seems they can’t contain themselves a second longer. Their cries get louder, and their hunger squirms intensify! They know it’s coming, but they just can’t hold it together.

How we wait matters. In a surgical waiting room, many family members are waiting for the same thing, for the surgery to end. As they wait, some are anxious, others are at peace and may be reading a book or listening to music. While those that want to disconnect simply just step off the unit. We see many different postures in the waiting room. The same is true for us in the waiting rooms of life. We can either choose to focus on the object of our wait. Going through scenario after scenario of how we can make it happen. Or we can put our hope in the One that promises to keep us in our waiting.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “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.”

The biblical definition of the wait found here is to hope, look eagerly for, bind together (perhaps by twisting),to gather (together).

This definition really blew my mind! Because we often associate the word wait with a time to sit idle. I know when I’m waiting for something or someone, in the beginning, I’m usually pretty chill. But then, after a while, when I feel like I’ve been waiting too long, my mind shift gears, trying to come up with solutions and master plans. I know I’m not the only one that’s a natural fixer :).

This definition reminded me of the type of work required in waiting. Waiting is not a time to develop backup plans. It does not consist of sitting aimlessly with no purpose and no drive. Waiting is a time to intertwine and bind to the Lord. A time to gather with Him so that when the thing that we are waiting for happens, we are ALREADY connected and planted in Him. And that is what prepares and strengthens us in our waiting!

Feel free to share how you get through seasons of waiting. We want to hear from you!