WAITING FOR GOD: A Contemplation

The extended summer this year has been nice in many ways.  One of the things I’ve enjoyed is the lack of wind and the mild morning temperatures which mean longer walk times for me.  I get out to the rail trail as early as I can, and lately that means it’s before dawn.  I use this time to pray, and this particular morning I caught myself going over my to-do list in my head rather than talking to the Father.  It’s so easy to get bogged down in problems and turn my focus away from God.  There are lots of trying situations and uncertainties in my life right now, especially at work.  I gave each one to the Lord as it came to mind, and asked Him to show me what to do next.

During this walk, I kept turning around to check on the progress of the sunrise.  The sky was giving signals that the moment was getting closer, as the orangey-pink hues faded and the light blue of the sky became brighter.  I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to actually watch the sun coming over the horizon if I continued along the rail trail and into an area with embankments on either side.  I chose to walk and pray, and hope I made it to the other end in time.

As each problem surfaced in my mind, I lifted it up to God and sometimes felt despair over situations that seem like they never change.  I wondered, ‘how long, Lord?’ as I recalled how many times I’ve prayed the same prayers.   “Why, Lord, does it seem that all You say is ‘wait’?” I got past the embankment and realized the sun was on the other side of a small hill ob the farm I was passing.  Knowing it could be any moment, I looked more often for that peek of yellow as it crested the horizon.  And I continued to pray about one particularly challenging situation.

As I walked, I realized the birds had suddenly come alive, and all the noise of nature signaled that dawn had arrived.  Cows bellowed in the distance, and I could hear a donkey braying.  This morning, it seemed like every living thing around me had been waiting for the dawn. As I looked to the east, I was at the perfect spot to view the dump pile of the farmer, rising higher than my view of the sun.  Yes, I was focusing on the problem again, and it was blocking my view of God, just like this mound of garbage.  I hurried ahead and climbed up on a tree stump and then I could see – and I watched the large yellow glow rise into the waiting morning.

I was reminded of the words of Psalm 130, and realized how closely this paralleled my experience today.  “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice” (v1)  The Psalmist’s cry, and mine, is for God to listen and hear my prayer.  Not just listen and hear, but to act.  “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope”. (v5)  I know and trust the Lord.  If He has not done anything that I can see, I will wait because I trust Him.  “I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning” (v6).  The New Living Translation says, “more than sentries wait for the dawn”.  This was God’s response to my prayer:  I am to wait for Him and put my hope in Him, in the same way I was watching and waiting for the sun to rise.    Waiting isn’t just biding my time, idle, filling the hours with time-wasters.  No, waiting is eager, expectant, watching and hopeful.  The sun WILL rise, every morning, no matter what else is happening. Despite storms or dark clouds,  or whether I’m watching or not,  the sun is going to come up.  And I can trust God in the same way.

As I I got down from the stump, I turned to look in the other direction.  The meadow below was shrouded in its early morning mist.  Just like my future, I realized I couldn’t see ahead and plan for what is coming.  But like the sunrise this morning, God’s light would shine here too and wipe the foggy mist away until everything was clear.  In his time. I know He’s whispering ‘wait’.

I also reflected on what it means to ‘put my hope in His Word’.  Too often, I think we can start making up Plan B even while we’re praying, because we don’t really believe anything will change.  That’s not trusting God. I get focusing on my ‘dump pile’ of troubles and trying to find my own solutions. Matt 13:58 says “He [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith”. I don’t want that to ever be said of me.  I asked God to forgive and help me overcome my unbelief, for those times when I pray for change but then plan for my life as if nothing ever changes.  I trust that for you, too, you will find hope in God’s word and His promises.  Just like the sun rises every day, without fail, so our Lord hears and will answer with whatever is the best for us, in His perfect time.

timetime.