Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Waiting and Hoping

“I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in His word. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning.” (Psalm 130 5-6 CSB)

Most people find waiting to be no fun at all. Who likes to wait in line to check out? Who likes to wait for a car to be repaired? Who likes to wait for the busy signal to stop when you’re trying to call someone? Who likes to wait for healing to take place? Answer: Noboby. At least, no one in their right mind really likes having to wait. We generally prefer to get our gratification sooner rather than later.

And yet, waiting is such a normal part of life. In fact, life is rather filled with waiting. And one of life’s greatest values is intertwined with waiting, the value we call “hope.”

The psalmist evidently had had some turns handling the night watch. A watchman is one who stands guard, watching for any approaching danger, while others are trying to get some sleep. The watchman would like to sleep, too, but he knows that the lives of his family, friends, and neighbors may well depend on his vigilance.

When the night watchman’s eyes grow accustomed to the dark, he can see quite a bit, but even so there are shadows and dark movements all over the place. It is not easy to distinguish the movement of an enemy from the shadows made by a tree blown by the wind. Tired, sleepy, and lonely, the watchman waits for one thing – the morning light. The light brings safety, the ability to distinguish, and – for the watchman – some rest and relief. He has no doubt that the morning will come. He just wishes it would hurry up and come, but in the meantime he waits.

The biblical idea of hope is not the usual idea that many people have. Many think of hope as wishing for something, but it has nothing to do with wishful thinking. In the Bible, hope is looking toward a future event that is certain. It is out there because God said it is. As a watchman knows the sun will rise, those who hope – in the biblical sense – know that the promises of God are already out there in the future, and our simple task is to wait for their fulfillment.

So, we hope in God’s word, that is, in the promises He has made, and for now we wait for their fulfillment.

Lord, We find it difficult sometimes to wait, but we know that this is a normal part of what it means to have hope. Our hope is in You and in Your word. Amen.

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