Hi family! How are you all doing? How is life in your time zone, country, city, community or wherever you are reading this from? I didn’t write last week so I missed celebrating the amazing fathers out there. Happy Father’s Day to the silent superheroes, whose praises are not sung as often as us mothers. We see you; we acknowledge and appreciate the amazing wonders that you are. Thank you for being there, thank you for providing stable environments, thank you for being exceptional care givers, support systems, life partners, fixer-uppers, DIY kings, encouragers, and so much more. To my own exceptional fathers: my husband, brother, father-in-law, and papa; thank you for all you are. I love you and I’m so thankful that I have you in my life.
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been juggling a few balls, and that’s affected how often I write to you. To enable me dedicate time to other pressing assignments, I’ve decided that new blog posts will come through biweekly for now. I’m sharing this to keep myself accountable and ensure I faithfully deliver on my commitment to God and you without ghosting from time to time. Please stay tuned and expect your bi-weekly dose of goodness. Thank you for your understanding.
Alright then, let’s get talking.
Earlier this week, I woke up one morning and I heard, ‘WAIT’ in my heart. There was no audible voice, but it felt loud and tangible to me. I was getting my toddler ready for school at the time, so I just kept on and made a mental note to get back to it. After sending him off, I sat down with my notepad to try and clearly discern what God was saying. The result is what I would be sharing in the next couple of paragraphs.
Before I go any further, I’m asking that you please listen to this song by Maverick Music & Elevation Worship – https://youtu.be/K3TYG7Q_fj4 . It’s 13 minutes short and such a blessing. I guarantee you that as you listen over and over, you’ll come to a new understanding of the word, ‘wait’. The song is drawn from Isaiah 40: 31 which also doubles as the anchor for this post.
The word ‘wait’ has been perceived to mean delay. Though not wrong, I’ve learnt in my walk with God that there’s always more to any word, because He is intentional with His vocabulary. With that understanding, I went searching for more meanings of the word and here are my findings.
To wait means ‘to expect, abide, stand by, wait on, hope, and trust’. If you add the meaning of the original word, it also means to keep watch. It means so much more than delayed action which is the predominant perception of this word. Look at those definitions again, and you’ll see that they are all verbs. Wait also means to be available in readiness, to look forward eagerly and to remain inactive in a state of repose until something happens.
So, what can we glean from the song, the Bible, and these definitions?
- Waiting is not merely a period of inactivity, but a state of pause just before an activity commences. It is part of God’s process of equipping and maturing us.
- God expects us to wait in readiness, fully dressed as soldiers in our kits, with our hearts right, praise on our lips and in constant fellowship with Him in prayer.
- Waiting is not unfair delay or denial; rather it is a season of preparation, refining, strengthening, learning, feasting on the Word, and impartation. (Isaiah 40:29,31). Look at that! This means you should cherish your waiting season; instead of lamenting, sulking and pouting like a deprived child. Even the Apostles who were with Jesus, had to wait. (Acts 1:4)
- Waiting is a response of absolute trust, a proof of your faith, and a prequel to receiving the promise. It must go hand in hand with patience (Hebrews 6:12).
Now, what happens when you wait?
Let’s go back to the anchor scripture in Isaiah 40:31; ‘But those who wait for Yahweh’s grace will experience divine strength. They will rise up on soaring wings and fly like eagles, run their race without growing weary, and walk-through life without giving up’. (TPT)
- You experience divine strength
- You rise up on soaring wings and fly like eagles
- You run your race without growing weary
- And you walk through life without giving up
Gosh! God is the best writer ever, and his use of literary devices are epic. You see, comparing your flight to the eagle couldn’t be more precise because eagles have one of the longest lifespans for birds in the wild, and can live up to 70 years. Look at these – ‘fly, run, and walk’ – each of these words represent the different paces of movement you need to have for different seasons of your life. What an intentional Father. Friend, God isn’t in your short-term profit, He’s in it with you for the long haul. Don’t ever doubt that!
Are you feeling like the waves of life are gushing over you? Like everything is happening to you at the same time. Are you struggling to get by? Tired of trying and failing? Then, WAIT! I know it may sound ludicrous, but its His prescription and not mine. Look at Matthew 11:28-30 MSG:
‘Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.’
His prescription to deal with overwhelm, burn out, exhaustion, frustration, and so on – is to WAIT. The first step to doing this is to pray. Tell Him exactly how you feel, ask Him for grace, stay in His presence, speak to your heart, speak to your ambition, resist popular culture, and wait! I guarantee you that He’ll thoroughly refresh your soul; I’m proof of this!
Never forget,
