waiting

Opening Prayer: Forgive us in our waiting, O Lord, when we get frustrated or impatient and try to speed up the process.  Waiting takes time to accomplish its full work in us.  Help us, therefore, to open our hands and our hearts and simply wait for you in patience.  Amen.

Scripture: Psalm 130:5-6

Journal: Where does God have you waiting these days?  How are you reacting to that?  What do you still need to let go of in order to truly wait for the Lord?

Reflection: I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. (Psalm 130:5-6, NIV)
     It is a strange tension, this waiting for the Lord.  After all, waiting—in general—tends to fill us with uncertainty and anxiety.  When we are faced with the unknown, we typically respond by grasping for that which is old and familiar.  We reach out for order and control in whatever ways are at our disposal.  Which is counter-productive to the waiting process.  The whole point of waiting for the Lord, it seems, is to get us to finally let go of control, rather than grasping for it.  It requires us to open our hands and our hearts to whatever God might be up to—whatever he might want to give and wherever he might want to lead.  And that requires trust.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: O Lord, help us to open our hearts and empty our hands, that we might wait for you fully and freely.  Amen.