“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:25, NKJV).
It’s been two weeks now that I’ve meditated on the word VIGILANT—another word prompt writing assignment. We get a new word on Monday and are supposed to meditate on it some and then write and post before the week is gone.
I wrote a page and a half, but it was more about vigilantism than being vigilant. I didn’t delete the short manuscript. I’ll save it for another day. Surely, my time was not wasted, but I chased a rabbit and couldn’t seem to bring it home. Some writers would say that I wrote myself into a corner. But I’ve been vigilant about the assignment in other ways. The word came to mind as I read my Bible, prayed and went about doing everyday chores.
So now week two is almost gone, and the word WAIT was assigned on Monday. I haven’t been so vigilant. Tasks have distracted me. I asked myself on Wednesday and again on Thursday, “What was the word this week.”
“Oh yeah,” I answered myself. “Wait.”
A question begs me. “Do I finish last week’s manuscript, or forget about it and work on this week’s word?”
How about a meditation that combines the two words?
Be vigilant about waiting.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for him …” Lamentations 3:25 tells me that waiting is worth it.
I’m the mom of a prodigal, and I’m waiting for her to come home. But waiting is hard when you want to do something. I feel the need to search for her. To find her, and to make a way for us to reconcile and reunite. Waiting is hard. It’s been nearly ten years and only recently have I been able to write and share publicly about being mom to a prodigal.
Some Bible translations use the word hope instead of wait. I like that word better, but it still boils down to waiting. Other translations equate faith with waiting. Faith is a great word … a favorite word … maybe a more spiritual word, but it’s still waiting.
“… To the soul who seeks Him.”
The last part of the verse clarifies what waiting ought to look like. Waiting is NOT sitting around being idle. Waiting is not passive acceptance or settling. It’s work!
It’s also trusting that God desires a right outcome and that He is doing the heavy lifting.
I remember the day she was born almost like it was yesterday. The pains started right before the alarm clock would have gone off. It was her due date. Right on time. Not making me wait one more day.
We’d had a terrible winter storm the week before, but the roads were clear, and the sun came out on the way to the hospital. As the labor pains intensified, I had a strange satisfaction in that my labor would be rewarded with a sweet, newly-born baby before the day was over.
I recall the sights and sounds and smells of the delivery room, and as I write this, I recall the forceps delivery. Enough of that!
My husband was proud to have slipped a pink, size 3T sweater into my hospital bag without me knowing it, and then insisted she would wear it home. Size 3T! Not my plan, but Januarys are cold and a newborn needs an extra layer of protection. A wise nurse helped me to make it work and to support a daddy’s pride.
Paula was a much anticipated and beautiful baby. We had waited, and I had been vigilant about preparing our home to receive her. Everything was ready! God’s timing was perfect.
If I read from Lamentations back then, it was probably to prepare for a lesson. I didn’t study it or stay in the book any longer than necessary. It’s different today. Relevant.
Nine months of waiting for what had been promised paid off back then. Almost ten years now, and I’m still hoping for her to come home. I’m being vigilant in my waiting.
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.”
I am waiting for the Lord and finding myself satisfied in His goodness. Of course, I ask for Him to hurry and for lots of other things—to keep her safe and help her feel and remember how loved she is. I pray that her heart has not grown too cold or broken. I pray for God to do something. I pray for my pain to end, but strangely, after each spell of intense sorrow is over, and I notice that my world has not collapsed, I sense a deep satisfaction—a comfort and encouragement to keep laboring.
Well-meaning people give me advice. They can’t understand. God isn’t urging me to do something. He’s urging me to wait and to be vigilant about it.
I chased another rabbit all through the scripture this past week. My daily reading plan fell apart, and I was still undecided about that “perfect” verse for combining the words vigilant and wait. I’m not saying it isn’t there. I’m saying I didn’t find it … until this morning when God sent a rabbit to play in our back yard. Silly rabbit. He thinks it is spring already.
‘“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.’”
(Lamentations 3:24-26, NKJV).
1 Comment