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God Is My Father, Not the Bus Driver — Blessing In Learning To Wait

By Bonnie Gray • January 13, 2010 • 45 Comments

[Today’s thoughts continue from yesterday’s post After Avatar:  Passion’s Threshold of Faith.]

Waiting often feels like inaction. How God views waiting and what He does in it surprised me with a true blessing.

Throughout my high school years, I was very familiar with public transportation. Every morning, I’d slide out from my warm covers right before the sun did, swung my backpack over my shoulder and lugged my violin case over to the bus stop.

And waited.

The bus usually came on time.  Especially on days I saw it’s tail lights drive off, while standing just one streetlight away. But, sometimes, I’d end up waiting with minutes to spare.

Nose feeling numb in winter cold mornings, breath swirling out of my chattering teeth, the second hand on my plastic Timex would swoop five minutes past the bus’ scheduled stop.

Oh, great. The bus isn’t coming.

I’d get soaked from the waist down, choosing to shield my hair and face from the rain.   Waiting gets long and very cold.

I’d turn into a statue, looking down the street with my neck craned, trying to will the bus to turn the corner.  All I could do during those times was just look and wish it would come sooner than later.

Waiting For God

Sometimes, we wait for God this same way.  He doesn’t seem to arrive on time.  Things just aren’t resolving.  Directions don’t seem clearer — and we’re not feeling any better about it.

So, we hunker down, and sit on the sidewalk.  Waiting for God can feel more like a drawn out necessity.  We’re stuck.

I’m learning this is not the way God sees waiting.  He’s not the bus driver with blessings and solutions, somewhere far off, occupied with whatever else at the moment.

He is our Heavenly Father.

Our Father doesn’t want us to wait, twiddling our thumbs, stranded on the side with no other recourse.  We know we can’t do anything else on our own.  But, in waiting, what’s left to occupy?

The Blessing of Qavah

Abba has placed the key in His use of the word for wait:  Qavah.  The meaning of Qavah is comprised of two strands.

The first strand is familiar to us.  The act of hoping and expecting.  This is, however, just half of waiting.

The second strand in waiting transforms —

Qavah means to bind together.

Waiting is the clasp that entwines us to our Father’s care.
While we are waiting, He wants to weave His hands into ours.

intertwinedI often picture myself waiting for God.  Qavah has corrected my vision.

All this time, God as Father has been waiting with me.   

How different my days would be if I believed this a little bit more every day?

… For one thing, I’d worry less that my way was hidden or forgotten and concentrate more on bonding with Him in my today.

… I’d gain a renewed energy to the dailiness of chores, knowing my Father is keeping me company, as He keeps my destination in sight.

Each day we wait, our Father is reaching to connect with us.

While others depend on the outcomes of goals and circumstances, you and I have a greater blessing.

The One who knows our purpose is a growing Vine, intertwining our hopes, sorrows, dreams, and disappointments — to His will and into His heart.

“Wait (Qavah) for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.”
Psalm 27:4


“The LORD is good to those who wait (Qavah) for Him,

To the person who seeks Him.”
Lamentations 3:25

What are your experiences with waiting?

How would Qavah change your outlook on today?

 

This post is Part 3 in the series, "What's So New With You?".

Be sure to catch
Part 1:  A True New:  A Soul Resuscitation
Part 2:  After Avatar:  Passion's Threshold of Faith

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45 Comments

  • Reply Maureen January 13, 2010 at 3:50 am

    honestly, I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for SOOOOOO many of His promises to me to be fulfilled. I hope He’s as ready as I am !!! 🙂

    (ps. the bus: I never rode the bus when I was little, but in my adult life, its all I do! Waiting is the name of the game in Israel for busses. lol)

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:07 am

      Oh, I can’t wait to hear you testify how good things come to those who wait! 🙂 God never forgets and He is going to blow your socks off when rewards you in your faith!

  • Reply Lauren January 13, 2010 at 5:23 am

    Thank you so much for sharing that! I am currently in a situation desperately waiting on God and your post was so refreshing! Such a new perspective! Thanks!!!

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:09 am

      Praise God He is desperately there with you and I feel so happy I can be there with you in this moment, as you stand in the middle of your situation. He with you as you wait!

  • Reply uberVU - social comments January 13, 2010 at 7:57 am

    Social comments and analytics for this post…

    This post was mentioned on Twitter by gyoung9751: God is my father, not the bus driver, by @TheBonnie Gray. http://bit.ly/80vb3d…

  • Reply *~Michelle~* January 13, 2010 at 7:57 am

    As I squirm and fidget restlessly…..these words start to soothe

    “All this time, God as Father has been waiting with me. ”

    what simple words……yet such a powerful, much-needed reminder. Thank you, Bonnie!

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:10 am

      May your transparent and honest continue to encourage others as it has been for me.

  • Reply Kathleen Overby January 13, 2010 at 9:12 am

    Waiting is more like incubating, preparing – which isn’t flacid inaction. You said it well, giving much hope. Thx.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:11 am

      Incubating is a great word picture. You’re a writer who inspires. That’s obvious here!

  • Reply jasonS January 13, 2010 at 9:48 am

    A great analogy. Thanks Bonnie! I think you’re so right- we treat God as if He were hired to cart us around from place to place and get frustrated if we have to wait. He is the King, He is Creator, He is God, and (wonderfully, thankfully) He is Father.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:12 am

      There you go again. One short comment – and I just got convicted again.
      “He is the King, He is Creator, He is God, and (wonderfully, thankfully) He is Father.” That last part makes the biggest difference to me.

  • Reply Bridget Chumbley January 13, 2010 at 11:44 am

    You and Jason are really sticking it to me… this is a wonderful post, Bonnie.

    I need to really take these words to heart…

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:17 am

      I swear we didn’t coordinate it. Must be a God-thing! Judging from the comments, waiting is obviously a hot topic & something we all relate to.

  • Reply Michelle DeRusha January 13, 2010 at 1:51 pm

    I love this new interpretation of waiting, Qavah. It feels so much more comforting, so much less lonely. Thank you — your words today are binding me together more closely with God.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:18 am

      Thank you for stopping by, Michelle and sharing. Qavah has eased, comforted and brought me closer, too.

  • Reply Tweets that mention The Blessing In Learning To Wait | Faith Barista -- Topsy.com January 13, 2010 at 2:38 pm

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Glynn Young, Bridget Chumbley, MakeADifferenceToOne, FaithBarista, FaithBarista and others. FaithBarista said: Waiting often feels like inaction. Until God showed up & surprised me with His view of waiting http://bit.ly/696Vrh […]

  • Reply deidra January 13, 2010 at 3:15 pm

    Qavah is new to me. The word. Not the experience. Your post has shed a much-needed light on my life today. Thanks for passing a bit of peace my way…

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:26 am

      Oh, I want a heightened knowing of the experience, like you. The truth of Qavah brings such peace.

  • Reply pete wilson January 13, 2010 at 4:17 pm

    Wow! Love that analogy. Great post.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:27 am

      Thanks for stopping by Pete!

  • Reply Esther January 13, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    How many time have I given up and gone ahead without Him…ripping the strands that bind.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:28 am

      Oooh, I hadn’t even thought of that. Thanks for sharing.

  • Reply katdish January 13, 2010 at 7:31 pm

    Okay…I left a comment earlier. (Stupid iphone)

    Like the great poet Tom Petty once said, “The waiting is the hardest part, Every day you see one more card, You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, but the waiting is the hardest part.”

    Having said that, sometimes God can show you some amazing things while you’re waiting with and abiding in Him. It’s the abiding part — always abiding in Him. Easier said than done for sure.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:32 am

      I love that Tom Petty quote. So good. Got me goin’ to YouTube to hear it. 😉

      Yes, abiding is the word – and Qavah has helped invite me there sooner. And I hope to say in it longer.

      Maybe you can write a post on this Kathy. Would love to read your thoughts on it.

  • Reply Christine January 13, 2010 at 9:20 pm

    Wow. What revelation. Thank you for sharing this, Bonnie!
    I know that I had a long period of waiting in my life where it seemed like one long day lasted for 5 years.
    I tease now that God has shaved those years off my life, so I’m 5 years younger or something. But, yeah,
    I remember going into that time, throwing a fit for having to wait. It seemed SO hard to do! But, but, but…
    He grew me. I learned patience. And, I learned to delight in Him. Today, when I look back, what I was waiting for, well, it never did get resolved. It didn’t end the way I wanted or the way I had expected. Actually, I’m not sure there ever was an “end” to it. But, eventually, God moved me along, and I learned that His idea of waiting included learning how to embrace His presence. Looking back, I am so thankful for the lesson I learned in waiting upon Him. Through that season He taught me how to pray, how to spend time with Him.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:34 am

      “what I was waiting for, well, it never did get resolved… Actually, I’m not sure there ever was an “end” to it. .. I learned that His idea of waiting included learning how to embrace His presence.”

      It’s definitely an amazing experience to be taken where we don’t want to go — and then finding His love and presence in spite of everything. Embracing His presence. That is a wonderful picture.

  • Reply Brett Barner January 14, 2010 at 6:16 am

    Wow, awesome analogy. I was very familiar with the school bus all my school years. The worst was coming home and that 20 minute drive turned into 2 hours. Thanks Bonnie!

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:37 am

      Oh, yeah! You’ve proved you ain’t fibbing since you KNOW what it’s like when the afternoon’s lost to waiting for and on the bus!

  • Reply Shaunie Friday January 14, 2010 at 7:43 am

    Oh Bonnie,
    This is a blessing to me this morning! The nugget of truth, the key contained in the word Qavah is so powerful–I had not studied this before, so thank you for bringing it to my attention!

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:38 am

      You’re welcome, Shaunie! Hope all is well with your new year!

  • Reply Angie @ The One Thing January 14, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    Amazing!!! A new perspective can make or break us at times. Thank you for sharing this with us. Be Blessed! Angie in GA

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:39 am

      Hey, Angie in GA! 😉 .. You’re welcome & happy new year!

  • Reply Cassandra Frear January 14, 2010 at 7:23 pm

    God has been teaching me about intimacy with Him and what that might look like in daily life, while I wait.

    It feels like I have been waiting a long time. A very long time.

    It feels like I might be waiting the rest of my life. Is there an end to this? Yes, your word study points to it.

    The end is His presence. His arms. His fellowship. It is knowing, just as I have been known. This is true, regardless of the outcome of my circumstances.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:41 am

      It’s beautiful to hear God speaking to all of us, in all our difficulties in waiting.

      “The end is His presence. His arms. His fellowship. It is knowing, just as I have been known.”

      The trip there is sometimes long and winding.. we are human. But, God gives us a destination in the waiting, Himself. I love how you said it here. Thank you.

  • Reply cathleen johnson January 14, 2010 at 10:05 pm

    WOW to both you, Bonnie, and Cassandra! Ihave gone through the waiting and never once thought He waited with me. I knew He was WITH me, but WAITING as well, what a comfort!
    And then: The end is His presence. His arms. His fellowship. It is knowing, just as I have been known. This is true, regardless of the outcome of my circumstances. What truth! Thank you, both!

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:42 am

      Yes, I felt the same encouragement reading Cassandra’s comment. I love yours as well, because I felt the same way. And now, we are changed because does wait as well. It is a comfort I draw on many times in throughout the day.

  • Reply Billy Coffey January 15, 2010 at 10:46 am

    Wow Bonnie, that was sooo good! Your words always bless me.

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:47 am

      Likewise. Likewise. Wonderful to share comradery here in the words and in the journey.

  • Reply Holley January 15, 2010 at 2:07 pm

    Beautiful, Bonnie, I love your heart and perspective…and how God uses you to change ours!

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:48 am

      Thanks for your sweet words – it touches me to know what’s on my heart has connected with yours.

  • Reply Kim January 17, 2010 at 10:23 am

    I just love your interpretation of God’s time. He truly is with us as we wait. I know because I experience it every day. Sometimes, I know, it feels more like the old hurry up and wait syndrome. The best part of the waiting is when you realize that what you are waiting for has come, big or small, and that the adventure has begun. To have the opportunity to experience the next steps of having God as your driver, protector and advisor is what it is all about. I love Proverbs 3: 3-6-
    ” Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ” Thanks Bonnie you are spot on!

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:49 am

      Hi Kim, thanks for sharing the Proverbs 3:3-6 verse. It really adds to the post..

      “The best part of the waiting is when you realize that what you are waiting for has come, big or small, and that the adventure has begun.”

      Loved this encouragement. I hope God blesses you in the big *and* small adventures He has you on now.

  • Reply nAncY January 17, 2010 at 2:43 pm

    waiting
    being collected
    bound together
    God is waiting
    gathering

    • Reply Bonnie Gray January 18, 2010 at 10:50 am

      Thank you for a wonderful poem, nAncY! I love the ending of “gathering” — it a growing action He is taking a part in our lives while we are in the waiting. If only I could see! 🙂 But, ahh.. there faith meets me.

  • Reply Looking For My Real Father | Faith Barista January 20, 2010 at 2:12 am

    […] this article has renewed a desire to know my real Father better and to look for Him afresh in the Scriptures. I need only to draw closer and He will draw near to […]

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