[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.

I 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

SUBSCRIBE NOW to get updates from FaithBarista hot and fresh directly in your
mailbox via email (click here) or RSS (click here) news reader.