Waiting

Waiting is among the most common human experiences, but we don’t usually handle it very gracefully. We much prefer instant-everything. In the November Renovare newsletter, Richard Foster says, “In waiting we enter into the cosmic patience of God. We begin picking up the deep rhythms of the Spirit, the heartbeat of God. We begin thinking in terms of years and decades rather than minutes and hours. Thomas Kelly writes, ‘I find God never guides us into an intolerable scramble of panting feverishness.’”

Then in Kelly’s final book, “A Testament of Devotion,” he says, “Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It is amazing. It is triumphant. It is radiant. It takes no time, but it occupies all our time. And it makes our life programs new and overcoming. We need not get frantic. He is at the Helm. And when our little day is done, we lie down quietly in peace, for all is well.”

I think wisdom like this can only come from one who has lived a long time and has learned the spiritual art of waiting. I certainly haven’t mastered it, but I want to.

Isaiah says it best, in chapter 40, verse 31: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Just now I’m waiting for the CA 125 report. Whether up or down, I plan to affirm that God is good and wise. As soon as I get word, I’ll post a new update here.

Learning to wait,
Carol