Word of the Week: WAIT
Dear Bethel,
While we often think of waiting as a test of our patience, more often waiting is an act of trust and hope. Psalm 27 places the focal point of our waiting on “the Lord.” Often we have our eyes focused on the answer, conclusion, diagnosis, or solution. Yet, when we wait on the Lord, we put our attention on the source of all of life who is with us no matter the outcome. To wait on the Lord is to trust in God’s timing and to hope in a God who promises to be faithful to us.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14
When we wait for the Lord we do not wait in vain. We trust God will give us the strength we need from day to day and we do not lose heart, but we have hope and are courageous. That courage is not because of our own power or strength; it comes from the One who encourages us with a promise to be with us. As a beloved child of God you will never face anything alone. Your loving God will strengthen and encourage you.
I write this while my family—my only brother and my parents—are in a time of waiting for healing. My brother has been hospitalized for thirteen days, and his recovery is slow and complicated following emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. My parents were both recently diagnosed with COVID-19. They are in the midst of their 10 days of quarantine and are monitoring their symptoms from hour to hour. We are waiting for healing and, in the case of my brother, decisions as to next steps with his condition. These are long days. We have known fear and we have faced uncertainty. Yet we wait for the Lord. We feel the power of prayer strengthening us and we are encouraged by small glimpses of light that give us hope for the days ahead. The Lord has and will continue to be with us. This is the one constant amidst all that is inconsistent.
Whatever it is you are waiting for right now, and the wait may feel long and overwhelming, take heart and be of good courage. You have this constant promise—God is with you.
Graced by the Gospel,
Pastor Anjanette