07 February 2024
Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31
Beloved,
Everyone waits. Waiting is part of our everyday experience; whether we wait for something or someone – whether we wait with joy or dread. In the modern world, much of our stress has to do with an inability to be patient and wait. We desire to hurry through life. Still, today, we will all wait. We will wait to help or be helped; we will wait in line; we will wait to remember or be remembered.
Waiting may be our first and primary response to God. It seems as if we are wired this way. Waiting is the experience between the present moment and the approaching future. It is right between the now and the not yet; always inviting us to a purposeful life. Faithful waiting anticipates and hopefully trusts in what is to come; welcoming the present moment without strain or regret of what is promised. It is our surrender to God’s purpose for us in this world and helps us discover who and what we are becoming.
Like worship, the agenda is God’s, not ours. Our lives can seem like a series of waiting moments leading us to a future we hope for, are invited to, or is forced upon us. When approaching events are not aligned with our personal desires and are likely to make us unhappy, waiting can be hard. Yet, even this hard waiting leads us to an awakening to self and God’s purpose for us. It can revive and renew, strengthen, and restore us for our life’s work.
The Prophet Isaiah’s understanding of waiting on God is profound. After deep questioning, he says “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
This week we are invited to wait. Wait on God, wait with others, wait with ourselves. Wait. Just wait.
With every blessing, I am,
+John Harmon
Bishop of Arkansas
The Presentation of our Lord, February 2, 2024