Waiting…Expecting…Twisting

Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

When you look up the original word for “wait,” it says this: “expect, look eagerly for, hope, bind together by twisting.” It’s the last part of this explanation that’s had me shaking my head trying to figure out what twisting or braiding has to do with waiting. 

In our culture, we think of waiting as being idle. We wait at a red light, wait in a doctor’s office, wait for a friend to show up. But when God talks about waiting, He’s not idle and He doesn’t expect us to be idle either. We’re waiting on God to fulfill a promise, hoping for a good outcome, or eagerly looking for God to invade our situation…all while God patiently binds our hearts to Him. He’s twisting something beautiful as we wait. He picks up a thread of Himself…then a thread of our longing heart…a thread of someone who’s praying with us…a thread of our cries…a thread of someone investing in us…a thread of Jesus praying for us…a thread of our hope…a thread of the Holy Spirit encouraging us…until there’s a beautifully woven piece that displays the handiwork of God! Its no longer one single thread—it’s become strong because of the twisting. It’s not just handcrafted for others to see; it’s a piece of art hanging in God’s gallery to remind us of His goodness and faithfulness. It’s a reminder to agree with God for His perfect outcome every.single.time. It’s a trophy of God’s grace. 

Waiting is hard…but it doesn’t have to be idle. And maybe it shouldn’t be idle. Waiting is expectantly looking with hope for God to fulfill the cries of our heart. All while He is deftly creating something of wonder to hang on His wall.