Jessica Levy Books

The English language is a fascinating one. Pieced together from so many sources, its patterns of grammar, spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary are quite interesting. OK, maybe not to everyone, but I’m a language nerd, so roll with me here. Maybe I can get any doubters on board with an example. Ever wondered why the word ‘neighbor’ is not spelled “nayber” or something that would make more sense? The word is actually a combination of two words, originally “neah” and “gebur” which eventually became “nigh” (nearby) and “boor” (peasant)*. It was originally used to refer to nearby villagers and is now used widely in all localities, even somewhat symbolically to refer to all people one might contact, as in “be kind to your neighbor.” Come on, a little interesting, right?

That’s why the examination of a word’s several meanings and its history can be a useful study tool. I’ve recently come across several people who are learning patience as God stretches their ability to trust him when it doesn’t seem like he’s showing up. The word we use for this is: waiting.

Have you ever waited for something that took an extraordinarily long time? I don’t mean a pot roast, I’m talking about months and years of waiting. I have yet to meet a person who goes through a long period of waiting for something to happen and has not questioned the waiting. As we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait…here’s what we usually begin to ask ourselves:

-Did I hear from God correctly? Maybe he didn’t mean what I thought he did

-Is there something wrong with me or am I doing something wrong that God has not yet delivered?

-Did I pray enough?

-Is God really faithful to do what he said?

-What did he even say?

-Where is God on this?

On their own, these questions are not dangerous. It’s in seeking answers that we often begin to doubt, stray from, or even turn our backs on God. The longer the wait, the greater the chances of this happening. That’s when the word ‘wait’ must take on another meaning.

We think of waiting as sitting quietly in a room, patiently doing nothing until what we are waiting for transpires. There is an element to this of patience and forbearance; we are simply at the whim of that for which we wait. When it acts, then we can move again. God asks for this kind of waiting at times, for patience must be developed in us and sometimes he will ask us not to act on something until he speaks or moves on it.

In recent years, I have come to understand another level of waiting: waiting on.

But 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; and they shall walk, and not faint.

ISAIAH 40:31 (KJV)

Doesn’t sound like quiet sitting does it? When you are waited on, someone checks in on you, they bring you what you require, they anticipate your desires and meet them. They get to know who you are, what you are looking for, what you want. And they go after that.

What if waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean sitting in his waiting room, but it means getting to know him, understanding his heart and his desires, going after the things that matter to him?

I have been in a wheelchair since I was four years old. My body is paralyzed from the chest down and I do not have use of my legs. According to James 5:14-15 and a plethora of other healing verses, I can be healed through prayer. I have prayed that prayer many times. I have had several others pray that prayer. I have had the elders of the church and the pastors of church and complete strangers in the middle of the shopping mall pray that prayer. And I’m still waiting.

But I’m not sitting in my wheelchair in the waiting room. I am waiting on God. I am spending time getting to know him. I am learning about God’s heart and how he desires my heart to be healed more than he desires my body to be healed. I am finding out that God even uses brokenness for healing. I am bringing God the things he requires, like faith and hope and trust. Also, I am failing at that sometimes and I am asking the questions above and I am doubting his plan and purpose for me.

Have you ever seen a waiter that could carry like 20 things on one tray, balanced on one hand, while walking through a crowded restaurant? Waiting on God is a balancing act. We must act in faith, meaning we are following through with God’s plan even when we don’t see it. We must act also in acceptance of reality, which allows God to work on our hearts. We must act in hope, always believing that we will see God at work according to that which he has promised. We must act also in trust, aware that he is bigger and greater and smarter and wiser and more powerful than we are and that he is incorporating us into the bigger picture that we can’t even imagine.

Abraham waited 25 years to receive Isaac from God’s promise. Noah waited for just under a century for the flood that vindicated the ark. Moses waited 40 years to catch a glimpse of the promised land. Mary waited several years for her child to fulfill his destiny. God, himself, waited generations to receive us back into his presence through Christ’s sacrifice.

God has incredible plans for your life. If you are waiting, you are in good company! When you story is told, what will you have to show for the time you spent waiting on the Lord?

*Funk, Charles. Thereby Hangs a Tale: Stories of Curious Word Origins, Harper & Row Publishers, 1950. pp. 202.