“Yet those who wait on the LORD will gain new strength. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk on not grow faint, they will mount up with wings as eagles.” ~Isaiah 40:31

This has long been one of my favorite verses, especially when it is paired with Isaiah 42:2-3.  Waiting is not one of my specialities when it is not on my own terms.  I don’t mind being still for hours if I am lost in my own thoughts or heavy with my own concerns.  I can mull over them for hours and forget that time exists. But when there is something I want to accomplish, I want to act immediately.  Waiting in and of itself can be one of the most exhausting trials, or the most rewarding.

Perhaps one of the most excruciating lessons on waiting is when we are waiting on love. Love is certainly not something that can be forced and yet longing for it can consume one’s soul.  That was my story; love seemed to illude me as it found everyone else. I doubted, questioned, agonized, hoped, was crushed, became cynical, surrendered, and finally found contentment in what God was doing in my life.  This progression in the state of my heart lasted for a number of years.  I started my adult years anticipating love to quickly appear. When it did not, I hurt deeply. At one point I thought I had met the man who would love me unconditionally, only to have him break my heart and crush my dreams. The residue of that relationship turned into cynicism, then resignation, and finally surrender. But I didn’t want to simply surrender as a lifeless heart, I wanted to rejoice in life and live abundantly. 

And that is the key, my Waiting Friend.  Living abundantly where you are comes through waiting on Jesus.  As thoughts of Him consume our hearts and minds, versus thoughts of what we think we are waiting for, surrender turns into contentment and contentment transforms into strength.  We need Christ’s strength to live well, to rejoice in times of sorrow, to embrace those around you even if they are living your dreams.  Waiting on Jesus reveals His true nature to us; we see that He has a heart that empathizes with our human experience.  We discover that communion with Him satisfies. 

I am not a master of waiting.  Impatience does seek to conquer me on a consistent basis.  I am, however, much more cognizant of the beauty that comes from being content while waiting.  In fact, it is almost like having one’s cake and eating it too.  The LORD has great things in store for us, but He has also gifted us with the moment.  The best things are worth waiting for…I know that from experience for the Love I waited for has truly found me.