A few weeks ago, we signed three of our kiddos up for a swim team. They know how to swim, but they don’t know how to swim. After just over a week of swim practice that consisted of 11 hours of conditioning and swim instruction, they came to their first swim meet. Ever heard that saying, hurry up and wait?
The nerves of the first swim meet raced through their veins, we arrived at the designated pool and started making note of the different races for our swimmers. There were 65 official races. Out of our kiddos, the first race we were part of was 18. Another kiddo didn’t start till 23, and the other not till race 29. Hurry up… and wait.
I hate waiting. I hate waiting for my coffee in the morning, I hate waiting for the bathroom, and I hate waiting for other people. I simply hate waiting. And I’ve never really appreciated those scriptures that tell us to wait.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 NASB
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word. My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; yes, more than the watchmen for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6 NASB
Um, can the Lord hurry up already? That may sound severely rude, but you know you’ve had the same feelings of impatience. Having a curious mind and a bit of time on my hands, I figured that I would look into what it means to wait.
From the Hebrew word, qâvâh (Strong’s H6960), it’s a verb that means to wait, to hope for, and to expect.
I know what it’s like to be waiting on something – news about a loved one in the hospital, test results, or a verdict on who gets promoted – and it’s not always easy to rein in the thoughts. Every worst-case scenario becomes the most plausible outcome. Will I get the job? No, a meteor is going to fall from the sky and crash straight through the building and the company will go out of business – guess I’ll have to keep looking.
But we’re told to wait.
Humans are programmed, I think, to be impatient. We have so many modern-day conveniences that make it easy to be on the go at all times. Heating leftovers can be done using a microwave. If you’re in need of a quick meal, there’s a drive-thru for tacos, burgers, salads, and fried chicken (the options are almost endless). Need your shirt washed? There’s even a quick wash setting on most new washers. We’re not comfortable with waiting, are we?
But we’re told to wait.
If you have trouble waiting like I do, you might be wondering what we’re to do while we’re in such a holding pattern. Like my kiddos waiting for their race to begin, they watch the others that have races first, they watch the order of how the others line up, and they take time to listen to their coach. It sounds easy: listen to God, talk to God, and ask Him questions. It’s a struggle because our minds are already racing even though it’s not yet our turn.
While qâvâh means to wait, to hope for, and to expect, it also means to twist or wind together (like a cord or rope), to gather, and to collect. I’ve been mulling this over and as I was watching my kiddos at their swim meet, watched as they stepped up to prepare for their race, a few things dawned on me.
Not only are we called to wait, to hope, and to expect (wait for the right thing at the right time; to hope and to expect good), waiting will drive us crazy if we’re choosing to wait alone. When we’re called to wait, we’re not being left in isolation to fret and wonder if we’ve been forgotten. That twisting and winding together that qâvâh brings with it is not about our nerves getting twisted up, but about being so wrapped up in God that we are able to stay where we are until the race starts.
I watched as swimmers would step up to the diving block and wait. They didn’t just step up and dive straight in. I watched and imagined Jesus with His arm linked with the swimmer’s arm, saying, not yet… almost…. NOW! and releasing as the swimmer dove into the water. If they jumped in too soon, they would be disqualified. If they jumped in too late, they wouldn’t finish as well. But if they focused on the One they were linked with, they would enter the water exactly when they were supposed to.
You want that relationship, but it’s not the right time… pay attention to that arm that’s linked in your own. You want that job, but you can’t see what Jesus sees – He might see that it’s going to cause damage to your family. Stay twisted up in Him, arm in arm, or better yet – resting in His arms.
So, we’re told to wait, but we’re not told to wait alone or without purpose. That means we’re spending time reading God’s Word. We’re preparing, training, and conditioning ourselves to be ready for what it is we want. And we’re getting very familiar with what God’s voice sounds like.
I know better than most that it can be tough being in a holding pattern. The enemy will try every trick he has to get us to jump in before we’re supposed to. If he’s unsuccessful in that, he’s also been known to plant lies that cause us to question our ability to swim in the first place. You’re going to lose – why even try… It’s interesting that I don’t hear the voice of the enemy when I’m regularly reading my Bible and submerging myself in praise and worship music.
As I studied this out (and this is a mere fraction of what I’ve found), something else to remember about those times of waiting is that we can have people waiting with us, too. In this research, I’ve discovered some of the words in Greek that are equivalent in meaning and usage to the Hebrew word of qâvâh. Several of them directly point us to gathering with other believers for strength, comfort, wisdom, and support (Strong’s G4863 – synágō).
We’re not called to do life alone. We’re called to be in fellowship with God and with other believers. My kiddos are on a swim team with others who have a wide range of skill levels. From beginning doggy-paddle to impressive butterfly strokes, all of them have something to offer and something to learn.
Keep around you people of faith who will pray with you, offer biblical wisdom instead of worldly advice, and who will point you to Jesus. Invite them to be with you in the waiting.
Don’t fear the qâvâh. Embrace it. See it as an invitation to something beautiful. And you’ll be prepared when it’s time to dive in.