SCRIPTURE SEEDS | ARE WE THERE YET?
"Are we there yet?” We’ve all been that kid in the backseat of the car on a never-ending road trip. We’ve watched all the movies, the good snacks are gone, and we desperately need a bathroom break. Whether we were going across town or across the country, the kid in us couldn’t wait to get there. Maybe in some ways we still are. Whatever we’re working towards — wherever we’re headed — are we there yet?
In last week’s Lenten blog, we looked at Psalms 25:5 "Escort me into Your truth; take me by the hand and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I have wrapped my heart into yours all day long!” (TPT) Some other translations say I trust You, or I put my hope in You, or I wait for You all day long. The word wait in Hebrew is qavah. The TPT footnote explains qavah's meaning — “to tie together by twisting,” “to entwine,” or “to wrap tightly.” It goes on to say “this is a beautiful concept of waiting upon God, not passively, but entwining hearts with Him.” Yes friend, while we wait faithfully on the Lord, our hearts are entwined deeper into His.
I find myself going back to Isaiah 40 more times that I can count. I was reading verse 31 the other day — one of my favorites that has become entwined deeply into my walk with the Lord. “But they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (ESV) It struck me that perhaps this verse holds that same meaning of wait — qavah. As I wait on the Lord, my heart wraps closer to His. The Lord is my source of life — my Sustainer through all things. And in the waiting, there is active purpose deeper than passively growing patience. Waiting is trusting. Waiting is saying “not my will but Yours be done.” Waiting is entwining my heart closer to God’s so I may know Him more. Through this waiting, trusting, entwining — God renews our strength and gives us what we need to keep going. Do you need renewing right about now? He’s our living water at mile 25 of the marathon — the same life-giving quench from when we took the first step. Through our waiting that sometimes feels like a never-ending marathon, He is steadfast and faithful.
I’m learning more that being entwined to God as His child means also being wrapped securely in His timing. How often do I try to run ahead? How many times do I ask “am I there yet?" And yet in my childlike ways, God meets me there as the loving Father He is. That’s all He asks of me in all my questions — to be His child. To live this childlike faith — not without wisdom — but with extra wonder and pursuit of Him. Waiting does not have to be without joy or delight. Though tiring and worrisome and frustrating at times, we can choose happiness in the waiting. Happiness is not a product of circumstance. Psalms 37:3-4 in TPT says, “Keep trusting in the Lord and do what is right in His eyes. Fix your heart on the promises of God, and you will dwell in the land, feasting on His faithfulness. Find your delight and true pleasure in Yahweh, and He will give you what you desire the most.” Christy Nockels writes about delighting in the Lord in her book, The Life You Long For. She writes that God is the instiller and fulfiller of our desires, meaning He gives us desires already in us and places new desires we didn’t know we could have. I learned I had missed an important piece to that verse — there are desires only God can put in me, ones I didn’t even realize before. Isn’t that amazing? I’m keeping my heart fixed on His promises, for my true delight rests securely there with Him. And sometimes in the waiting, we find new desires arise we didn’t know we could behold.
Yes, while we wait, we feast on His faithfulness because He provides all we need. I’ve found in times of waiting throughout my life, the Lord has brought things and people into my corner I never could have foreseen on my own foraging pursuit. Whatever your waiting season is today, do you trust Him with the present and future? Are you qavah-ing or running your own race?
Hebrews 12:1-2 holds another life verse for me, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.” (NIV)
Waiting seasons don’t last forever. Are you ready when it’s time to go? I’ve had these words from Hebrews 12 hanging on a wall for at least 6 years and in 4 different places. Why? Because I believe it’s so important to be reminded of what’s in front of us and where we fix our eyes. Hebrews 12 tells us Jesus is the author, pioneer, initiator, and perfecter of our faith. And where is He now? At the right hand of God. Our circumstances, places, seasons, lives are in this constant rhythm of waiting and changing — but Jesus is at God’s right hand through our every move. Constant and trustworthy are woven into His character. Am I looking to the mountains for help, or to I AM who made heaven and earth and the mountains? (Psalms 121:1-2)
We need this comfort today. Our world needs it too. What are you waiting for this Lenten season? Are you there yet? Take courage, friend. Wait well with your eyes fixed on Jesus. He gave it all for us on the cross so we may always be with Him where He is at God’s right hand. The victory is His, praise Jesus. May it be so.