“I remain confident of this:
Psalm 27:13-14 NIV
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”
Have you ever waited for something? I mean really waited. You feel the impatience and frustration bubble up in your chest. You know what I’m talking about. That light at the intersection just won’t turn green. The checkout line at the grocery store is a mile long and the credit card reader decided to take the day off. Or maybe you’ve waited for something really, really BIG. You submit your application to university and check the mail anxiously for that decision letter. You have a loved one serving in the military and are hoping every moment for their safe return home. Or maybe, it’s that secret prayer in the depths of your heart that you are almost afraid to voice for fear the Lord won’t hear it. Or worse, that He will hear, and refuse to answer.
Whatever you are waiting for, you can be sure God is waiting with you. Now, you may be asking how I know that. Well, it begins with hummingbirds. These little fellows flit left and right, and they rarely sit still. They need constant sugar rushes to keep them in the air. Have you ever tried to take a picture of one? I have, and it is quite a challenge!
Early one morning, I decided to conduct my very own stakeout about 30 feet from the hummingbird feeder. The little imps had been all around the feeder and I was confident I would get some good photos within a couple of minutes. However, as soon as I got my camera set up, all the hummers disappeared. So, I waited. And I waited. And I WAITED. I could hear their tiny chirps echoing in the trees, but none would come out to drink nectar from the feeder.
Then, finally, one flew out. I focused him in my viewfinder. It was the perfect angle! I pressed the button and . . . nothing happened. I fiddled with my camera for a moment and figured out why: error message – memory card full. Ugh. I changed my memory card and reset my camera, but of course by this time, the hummer was long gone. No more were forthcoming, so back to waiting I went.
I sat like a statue, afraid any movement would prevent them from coming, even though I knew I was much farther away than I had been in the past when they came to drink. Surely, on any other morning, I would have seen dozens of hummingbirds by now! My frustration mounted. What was going on? What had I done wrong? If I had been still in my heart and quiet enough to listen, I probably would have heard the Lord say, “Patience, dear one.” However, I’d had quite enough of patience. The sun was getting higher and I was wasting precious time looking at an empty hummingbird feeder when I had a plethora of other tasks demanding my attention.
Then, suddenly a flash of red caught my eye. I waited on bated breath as a fox sauntered out of the forest. It was mid-morning and much too late for him to be out and about! Quietly, I adjusted my lens. Click. The fox heard the camera’s shutter and disappeared as quickly as he’d come, but not before I had managed to capture him on film. Elated, I jumped to my feet at the exact moment the hummingbirds returned to their feeder. Click, click, click. I caught them like glittering jewels in my viewfinder. The morning turned out to be a treasure trove of wonder after all, but I had to be patient to experience it.
Looking back, had the Lord allowed those hummingbirds to swarm their feeder like they normally do, I would have taken my photos and left, my goal accomplished. I never would have seen the fox, an unexpected gift that the Lord wanted me to have the chance to see. I know He was waiting with me for that perfect moment to reveal a treasure I hadn’t even known to long for.
Whatever it is that has you in a holding pattern of wait, pray, wait, repeat, be patient. You never know when the fox is right outside your viewfinder and the Lord is making sure you don’t miss him.
Grace and peace, friends!
-A. A. W.
Selah Vie! 