My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.
Psalm 62:5 (NASB)
My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from
Him.
Waiting for anything or anyone anytime is difficult for our
instant gratification culture of hurry. Why is it so difficult for us to wait?
Could it be that we think we are too important, too busy, too vital to the rest
of the world to waste time waiting? I’m guessing we’ve all had this thought
while waiting in traffic: “Don’t these people know I’ve got to be someplace
important to do something important? Why don’t they get out of my way?” It’s
all too easy think we are the center of the universe, gods unto ourselves, and
assume we deserve what we want, and right now! Whether it be waiting at a
traffic light, in a line at the grocery store, or in the doctor’s waiting room,
we’re just not good at waiting.
In Psalm 62: 1 & 5, one Hebrew word (dûmiyyâ) is translated “waits in silence” by
the NASB. In some translations it is rendered either “silence” or “wait”. I
think the NASB captures the fuller meaning of the word that carries the sense
of waiting and being silent. To wait in silence for God is a good thing
according to David. I would venture to say that such silent waiting is a
spiritual discipline critical to an authentic relationship with God.
Waiting in silence teaches us…
-
Patience, which is one of
the fruits of the Spirit
- Humility, reminding us
that we’re not in control or the center of the universe after all
- Love, sometimes waiting is
a necessary expression of love
- To listen, sometimes is
takes patience and time to hear someone’s heart
- To see, or at least see
more than our non-stop life of sprinting from one thing to the next will
allow. Waiting in silence in my backyard reveals a Cardinal and 3 Blue
Jays I would have otherwise missed.
- Gratitude, it’s good to
thank the Lord for the Cardinals and Jays and such
1 comment:
I think sometimes the "hurry perspective" comes from the fear of running out of time. None of us know when our time on earth will be over, so we are eager to finish the trivial things like waiting in line at the bank or sitting at a stoplight.
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