The secret of waiting

The secret of waiting for God is waiting on God.

These words neatly summed up my recent thinking. I've journeyed with some of the Old Testament writers. They struggled with understanding God's ways. Take Habakkuk for example. His questions to God went unanswered. His pain and trouble remained. The nation was in great turmoil. And God was silent. In his book I read that he resolved to find space to pray and wait and watch to see what God would do. And as he reflected on all God had done in the past, he began to see that God wasn't absent, but unashamedly deeply involved in our world. And in understanding more of who God was, Habakkuk learnt that it was God himself who was the answer to his doubt and his searching.

My poem on waiting on God is based around Psalm 27. The encouragement is to focus on God and who he is, not on the problems.

Wait for the Lord

for he will lead and guide you

Wait for the Lord

his heart is only good

Wait for the Lord

his love is sure and steadfast

Wait for the Lord

each promise constant stood.

Wait for the Lord

depend on him to flourish

Wait for the Lord

his gifts will grow with grace

Wait for the Lord

for courage and enabling

Wait for the Lord

and journey at his pace.

© Hilary Allen (unpublished)