Have you ever waited on God for something so long that you've wanted to give up? Are there places in your life where you've boxed up your hope like last year's christmas decorations? A good friend once told me, "you've had arrows in your heart so long, you've decorated them." She was right. Glitter is my friend.
I'm always amazed at my ability to pretend. Pretend the heartache isn't real, the longing doesn't matter, the weariness is normal. John Eldredge asks, "Does the king in exile pretend he is happy there?"
I love what God showed Linda Dillow about waiting in Satisfy My Thirsty Soul. She wondered with me what God meant in the verse,"I will watch expectantly for the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation" (Micah 7:7). It seemed contradictory to her. "Watch expectantly" creates the image of standing on tiptoes, peering through the window anticipating daddy's return from war. Yet "wait patiently" seems slow, unending, twirling your thumbs. She asked Jesus how do these two go together? He whispered to her heart: "Rock" and showed her a picture of a rocking chair.
As we rock forward, we lean looking ahead in to the future. Expecting. We confidently anticipate God is working and will show His power. Knowing He will. Then we rock backward. Resting. Remembering how Abba has been faithful in the past. Patient. Together, these two rhythms of life soothe and comfort my anxious, doubtful heart. Hmmm, maybe I need to pull that old glider out of storage . . . .
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