Wait

When I took my dog Roo to obedience training, one of the skills she learned involved not charging out an open door, a useful lesson to prevent many possible negative scenarios including her getting hurt or terrifiying someone else. The command for this is "wait." Roo stands still when she hears wait until I release her with "come" or "free."

This New Year my word for the year is wait. Obeying this command can prevent negative scenarios for me as well. I need to listen to my Master's voice releasing me before heading out.

An old song by Stuart Hamblen runs through my head, a version of the familiar Isaiah 40:31 verse:

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings as eagles.

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

Teach me, Lord, Teach me, Lord, to wait!

 

And this verse to it:

Teach me, Lord, to wait - down on my knees.

Till in your own good time you'll answer my pleas.

Teach me not to rely on what others do.

But to wait in prayer for an answer from you.

Wait needs to be what I do in prayer, wait on God's timing. Trusting God's timing is best. 

Another kind of wait will fit 2017, as I wait on others by serving them, since my family faces many occasions this year where I will need to serve, a birth, two graduations and a wedding. I will be waiting on others bringing them what they need. 

This month we wait as our first grandchild will appear but we cannot be sure when, so we wait to hear of that coming. 

Most of all I want to wait to speak. On New Year's Day at church we examined Ecclesiastes 3, which includes a time to be silent and a time to speak. I need to wait in silence until it is time to speak. And most of the time, silence should win. This year, I need to speak less, and wait more. 

Wait. Full of meaning. I can't wait to see what I learn from it.