The Strength of Waiting
Pastor Joanie Today as I was driving, I reached to turn on the radio like I normally do. I stopped myself and decided that it would be best to sit in the quietness and take note of the presence of the Lord. Almost immediately I began to sing to myself a familiar praise chorus:
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, as we wait upon the Lord, as we wait upon the Lord.
Then I started thinking about this verse. Strength will rise as we wait. Our strength grows when we wait on the Lord. When we WAIT. This praise chorus that continued to play through my head is taken from Isaiah 40:31 “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles.”
For me, that season of waiting is Lent. These last two weeks of Lent, leading to Easter, have been long. It is hard to be patient and wait for the joy of the resurrection.
Do you ever feel like Alice…chasing white rabbits and waiting to go home?
What are you waiting for? Are you waiting on your body to heal physically? Are you waiting for your grief to feel less heavy? Are you waiting for a vacation to come? Are you waiting for someone in your life to make some decisions? Are you waiting to see what door will be opened next?
It’s hard to wait!!! Yet, Isaiah reminds us that our strength will grow, will be made new when we wait upon the Lord.
There are situations in life that we anxiously wait to pass. There are dark valleys. There are days when our bones feel dry. And, in those times, as Pastor Jason suggested Sunday, we must take a deep breath, a step back, knowing God is at work. When we wait for God’s timing, we become stronger. Take heart, our Lord is with you while you wait.
If You Missed Last Sunday’s Sermon…
Listen to Becoming Whole Again – Ezekiel 37:1-14
God’s Words for This Week
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 – Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever. (NRSV, v.14)
Matthew 21:1-11 – Look, your king is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey… (CEB, v.4)
This Week at Hood
Wednesday, April 5, 3:30 pm – Prayer & Inspiration
Wednesday, April 5, 6:00 pm – Choir Rehearsal (til 7:30 pm)
Thursday, April, 6:00 pm – Choir Rehearsal (til 7:30 pm)
Sunday, April 9, 11:00 am – Worship – Palm Sunday with procession of the palms
Sunday, April 9, 4:00 pm – Sacred Places Cantata presented by the Adult Choir