Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
31 But 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; and they shall walk, and not faint.
I think I have become a fairly patient person. But still. I struggle to wait. For anything. So it isn't easy to wait upon the Lord either.
Is it easy for you? To wait. Upon the Lord?
I think I have become a fairly patient person. Living with a son on the Autism Spectrum can do that for you.
Sometimes it's a patience that he teaches me as he can sit for hours playing with his crayons, studying things as he stacks them that I might never have seen. Unless I'm paying attention. But when I do pay attention, he teaches me patience.
Sometimes I must be patient, because he is not. One of his challenges is sensory integration. He is extremely sensitive to sounds, light, and smells. And when his senses are bombarded, he is by no means patient.
He wants me to stop the offending sensation, the sound, the sight, the smell. It doesn't matter whether I have any control over it or not. He wants me to stop it. And when I can't. Or worse, won't. He can become apoplectic.
Like, I won't put away my phone immediately when he asks, just because he asks. I might just be doing something important. Like texting his beloved mother.
But he doesn't understand that. Just seeing my phone has causes him stress. He would prefer it remain deep in my pocket, silent and unseen. The noises my phone makes (and I make while using it) have hurt his ears in the past. And I may very well do so again in the present tense. Or immediate future. And so, he loses his patience when he sees my phone.
And I. The one who struggles to wait. Need to help him learn to wait.
To stop. And pay attention to his breathing. To breathe. And calm his beleaguered spirit. And I cannot teach patience. If I am not practicing patience.
I must learn to wait myself. So I can help him wait. For steadfast love to fill our hearts and minds and soul
And that's why we are called to WAIT. To Wait. Upon the LORD. Who abounds in steadfast love.
Steadfast love is all about waiting. Waiting for the other to calm down. Waiting for the other to listen. Waiting for the other to look for peace. To want peace. To open their hearts to peace. To encounter the Prince of Peace. Who shares a peace that passes all understanding.
That's what God does for us.
Steadfast love is about waiting for the unloveable to become willing to love again.
That's how God loves us. At our most unloveable. God is most loving. Even when we are stressed beyond our breaking point. Even when anxiety seeps from every pore.
God waits for us. Loving us in every moment with a steadfast love we can't ever match. But we can begin to mirror.
I think that's why Nikhil brings me to the lakeside. To help me find God in the reflective waters. To remind me about the steadfast love he needs from me. Knowing I will never match God's patience. But hoping that I will find enough patience to help him quiet his beleaguered spirit.
This is indeed a moment in time that brings unique stresses and strains. For us all. Around the world. And a moment like this. Is also. A perfect time. To wait. To ask God to help us mirror steadfast love.
Not just because steadfast love is a blessing to the others in our lives that we love the most. But because steadfast love. Waiting patiently. Is such a blessing for us too.
When we wait upon the Lord, our strength is renewed. When we wait upon the Lord, our hope is restored. It mounts up with wings like eagles. As we wait upon the Lord, our stamina is refreshed. We can endure without growing exhausted. As we wait upon the Lord, we learn the gift of companionship. Walking with God. So that as we walk with others, we can feel God's presence too.
So can you see him? Waiting for me? In this picture below?
I don't know if our daily walks together are helping Nikhil find peace. Sometimes there are crying children nearby. I worry about the germs. Nikhil worries about the noise.
But I do learn something about steadfast love as we walk together. I am teaching him to be patient and loving with me. And he is teaching me to be patient and loving with him. Actually. As we walk together, I believe. I trust. That God is teaching both of us. One small moment at a time. To wait. On the Lord.
Can you see him there waiting for me? Almost obscured. But present? I focused in a bit more in this picture. He might be easier to see now.
No. I don't mean Nikhil. My son. He is certainly there.
But so is He. I mean the Lord. There. Waiting for me. Waiting anywhere. Waiting everywhere. For me. For you. For Nikhil. For each of us.
Not just in anxious times like these. But. In all times. In all seasons.
I think God heals best. As we learn to wait.
I might need you to remind me of that next time I find myself waiting impatiently at the doctor's office.
Yes. The waiting room. Just may be.
A perfect place to practice.
Waiting. Patience. And.
Steadfast love.
Really. Anywhere is.
Amen.