Wait....

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. ~Psalm 27:14

There are several definitions for the word wait.
The first in the line up is: "to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens"....but I'm not sure that that is the wait in Psalm 27.

I think that David means a more cheerful waiting, (not just sitting around grumpily drumming your fingers) like these:

5. "to look forward to eagerly. (I'm just waiting for the day I get to go to the Zoo!)

7. "Archaic . (of things) to be in readiness for; be reserved for; await." (Or I guess, The Zoo day is here, and I've got the lunch packed, and I'm just waiting for the actual departure time.)

10. an act or instance of waiting or awaiting; delay; halt: a wait at the border. (We're all piled into the hot car, and you had a flat, or someone had to make a pit-stop...but the wait is not too bad because you know that sooner or later you will be on the road headed to the Zoo again!)

11. a period or interval of waiting: There will be a long wait between trains. (Expectancy- the Zoo is on the other side of this hour+ long road trip!!!!)

12. Theater- as in the time between two acts, scenes, or the like. (You have seen the Elephants and the line to the Monkeys is soooo long! But you know that the Monkeys are worth the wait.)

I put it to you these latter ways of waiting are examples of how we should wait.

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If you think about it~ we do or will do a lot of waiting in our lives. We wait to see what God's plan is for our lives. (I can't wait to see the big picture of what He has planned for me!)

Waiting to be "big enough" to do something. Wait to turn 10 years old, learning to play an instrument, to learn to drive, to vote, to turn 21. Waiting for reconciliation in the family. To mature, for Friends, for Dinner. For trips to the Zoo. Waiting for the opportunity to go on a mission trip, for job opportunities (jobs or promotions or even just doing what you want to earn a living). For Prince Charming, for THE proposal, for the Wedding. Waiting for your spouse to land a job, for children (your own or adoption)....and it all starts again.
For your Children to mature. Waiting for your Children to marry and to have their own children...

I'm not saying that I have this waiting thing down~ far from it! But I am saying that I think that Wait & Trust is essentially the same thing....or at least they go hand in hand.

So next time you are in a hard spot- ask yourself and God, "Am I waiting with a cheerful heart? Am I waiting with expectancy? Am I trusting God with my life? Do I really believe that He has the perfect plans for me and will bring them about in His perfect time? Am I acting like I trust Him?". Feel free to challenge me on this~ I need all the help I can get! =)

There are plenty of things to do as you wait for your trip to the Zoo- you can plan your outfit, you can look at maps and plan a schedule for the day, and you can plan your lunch menu, too!

And of course there are things you can do while you are waiting for God's plans to unfold (or "to see the Monkeys")~ put your old man to death, build your character, and really, it can't hurt to "plan your outfits". Remember all kinds of people are watching you~ all the time.

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Have you heard the Judy Rogers song "Trust in The Lord"? Here it is:

Trust in Him~ Wait on Him. His plans are worth the wait. =)
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(Waiting for the Monkeys- I'll have to remember that line!)