Waiting in the Dark

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.

Psalm 130:5

We’ve recently noticed how much our dog is losing his eyesight, especially when he comes in from lying out on the back patio in the sun.  Jake loves surveying his own little personal Ponderosa.  But when he comes in the house he’ll walk right into a pillow that’s been left on the floor or into a piece of furniture.  Or he’ll come in and just stand there, looking lost, as if he’s waiting for his eyes to adjust to the indoor light again. 

I let him in after his sunbath today and he did just that--stood there looking dazed, confused and thoroughly lost, not knowing which way to go.  There was nothing I could do but I wanted him to feel safe and not so alone.  So I sat down with him, pet him reassuringly and asked him, in a voice I reserve just for cute little babies and Jake, if he wanted me to wait with him until he could see again. And I did.  We sat there together, waiting, until his vision returned.

That is what the Lord does for us.  

There are times when the trials of our lives make us feel like everything around us is dark and we don’t know where our next steps should be.  What we could see the day before, those things that used to make sense, no longer make sense.  A fog descends around all logic and no answers come.  Even God may be silent.  And all there is to do is wait. 

Waiting seems to be the hardest thing to do.  The time ticks by like dog years and if the wait is long enough it can seem almost unbearable.  The pressure to do something, anything, can become overwhelming as our logic wants to take over. But waiting does not imply doing nothing.  When we wait on the Lord we are hoping, we are trusting, and we are growing as we learn to put all our faith in our Lord and in Him alone.   

So when darkness comes we wait for God to show us the way again--where to plant our next steps, which road to take, which decisions to make.  We wait for Him to give us insight into what to do next.

And while we wait, God sits with us.  He sits patiently by our side, loving us and calming our fears until we can see again.  He waits with us until the path is ready to be revealed, until the way has been cleared, until the events are lined up, until the other person is ready, until…

And when the time is just right, the fog is lifted, the light invades the darkness, and He gives us the vision for the thing He has prepared for and known about all along.  Some answers may come in this life, and some, not until the next.  But they will come.  And until then, He is there.  And since we always need sight for something new, He is always with us.  So take His hand and wait with Him until you can see again. 

Q&A:

Do you wait patiently for God to show you what to do next or do you have a tendency to try to run ahead in the dark?