“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.” Psalm 130:5 My first dog, as a child, was a cross boxer Rhodesian ridgeback named Nibs. He was like a big brown teddy bear. As a small child I could hang on his neck, pull his ears and ride on his back without so much as a whimper from him.
Like all dogs, Nibs had the habit of begging for food. If I ate a sandwich near him, Nibs would sit patiently by my side drooling while watching my every move in the hope that a crumb or two would drop from the table. If I moved my hand left, with peaked ears, Nibs’ head would move left. If I moved my hand right his head would move right. In fact, he wouldn’t take his eyes off the sandwich in my hand. Nibs would diligently watch with intense anticipation waiting for me to toss him a slice of salami.
I remember one time, not too long ago, I was seeking the Lord about a certain opportunity that had presented itself to me. It was a very exciting opportunity that would benefit many people including me. I was, however, not sure of the timing of the whole prospect. I’d been praying about this opening for some time and was convinced that the Lord wanted me to take the leap. However, the burning question was, “When?” One day, while I was still praying about it, the Lord led me to just these four words in the Bible: “Wait for the Lord.” So, wait I did.
Unbeknown to me there were several elements at work within my prospective opportunity that I was unaware of. I waited and watched like a dog watching every move of his master’s hand. One Sunday morning after church, just a few weeks after I had heard the Holy Spirit whisper those four words to me, God opened the way forward to move into this anticipated new venture. God’s ways are not our ways, and our ways are not God’s ways but he will always watch over his word to perform it.
Perhaps there is a new opportunity presenting itself to you at this time. It could be that you have been hoping and praying about it for a while but you’re uncertain of when to act. Perhaps you’re feeling insecure at taking the plunge, as I did. If that’s you then know this, the Lord is your hope and your certainty. He knows your past from your future and his word to you will bear fruit in his time.
Like a dog watching for a crumb to drop from his master’s hand, set your gaze on his hand and wait for his every move. Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength.