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“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6

Our house has a small front porch with an overhanging roof.  A white column supports one end of the overhang, and several bird families have declared the top of the column to be the best place to build a nest.  Over the years, we’ve had a front row seat for watching our feathered friends build their nests, raise their young, and encourage their fledglings to take their first flight.

A few days ago, we noticed that an old nest built by barn swallows was taken over by a familiar pair of house finch.  The birds spent the day adding twigs and feathers to the muddy nest, and soon the mother bird filled the nest with eggs.  For the next few weeks, the mother bird’s only task is to sit on the eggs and wait for them to hatch.

Not too long after the eggs had been laid, I caught glimpse of a tender act of love: the father bird had brought a worm to the mother bird, and she was delighted!  The father bird knew that the mother bird needed nourishment while she waited.  He provided for her when she needed it the most!

Isn’t that a wonderful picture of God’s love for us?  In our own seasons of waiting, God knows our needs.  He knows that waiting can be long, lonely, and discouraging.  The good news is that if we put our hope in God, He will give us refreshment while we wait.

In Psalm 130:5, the author states that while he waits on the Lord, he puts his hope in God’s word.  The Bible tells us that God gives us strength when we are weak (Isaiah 40:31), He gives us rest when we are weary (Matthew 11:28-30), He turns our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11), and He gives us a citizenship in Heaven (Philippians 3:20-21).  All of these promises provide such sweet nourishment during our seasons of waiting!

Not only does the psalmist put his hope in God’s word, he compares waiting to a watchman who waits for the morning.  During biblical times, watchmen guarded a city at night for potential threats.  They stayed up all night long waiting for the dawn, for they knew that the sun was guaranteed to rise.  In Psalm 130:6, the psalmist stated that he waited on God more than watchmen waited for the morning.  In other words, he really believed that God would do what he said he would do!  May we learn to wait on God as if we are watchmen expecting the dawn, knowing that God’s word is true.

“Lord, help us turn to You and Your word during times of waiting.  Teach us to wait with expectant hope, so that we can receive Your refreshment.”
For His Glory

Aubrey Carrales
TRBC Women’s Life