Waiting Patiently

Just below the bridge over the River North Tyne, close to where we live, the river goes over a weir. We often see a heron standing in the rushing water. You could so easily miss him; he stands so still, just waiting. He’s never in a hurry. Until, that is, he sees a fish close enough to catch. His neck straightens. A moment of tension and then, like lightening he strikes. He seldom misses. Lunch at last! He may have been very still, but he was also very alert.

I find it so hard to wait patiently. There’s something in me that, when I decide I want something, I want it now.

But God always has the right time, not my time but His. My part is to wait for it and to be alert enough to grasp what He’s giving me at His moment. Waiting doesn’t mean being passive or fatalistic. The heron isn’t active in the sense of rushing around doing things. But he is vigilant, poised for the moment of action.

The heron knows where to wait and makes sure he’s in the right place. If I’m going to get hold of what God has for me, I need to be at the right place and I need to be alert, ready for His moment.

Being in the right place – that’s one key thing. The right place is always where He is; with Him. The heron knows that there is a place where he can always see the fish clearly; and, as I stand with God, I’ll always be able to see clearly what He wants me to see. I think I often expect God to come with me where I have decided to go. But I’ll only grasp what He wants me to have if I go with Him where He wants to go.

Being alert – that’s the other important thing. It’s so easy, isn’t it, to doze off spiritually when it seems as though not much is happening. Are my spiritual senses awake? Am I seeing what my Father wants me to see, and hearing what He wants me to hear? And when the moment comes, will I be ready to take hold of what He wants me to grasp?

The heron stands in the water as it rushes over the weir. And, as all the busyness of life rushes by, am I in the right place and alert for that special thing that God wants me to grasp today?

Prayer: Father, thank You for all You have promised me. Today I put my hope in Your promises. Help me, today, to stay close to You. Open my eyes to see what You have for me that I may receive it into my life. Amen.