The Weight of Waiting - Turning Wait into Hope

The last weeks and months have been filled with waiting... After Mom's death we came to the decision to sell the home place. As the word circulated, there seemed to be some interest. One party came to look and our hopes soared. They wanted to make an offer but they were also waiting on their place to sell. We waited and waited and finally decided to go ahead and list it. But even that came with lots of questions/decisions that didn't seem easy to answer. And then another party showed up that seemed interested but they, too, needed to sell their place first. We gave them a week to get back with an answer.

I got up that morning with a sense of excitement. This is the day! That long awaited offer on our place, that we were hopeful would be one we could accept. It was hard to concentrate on other things. I came home from work and there still was no word. My sister and I sat down to eat supper, ears tuned for that call or doorbell ringing. No answer seemed forthcoming. Maybe they forgot, I thought, or don't have an answer ready. Just sitting around didn't seem very productive so we decided to go down to the basement and work on packing. After awhile we heard banging upstairs. Ann dashed up the stairs just in time to catch the guy we had been waiting for. I anxiously waited as they stood outside talking. After what seemed a very long time, she slowly walked back in and said, "He didn't make an offer. They need more time." There didn't seem to be much more to say. Disappointment seeped in and I felt this weight settle over me, the "weight of waiting".

As I was talking to God later He reminded me of this verse:

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah. 40:31 KJV

And I thought, That doesn't sound like me at all. I feel just the opposite - tired and weary and weighed down. Just then I was reminded of the NIV version that says:

"But those who hope in the Lord..."

And God said to me, "If you change the "wait" to "hope" you won't be weighed down." (Hope is the confident expectation of good.)

Suddenly things looked brighter and I felt strength returning. My hope is in God and He's got this! He is turning all things for good.

He wants to do it for you, too. Let Him turn your "wait/weight" into "hope".

Still waiting (with hope),
Pauline