Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.   Isaiah 40:31

Some years ago I realized that I was spending a good deal of my week just waiting: in lines, in offices, in traffic. In fact, I had grown accustomed to waiting — but had done nothing to use that time for something constructive.  Waiting, however, does not have to be the same as doing nothing. I realized that waiting could also be an opportunity to turn attention toward higher ideals or God. I began to use waiting time as an opportunity to read, to pray, or to meditate.  In our fast-paced world, we often feel we don’t have time to wait, though we do a lot of it. Our concern should not be about waiting but rather about what we can do while we wait.

The prophet Isaiah said that in waiting on God we find renewed strength. When we turn our attention to God, we discover that our inner self is refreshed. God inhabits not only our active times but our quiet spaces as well. We increase our strength when we rest in the presence of God. 

Dear God, help us anytime we wait to wait with you. Renew our strength as we spend time with you. We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.