Rehoboth Views: they that wait ...

In the movie Chariots of Fire, the Scot, Eric Liddell, preaches from the prophet Isaiah during the Sunday of the Paris Olympic games. The text is so familiar -- "yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary" (Isaiah 40:31) It is the marathoner's favorite verse and an encouragement to all who feel that they have given their all.

Recently, I had a chance to hear a friend talk about waiting on the Lord from a different perspective -- it isn't passively setting back and thinking positive thoughts. It is an active wait -- the kind of waiting that a birdwatcher in a blind engages in. You wait prepared, in a chosen place, because you expect to see a remarkable bird. Those sights are never seen by those who are not willing to rise early, to prepare and to set and wait. The reward is that you see what others miss. Photographers know the same truth about sunsets -- they pass quickly and only those who recognize the signs of a glorious sunset ever capture them.

On our return flight from the Dominican Republic, I found myself at Miami International Airport waiting for a flight back to Boston which was delayed because of East Coast weather. The windows faced west and I saw this glimmer in the sky -- there was a sliver of what is called the "golden hour" which back light the control tower. I spent the next half hour taking pictures of the glory that the Father shows us -- it renewed my spirit. If my heavenly Father provides such beauty which, like the lilies of the field, is here today and gone tomorrow, how much more will He show us when we spend eternity with Him! It is the certainty that greater things are coming; and that seeing Jesus face to face is greater than the most amazing moment we shall ever have on this planet continues to excite me.

At the end of the sunset, I saw a sky painted red and gold by my Father's hand -- He rewarded me for waiting upon Him and gave me the object lesson in active waiting. It is all about recognizing the signs of His coming and being ready to join in His work. If you don't look for the first signs of the golden light, you might just be in Starbucks waiting for a coffee when His handiwork is on display. As for me and my house, I want to see His glory -- I can get a cappuccino any day.