Is Waiting a Waste of Time? by Nancy Lucenay

Is Waiting a Waste of Time?

by Nancy Lucenay

“They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”

(Isaiah 40:31, ESV).

I insisted on visiting the four-hundred-year-old Tree of Life, so my patient husband hired a taxi to take us into the Arabian Desert. The address, “Dirt Road to Tree of Life, Jebel Dukhan, Bahrain,” didn’t sound promising. Nevertheless, after meandering for several hours, the driver delivered the prize. I climbed out to take a picture but struggled to balance amid the shifting sand, soul-shaking wind, and searing sun. How could anything green survive here?

The thirty-two-foot-tall evergreen enjoys abundant sunlight and air, but scientists can’t explain how it survives without rainfall. Some speculate the tree’s roots have tapped into an undiscovered underground water supply, which explains its continued growth in non-life-sustaining conditions.

Sometimes, my writing journey looks more like that twisting desert drive than the discovery of a tree that thrives. Despite my anxiety, inspiration continues to elude me. Can you relate?

Like the Tree of Life, we have a hidden reservoir, the living water of the Holy Spirit Jesus promised to believers. Our work suffers if we allow anything—stress, schedules, or even success—to block our connection with him. A writing partnership with God depends on the free flow of his Spirit. Desert seasons invite us to search for his presence and activity.

Isaiah assures us we can experience a closeness to God that enables us to fulfill his purpose. Still, we can’t afford to overlook the provisional nature of the prophet’s promise. To receive the strength, we must meet the requirement. We need to wait on God—not a passive sit-back-and-hope-to-be-wowed wait, but an aggressive pursue-God-with-all-your-heart wait. To focus on him with an unshakeable hope in his perfect judgment and timing. To lean into his realignment or redirection.

God never wastes time. What he accomplishes in us while we wait is often more life-changing than what we’re waiting for. He promises to empower us to soar with eagles, run without weariness, and walk without exhaustion. He is everything we need.

Is he waiting for you to wait on him?

Here I am, Lord, waiting for you in silence and stillness yet ready to act. I cannot control your response or timing but rest in your faithfulness. Like the rising sun, you come when conditions are right. Please reveal and remove anything in me that blocks your work. I surrender to your wisdom and ways and trust your loving care. Amen.