The waiting

by Chanda Canup

But those who wait on 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 (NKJV)

“I love to wait.  I love not knowing what to write or where to begin the first sentence.  I love backspacing over the first word a million times.  That palpable silence of the mind that stills my pen is something I treasure — something I long for.”

Yes, I’m kidding.

We as writers are no different than anyone else when it comes to waiting, are we?  Last week I noticed the slight brush of that very auspicious thing we call inspiration.  The idea toyed with me all day, vague and mysterious, as I sat biting my pen and straining to put it down.  Waiting, waiting, waiting.  I waited all day and nothing came to fruition — not even the first paragraph.  I slumped in my seat and pouted and gave up again, proclaiming myself NOT a writer.  And then this verse came to mind.

Instead of balking stubbornly in those blank moments, instead of determining to plow ahead with nothing but what I can scrape from the bottom, how about instead I determine to wait?  Who says I have to rush this thing?  (Well, unless it’s NanoWriMo time.)  Who says whatever I have leftover after the work day, the school day, or the day that never seems to end is what I must begin with?  As believers, we are not limited to waiting on some ambiguous muse and her fickle attentions.  We have the Holy Spirit of the God of the Universe to call upon, and we must believe that He who created and formed us knows us in intimate detail.  He has given us this wonderful gift to use in His service, and He has vast treasures laid up to unlock for us when we ask.  And in that place of rest, we can get to know the Author of our lives in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Waiting for that first stroke to begin today?   Try waiting on Him instead.  Ask Him what He wills you to write.  Ask Him what plan He has in store.  He has so much to give, so much to seek, so much to find; sometimes all we need to do is wait.