Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. NIV
Wait and hope. Two words.
Interestingly, according to my concordance, wait and hope are synonyms.
The Hebrew word for “wait” here, means “to hope in.” It also means, “to hope for, long for, put trust in, wait expectantly and wait eagerly.” And, the Hebrew word for “hope,” means, “to wait for, put hope in, expect.”
That got me thinking … do “wait” and “hope” mean the same things to us in 2010?
They don’t.
Dictionary.com lists 18 definitions for the word, “wait,” but the word, “hope” is not among them. The most common synonyms listed there are, “await, linger, abide, and delay,” and the first definition is, “to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens: to wait for the bus to arrive.” Similarly, the definition for “hope,” does not include the word, “wait.”
But for David, waiting and hoping were inextricably linked … and he was waiting for the LORD, for Yahweh, for the one true God.
I will not wait for God as one waits for a bus, or for a doctor’s appointment. I will not occupy my time by worrying, or by being frustrated or impatient.
I will wait for God as David waited … with hope, with trust, with expectancy.
I will keep David’s perspective. God, Yahweh, the Maker of the Universe cares for me. He has a plan for my life. I don’t know what it is, but I know that it is immeasurably better than any plan I might devise on my own.
Today, I wait in expectation for what’s next.
365 Days of Peace 
What a fabulous insight (as usual!)
Indeed today’s ‘waiting’ has no hope in it. It tends to be a waiting for a handout, a bailout, a hand-up; something someone else will do for me or to me.
The waiting you descibe, full of hope, is not a disengagement but an engagement. We are involved in the process–like waiting on tables. We’re not waiting for someone else to do something because, of course, Someone has already done something! We’re waiting for instructions.
Sorry, this is your blog. Getting carried away here.
Take care.
No, no, you’re right! We’re waiting on instructions! I love that … Psalm 132:2 says, “Like servants, alert to their master’s commands, like a maiden attending her lady, we’re watching and waiting, holding our breath, awaiting your word of mercy,” MSG. I knew that this was a piece of the puzzle, but, I couldn’t make it fit … it’s what you said … we’re waiting on instructions! I’ll have to think about that today, too.
Thanks for this!