On a visit to a small village high up in the Swiss alps some years ago, I was fortunate enough to visit the Anglican church there. The plain, simple interior highlighted the beautiful east window which depicted the majestic form of an eagle in flight. Words etched above the glass come from a passage in the book of the prophet Isaiah: ‘those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles…’
Sometimes it’s so hard to wait. Think of a child on the eve of a birthday treat. Think of someone waiting at an airport or railway station, eagerly anticipating the arrival of a loved one. Or think of a patient waiting and perhaps fearing the results of tests, or the outcome of a medical procedure. Waiting can be difficult and painful – a fear of the unknown can be worse than the reality when it is finally revealed.
But faith often takes us into unknown places where we are no longer certain of the old familiar paths. Things that used to work for us once upon a time have let us down; the tried and trusted no longer delivers – suddenly we’re out of our comfort zone.
But God tells us to be patient. We have to wait on the Lord – to allow His time to be our time. There is an Irish saying: ‘when God made time, He made plenty of it.’ In a society and age where everything has to happen at once, where instant gratification is the buzz phrase, it can be hard to have to wait. The Christian church is now in the season of Lent, a time of discipline and self-examination. It is also a time of waiting. We journey through a kind of wilderness time as winter’s grip still holds us in its clasp but the days lengthen and spring truly does draw on. (The word ‘Lent’ comes from the old word ‘Lencten’, meaning ‘a lengthening of days.’) It can be helpful to take a look at our lives and think again about just where we need to let God take charge – let him into our lives so that he can be our guide, inspiration and help. For, if we really let him – if we wait on his timescale and not ours – God truly will raise us up as though ‘on wings like eagles’.
