Chris Bailey III - Hoping (Usually) Means Waiting

Even in an age of instant cake mix and cakes in a cup, how many of us want to celebrate life's milestones with a cake made in a microwave? Wedding cakes don't make you any more married, but they speak to the special place of the occasion. The more time and effort put into the cake, the more valuable it is to the wedding party. Could hope work (or wait) the same way?

Hoping usually means waiting...

​Psalm 39:7 KJV — And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in Thee.

We cannot deny the wait element in the hope process.  We usually associate hope as the power that keeps us moving.  But more often than not, Scripture reveals hope as the power that also keeps us still.  

Psalm 130:5 KJV — I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope.

Being still is a learned behavior.  Just ask any early elementary teacher or VBS volunteer.  As such, it's a strength that is not just a matter of doing nothing, but is willing to wait and let the LORD God Almighty do the working, and for Him to do it in His own time.  The clock of hope in the believer is not an aimless stopwatch, but more like a timer set to the movements of God's all-loving heart and all-powerful hand.  So keep waiting!

Lamentations 3:26 KJV — It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.