Weight of Wait

Wait patiently for the LORD.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

My coach had a challenging method for building strength.  You would “max out” and that weight was the basis of your lifting workouts.  You would lift 50% of the weight 10 times, then lift 2 sets of 5 lifts of 70% and finally 2 sets of 5 of 80% of that weight.  After 2 weeks we would “max out” and change our lifting weights based on the new maximum.  The maximum weight that I could lift increased substantially over the course of my time in high school.  When I began to exercise as an adult I used the same method.  Surprising to me the method worked just as well 20 years later.  Weight is useful if we let it be.

It seems fitting to me that the words “wait” and “weight” are related words as homophones.  I think they are more alike than their sounds.  Waiting to me is a very heavy weight from lifting.  A large, crushing weight that I can’t wait to get out from other.  But, like in physical exercise, wait can have a great purpose for building strength.

The LORD calls us to “wait patiently”.  He does not tell us why, but I think that this waiting can be a strengthening of faith.  David begins this psalm by stating, "The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?"  It is also fitting that the “light” of weight and the “light” of a candle are related words as homographs.  If I focus on the LORD as my light and salvation the weight of waiting is made light.  He strengthens my faith by the weight of waiting.

  1. What wait are you lifting?
  2. Are you letting God strengthen your faith?


--Zine Smith

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