The Wait

During one of my morning rides to work, I was listening to an audio book about “Waiting on God” and the author gave an analogy that has stuck ever since.

He described a scenario between two trapeze artists in a circus. There’s a very special relationship between the flyer and the catcher on a trapeze. True to their names, the flyer is the one who has to let go for the catcher to catch him. As he glides high above the crowd, a moment comes when he must let go of himself and arch out of his swing, remaining as still as possible while also waiting for the strong hands of the catcher to pluck him from the air. The flyer must never try to catch the catcher or align himself with him but must stay perfectly still and in absolute trust that the catcher’s arms are ready to catch him.

I heard this at a time in my life when I wondered if I was doing the right things, praying the right way or if God was just not interested in answering some of my prayers. This illustrated the act of waiting on God, filled with nothing but trust. Waiting to be caught, not trying to wiggle my way into His plans by doing the “right” things to be noticed but just waiting in stillness.

As humans, we tend to get carried away by our prayers and what we want them to do for us but one of the things I have learnt and am still learning is what prayer does to us while in the waiting room. God’s work in us in those moments is just as important as what we are waiting for. He is a God of order, process and timing.

As we hold on for the fulfilment of His promises, it’s important that we pay attention to the waiting process as a preparatory step for what is to come. Waiting with an open and expectant heart; waiting to be caught by Him.