“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope.”

Psalm 130:5

Another Christmas season has come and gone. All of the anticipation and excitement has gone away and many now turn their attention to the future. What will come next? What will this next year look like? As we head into the new year, many of us find ourselves thinking back and evaluating our past year and setting some new goals.

This in-between time can be a profitable time for a much needed heart check as well. Let’s choose to take this opportunity right here and now to invite the Holy Spirit into our mess to help us sort, rearrange, cut, add, and clean out our souls. Take a moment and ask yourself, what am I waiting for this next year? What am I currently placing my hope in?

Wait

The word used for “wait” in this verse means “to look eagerly”. That’s an action! I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “wait”, I think to myself, that must mean I need to pause and quietly endure not having an answer or resolution for an unknown period of time. To shut down all feelings and thoughts and become inactive about something until it happens….like a kid waiting for a lollipop after a visit to the doctor.

But, as I dove into the meaning of the word used in this verse, this familiar word took on a whole new direction and meaning. To give an example of what it means to look eagerly for something, picture a woman in labor waiting for her baby to arrive. No one knows exactly when that baby will make his/her entrance into the world. So, while she is waiting, she is preparing and planning. The baby is coming. That is certain and there are things that can be done during the waiting period.

We should take this approach in our spiritual lives as we wait for the Lord. Staying active in our faith journey will help us wait well! For this next year, consider committing to a devoted time of prayer each day, or take up journaling. Invite a friend or spouse to do a reading plan on the Bible App.

Hope

Another key word from this verse in Psalms is the word “hope”. How do we build our hope in the Word? By reading the Word of God, which is filled with messages from the Lord directly to us. We can find hope within the stories and letters and in the person of Jesus. The word used for “hope” in this verse is a word that means “to cause hope”. In other words, His Word will cause us to have hope when we read it!

To recap, waiting for the Lord is something that requires us to take action. Hope comes from reading the Word. Likewise, as we place our Hope in His Word, our soul will “wait” or “look eagerly” for the Lord. This can be applied to every situation in our lives. When our hope is placed in a God that never fails, our soul has no choice but to experience peace and joy in waiting for whatever comes next. Plans are great, but be sure to make plans with the Lord!

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Let this next year be filled with Hope as you look eagerly to hear from Him!

- Jessica Ritchie, Worship Leader