Wait, Wait, Wait ...

I watched Braveheart again recently, what a gripping movie. I have been thinking about William Wallace and his ability to motivate men, to generate reverent loyalty and trust. You may remember the picture to the left, just before this shot Wallace and his men sat still and defenseless awaiting an onslaught of English horsemen rapidly approaching. Wallace can be heard to say 'Wait, Wait, Wait ..." At the last there is provision; long, sharpened sticks are drawn, horses and riders impaled, lives preserved.

To truly follow a man requires a deep trust in his intellect and intentions; an overwhelming sense this his mission and purpose are greater than your own. Has Christ not inspired that loyalty and obedience in His people? Are we not capable of being still facing that onslaught with confidence in His plan? To paraphrase a friend, 'In the midst of a life strewn with hardship, can we remain steadfast and light-hearted? Can we stand and weather the storms of life, keeping our focus on the eternal and not the temporal?'

Scripture floods in to support this stance. Psalm 46:10 'Be still and know that I am God.' Cease striving, bucking, arguing and complaining - be still and know that there will be providence and that His plan is greater than your own. Psalm 27:14 and Psalm 37:7. But especially, Isaiah 40:31, "Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." A promise of divine yet personal intervention in your life to strengthen and empower you not to simply cope but to flourish.

I find this principle most difficult to apply in the secular world. In the face of the world's message to be self reliant, self sufficient and self serving I find that grip on Him so easy to lose. Thankfully, when my grasp slips I will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds my hand. I have been thinking about the Hebrew word Selah that is oft repeated in the Psalms. A rest, a break, a caesura to reflect and contemplate, a time to see and hear what He will do. Can you hear Him whispering, "Wait, wait, wait?" Remain confident that providence will come, forces aligned against you will be disarmed, and your life will be preserved.