The lesson from the Hebrew scriptures today in the Revised Common Lectionary is familiar and much loved:
Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their
strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
The possibility of being worn out and worn down and being renewed is a wonderful thought to work with. And the image of that eagle, riding an updraft, is iconic.
We're told in this Isaiah passage that those who wait soar.
Wait, as it's used here, is a verb. It's a perfect yin yang kind of verb. Patient and Active.
The Gospel for today tells about Jesus going home with Peter and Andrew. Healing their sick mother. Meeting the needs of all the neighbors who come seeking help.
Then it shows how Jesus waits on God and is renewed.
First...he sleeps.
Then he gets up early.
Next he walks out to a deserted place.
Then he converses with God.
Out of this sacred time of 'waiting on God' comes discernment. Peter and Andrew, James and John find Jesus--tell him how many other of the town's people are already gathering, needing his wisdom, his prayers, his healing.
Jesus says, "We need to move on. Other people have needs, too. It's crucial that the experience of God's love and concern gets spread widely."
When we wait on the Lord, we can get clear guidance. The discernment Jesus sought was gut-wrenching. And clear. And renewing.
If we just wait for God passively, we can wait a very long time without discernment or renewing. But if we do it something like Jesus did, we might, in one way in another, catch an updraft every morning.
