Waiting for God, We Are Saved by Hope

I’ve chosen for my Scriptural focus a portion of the passage from Isaiah:

“…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” (Isaiah 40:30-31).

Waiting for the Lord. What does that mean?

Some years ago Samuel Beckett wrote a play called “Waiting for Godot.” It’s an existentialist play about two homeless men who are waiting for someone they call Godot. They cannot help waiting for Godot. They’re not quite sure why they’re waiting for him and they wonder if he’ll ever come. While they wait, they encounter a master who cruelly whips a slave. The play is a bleak, tragicomic allegory of human cruelty and hopelessness, filled with the disorientation that comes from trying to live without God. One character even takes off his shoes because his feet hurt. They are two human spirits, weary and faint of heart, waiting for God without realizing it. Let’s listen to a little bit of the dialogue (act out the dialogue or show a clip on DVD):

VLADIMIR:

Suppose we repented.

ESTRAGON:

Repented what?

VLADIMIR:

Oh . . . (He reflects.) We wouldn't have to go into the details.

ESTRAGON:

Our being born?

VLADIMIR:

VLADIMIR:

(Vladimir breaks into a hearty laugh, which he immediately stifles, his hand pressed to his pubis, his face contorted.)

One daren't even laugh any more.

ESTRAGON:

Dreadful privation.

VLADIMIR:

Merely smile. (He smiles suddenly from ear to ear, keeps smiling, ceases as suddenly.) It's not the same thing. Nothing to be done. (Pause.) Gogo.

ESTRAGON:

(irritably). What is it?

VLADIMIR:

Did you ever read the Bible?

ESTRAGON:

The Bible . . . (He reflects.) I must have taken a look at it.

VLADIMIR:

Do you remember the Gospels?

ESTRAGON:

I remember the maps of the Holy Land. Coloured they were. Very pretty…

At the end of two acts, the men do not repent. They know next to nothing about the Scriptures that illustrate for us who God is and show us the value of waiting for Him, relying on Him, putting our hope in the Lord. They are modern “everymen” trying to live without God. Listen to the sacred wisdom so that the eyes of your own heart may be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18) and your faith renewed.

Isaiah: God is Wind Beneath Your Wings

Isaiah, the prophet, speaks to the Hebrews when they have returned from exile in Babylon, when the struggle to rebuild is challenging their resolve as a community (Isaiah 40:21-31). Seeing that they are losing sight of themselves as God’s people, the prophet speaks, encouraging them not to turn away from their only hope. God is the wind beneath their eagle wings, the strength that helps them overcome weariness. The presence of the Lord is as close as the winds that blow. Breathe in the fresh air of the Lord. Let the oxygen of our God and Creator fill your lungs and renew your spirit. And praise the Lord for the Jews who preserved this sacred text for the encouragement of all who suffer from traumas of social isolation. We can be refreshed by the Spirit of the Lord against the traumas that hit us—terrorist attack, natural disasters, threats to our democratic freedoms, and even the mundane hassles of daily life that threaten to wear us down by their sheer banality. The Psalmist adds encouraging words: The Lord heals the brokenhearted, binds our wounds, and lifts up the downtrodden. God’s love is steadfast (Psalm 147).

Paul’s Encouragement: Hope Poured into Our Hearts

The Apostle Paul provides another example of encouragement and direction to the members of the new community in Christ at Corinth (1 Corinthians). This letter is a glimpse into a conversation revealing real problems; people are arguing about how to live together. They have newfound knowledge in Christ as the source of salvation, but some think they have superior knowledge and are puffing themselves up over their spiritual virtuosity. (I must admit that my heart is “strangely warmed,” knowing that there was no Paradise in the early church. Questions about how we’re supposed to live our lives in Christ arose from the very beginning. We’re not unique in having these sorts of disagreements today!)

Paul asks his followers to model themselves after him, as he is in turn imitating Christ. We can benefit from his counsel. Paul instructs, by the power of God through Jesus Christ, that we disciples find people where they are and engage them in the transforming message that God is steadfast, ever present (). We may turn to Him in deep meditative breathing, prayer, community worship, social justice ministry, listening to sacred texts—the means of grace are numerous. People all around us need models of repentance, examples of people turning their lives around—people like you, finding hope in God. We are saved by hope, which God has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit ().

Let’s add a third act to that play. Go, witness to the Good News—make disciples. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 147).