Dear Northside
What are you waiting for right now?
Maybe it’s clarity about a decision. A relationship to change. A door to open. A difficult season to end. For many of us, life feels like a series of waiting rooms… and we don’t tend to sit in them very well.
We live in a culture that resists waiting. If something takes too long, we find a faster way. If we feel bored or uncertain, we reach for distractions. Waiting feels inefficient at best, and at worst, like we’re doing something wrong.
But Scripture tells a different story.
If you trace the narrative of the Bible, it’s filled with waiting. Abraham waits for a promised son. Israel waits for deliverance from slavery. David waits to become king. Generations wait for the Messiah. Even after Jesus’s resurrection, His followers must wait for the Spirit, and now we wait for His return.
Waiting isn’t a detour in the story of faith. It’s part of the story itself.
Psalm 27 captures this tension. David writes in the middle of real fear, with enemies surrounding him, uncertainty—maybe even death—pressing in, and yet he ends with this refrain:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (v. 14).
This kind of waiting isn’t passive. It requires strength, and it asks something of us. We’re invited to faithfully remain when we’d rather escape or give up. God asks us to trust in Him when we would rather control our circumstances.
But that’s because God knows that waiting isn’t wasted time. It’s a space where He is able to meet us, comfort us, and prepare us for what’s coming next.
This week, we’re going to explore what it means to wait on the Lord; not as a test to endure, but as an invitation to experience God’s presence, remember His faithfulness, and grow in hope.
Whatever you’re waiting for right now, you are not alone in it.
Reflection:
- What are you currently waiting for?
- How do you typically respond when you feel stuck or delayed?
- What would change if you saw waiting as part of your spiritual formation, not an interruption?
Prayer:
Jesus, we are a waiting people who eagerly anticipate Your return. Sit with me now as I practice patience and await ___________. Bring peace to my restlessness, transform doubt to trust, and help me hear from You in this in-between. And when my waiting ends, fill me with satisfaction and point me toward the day when my faith will be shown true, and You will make all things right. Amen.
As you are aware, we are entering into August, which is an extremely busy month. Thanks to everyone who gave to the Harvest collection last week. Everything we receive, we will give away, with great joy for the glory of God. Stay in touch with us and get involved in some of the things we are doing this month – pray, help financially, attend.
God bless, Pastor Gary