When I think of the word renew, I think of something I can do. I can renew a library book or marriage vows. Renew means to take action—to make like new, or to begin again.
Except when renew means to wait.
My word for this year is renew. God chose it for me and when He shared it with me, I knew it meant He would be the One to do the renewing.
It is totally in God’s character to bring renewal to His children and in the details of our lives. However, it’s not so much in my character to wait…but I’m learning.
When God says He will renew, I believe He means it. It also means He will decide what He makes new, when, and how. He will make it happen—His way and in His time.
It means I must wait. Patiently.
My Tyndale NLT Study Bible defines it this way:
“Wait (v) – to look forward expectantly; to stay in place in expectation of.”
I’m reminded that waiting does not mean doing nothing.
In this case, I’m looking forward to watching what God will do. I’m not rushing ahead, trying to bring about renewal on my own, because then it won’t be what God has planned. Instead, it will be what I think needs to be done, when and how I see fit.
From experience, I know that never works out so well.
So, I wait. I stay where God has me right now, watching and listening for the moment He says it’s time to move.
I trust God to bring restoration and make areas of my life new again. And for this reason, I wait patiently. (Or at least I’m trying to.)
I recently read a verse in Habakkuk that I keep going back to.
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)
God’s promise for renewal is for a future time—a time only He knows. God’s timing is not my timing, which means it might feel like a long wait. But it will happen. In God’s perfect time.
Does God have you in a place of waiting right now?
What does waiting mean to you?
A daughter of the King, saved by His grace, Laura writes to encourage women in their walk with Christ. She is a wife, mother, writer, blogger, and works in church ministry. Laura shares stories of her faith journey on her blog Laura Rath - Journey in Faith, and is a regular contributor for 5 Minutes for Faith and LifeNotes. You can also find her on Twitter @LauraJRath and Facebook.