Waiting with Hope

On Friday, I had four hours of Zoom calls, so it was important for me to get up and move around whenever I had a break. After my third call, I went outside to get some fresh air.

I was barefoot, as is usually the case when I am at home. The concrete was cool and bumpy beneath my feet. As I stood on the porch, I started to register all of the bird song around me. I had my phone in my pocket, so I opened the Merlin app and started recording to see what birds would pop up. Instantly, four or five different birds showed up on my screen, each sound so unique and identifiable.

I recorded for about 5 minutes, during which 10 different birds were identified around me. I could only see a couple of them; most of them were hidden in the trees or maybe even streets away from me. I ended up leaving the porch and standing on the driveway so I could get a better look.

On our neighbor's roof, a Carolina Wren was perched on the peak, chirping away. It seemed perfectly carefree, unbothered by anything happening around it. I stood and watched it for a few minutes, wondering what it would feel like to be that free.

Then, something else stood out to me as my app recorded various bird sounds. Once it hears a bird, a little picture pops up to show you what that bird looks like. That day, I saw a picture of a Painted Bunting. It was so colorful, and I wished it would appear in my yard immediately. If you are familiar with the app, you know that it highlights whichever bird is singing. I kept watching to see if it would pick up its sound again. It never did.

I don't know if the app heard something that tricked it into thinking it was a Painted Bunting, or if it actually heard one before the bird moved on out of range.

It made me think about hearing God's voice. Sometimes it is so clear, much like my wren, recognizable, identifiable, sure, and yet at other times it is like my mysterious Painted Bunting, a whisper, so quiet you aren't even sure you heard right. Sometimes you know without a doubt the invitation and other times you lean in, and lean in again, waiting, wondering what did you say?

There are many gifts that come from our access to recorded Scripture, but one of them is that we have these words that tell us who God is and help us recognize God's voice day by day. We have examples of people knowing God's invitation, direction, correction, and love so clearly, and we have examples of people waiting for years, decades, or generations to confirm the still small voice that seemed like a whisper from the past.

Maybe today there is something you are waiting to hear. Maybe your heart is longing for answers, clarity, next steps, and God seems quiet or even far away. If that is true, I just want you to know you are not alone.

And, I want to offer a glimmer of hope.

Even in the waiting, the wondering, the longing, the not yet, may we be reminded we are never alone.

God is with us,
hears us,
loves us, 
goes before us, 
carries us, 
strengthens us, 
shelters us, 
anchors us.

May these truths buoy us, no matter what our waiting brings. 


~ Melissa