“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6

Wait, because our hope is in the Lord. I love verses that encourage us to trust God. But, I have been confused by some of them, especially the ones that say “wait and hope”. Wait sounds like sitting around, doing nothing. Hope sounds like wishing things are going to be ok. This kind of thinking takes some of the encouragement out of our verses.
Waiting in silence seems like a punishment. We wait in line. We wait for people to show up. We wait for the microwave to heat up yesterday’s coffee. We can’t speed the process or get the ball rolling. We are stuck in a situation that we would rather not be in, and would change if possible. We view waiting as a form of torture to be endured.
As we wait in silence, we wish things were different. Hope is just a desire for things to be as we imagine them. We hope for pleasant weather for the weekend zoo trip. We hope to have enough money left over after bills to buy new shoes. We hope things will work out well for a sick friend. We wait, unable to do anything, dreaming for a good outcome. Is this actually what God meant? I don’t think so.
Recently, I read this quote. “Until the day when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, Wait and hope.” (Alexandre Dumas from The Count of Monte Cristo) This led me to believe that the concept of wait and hope that fills our modern minds must not be a historically accurate thought. I started studying.
I found a good Biblical definition of waiting. “Being prepared to patiently look towards God for his guidance and accepting the timing he proposes. Waiting on God can lead to an atmosphere of expectation and confidence in God and a realisation of the unreliability of one’s own judgment.” Another thing I discovered was that waiting on God is not a passive activity. It is an active choice to trust God for His timing. It is placing His will and desire above our own. It is a choice of love and an act of worship. It is like waiting for someone you adore to come home from a long trip, although it still requires patience there is an eagerness and excitement in the waiting.
Hope is the eagerness and excitement that we have. We know and are confident that our loved one will come home as promised, so we hope for the moment to come quickly. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary hope is “to desire with expectation of obtainment”. With this in mind, the above verses have a whole new meaning..
With my incorrect view, I would have thought the above verses meant, Be quiet and sit around until God gives you an idea that you can wish will happen soon. With my new understanding, I now think it means, Choose to rest quietly as you look with eager expectation to the future, knowing that God is going to care for us.

Thank you Lord for the hope that you give to me. You have made promises that I know you will keep. I wait in eager anticipation for fulfillment of all you have promised. Thank you that the hope you give is more than just wishful thinking. I am glad I learned that waiting in you is an active choice to rest in your promises, confident of their fulfillment.