Heron

The Heron waits

................In the early morning light, the heron perches

.................................At the right time, he won’t miss his prey

.......................................................His beak will make it’s mark

...................................................................................His family will be fed

.........................................................................................................But for now he waits

And I wait

..................In the morning light with scurrying clouds

..................................As the first rains of winter refresh the city

......................................................Repaint the sky with a new translucence

......................................................................................And I wait

......................................................................................................What will God say to me today?

It's amazing, isn't it, how much of our relationship with God has to do with waiting. Waiting for difficulties to be sorted out, waiting for a relationship to develop, waiting for answers, waiting for breakthroughs, waiting for deliverance. And sometimes just waiting to hear in the silence.

I find that whenever I come down here to the edge of the River Tejo, the word to me always seems to be "wait". Maybe it's because I often see the heron there. Always still. Always silent. Always waiting. So God says. Wait for the appointed time. Wait for what I have in store for you. Wait for me to act. Or in the words of Habbakuk Chap 2.

1 I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and how he will answer my complaint.

The LORD's Answer

2 Then the LORD replied:
the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay

Learnt a new word in Portuguese this week - "demorar". It kind of means to delay or more correctly "to take time over". You use it to say how long it takes to get from A to B. So maybe it's not quite about being late, or getting behind schedule - it's just whatever time is needed, that's the time it will take. In Habakkuk’s words, “linger” is translated by this word in the Portuguese Bible, so that while it might appear to be taking a lot of time, don’t worry, it will not be one minute later or one minute earlier than God has intended.

And that’s how it is with so much of what he does. We get impatient, we want to move ahead, but when God acts, it’s always at the right time, never a moment too soon never a moment too late. Teach me Lord to have the patience of a heron for all that you have in store for me.