Pat Mingarelli
[Originally published as Waiting for Longs]
Catching a Vision
Do enjoy waiting? Or are you like me and find it difficult?
Sometimes God puts us in a position of waiting. He usually has reasons. The story behind this photo may shed a little on God working in our waiting.
The Story Behind the Wait
In the darkness of the early morning my friend Steve and I headed out of our cabin. Inside our wives and my kids stayed fast asleep.
The day before, the six of us enjoyed a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park’s Wild Basin area. As we drove along Colorado’s Highway 7, we passed a grove of brilliant yellow aspen trees pressed against the granite backdrop of Mount Meeker and Longs Peak.
Seeing those trees, I caught a vision for the above landscape photo. But when we drove by, the light was wrong. We needed earlier morning light. So Steve and I made our way out in the early morning darkness of the following day to capture the scene I envisioned in my head.
As the morning progressed I made the best of my waiting time photographing the scene before me. While we wait for God’s plan to enfold in our lives He probably has something else for us to do.
Perfecting Timing… for Waiting
We got to the trees right before sunrise. Perfect timing? Right? Well, perfect if the mountains in the east didn’t block the sun from hitting the trees. So we waited. And waited, and waited.
In the meantime, I took photographs of the landscape features that had light on them. Finally, after about an hour and 20 minutes, the sun lit the aspens and I took the shot I had envisioned.
In a way that photograph illustrates my life right now. Sometimes God gives us a vision and even though we make plans to make it all happen, we still may have to wait and wait. God has us where we are for a reason. Just as I took photos of other things while we waited, God probably has other things for us to do as we wait.
I’m still in the process of waiting. I have a vision of a self-sustaining ministry that celebrates God as Creator that touches the lives of millions. But right now that’s not happening. So I have to do other work instead that keeps me away from my passion. My prayer is that someday it will all come together and I’ll experience God’s glorious unfolding. But for now I work and I wait.
One of the first photos I took that morning while I waited for the one I envisioned. What can you do as you wait on God?
God’s Timing
Do you find yourself waiting for something? The waiting time provides an opportunity for us to grow.
I’m not sure if my waiting will turn out to be the beautiful ministry I envision, but I do know that the Bible tells us God is in control. And although it’s hard, we need to trust in Him and His Word. When we do we will grow in our faith and relationship with Him.
A few verses on waiting for God:
- Psalm 37:7
- Psalm 27:14
- Isaiah 64:4
- Ultimately we wait for Christ’s return: Luke 12:35-40
Praise God for He is Good! What can you do as you wait on God?
