Waiting on God’s Arrival

“The second is that we await Him steadfastly because of His love, without grumbling or struggling against Him, until our life’s end.” Julian of Norwich’s second teaching.

This sounds almost like a paradox of the first teaching. Look at the verbs. The first is to seek. The second is to wait. The first is active, the second sounds as if it is passive. But I don’t think that is the meaning. Waiting is an active verb, too.

Imagine a hunter in the woods and meadows. He is seeking his prey. That means he has determined what his prey will be (deer, elk, pheasant, rabbits, whatever). He goes to an area where that prey is known to live. He looks for the right habitat and finds the most likely places to find his prey. That is similar to the seeking that Julian taught in her first saying. Go out and look for God in places where you would expect Him to be living.

Then, you must wait. But in waiting is the anticipation of finding your prey. All of your senses are at work. Do you see anything? Hear anything? Smell anything? Taste? Feel? And your emotional “senses” must also be tuned into what you are waiting on.

Waiting is active, but it is also tiring. It may get cold. You may get uncomfortable. You may get discouraged. Will the prey every show? Is it all in vain?

If so, do not grumble and complain. Maintain your vigilance. It is tiring to be always on alert, but you must carry on. And Julian says that you must maintain that state of watchful waiting until the end of your life. You never know when God may speak to you again. You must be ready. You must be receptive.

When you wait, be vigilant.

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