Qavah

Wait. As I reflect on that word, I recognize that wait is a word that has taken on a new significance in my life over the past several years.

In English, wait is a passive activity. We wait in the physician’s lobby. We wait in line. We wait for the traffic light to change. The only effort required to wait comes in the form of patience or endurance.

A seminary professor of mine once told us, Hebrew is the language of artists. My friend Ryan elaborated for me. Hebrew, he said, has many words for wait — some twenty-five different words, in fact. One of them, qavah, (קָוָה) has brought hope and meaning to my journey.

Qavah means to wait actively with anticipation, hopefully watching for God to act. The most familiar passage in scripture where we see qavah is Isaiah 40:31: “Those who qavah upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” This isn’t a sitting-on-your-hands kind of waiting, testing your patience as you passively watch the clock. This is an active, eager, and expectant waiting. This kind of wait mounts up, runs and walks. It is a hopeful anticipation, an eagerness to see what God is going to do, and it is characterized by activity, not passivity.

Ryan used his friend’s story to explain qavah to me. Ryan’s friend had twin boys. When he would walk down the hallway toward their room, a certain floorboard would creak under his weight, and the twins would hear it. They would each stand in his respective crib, hold the top of the railing, and crane their necks to see Daddy come through the door at last. That is qavah.

Ryan’s explanation encouraged me. From that point forward I determined in my heart to wait with hopeful anticipation, with an eagerness to see God work in my life.

My wife and I have known in our hearts almost from the beginning of this remarkable journey that God will use this chapter in our lives for our good and to accomplish his purposes (Romans 8:28). And that journey has led us here.

At Qavah Ministries we want to provide to others this same Hope in the Waiting that we experienced during a very difficult time in our lives.

Want to know more? Contact us and let’s have a conversation!