Tag Archives: Goef Barkley

“We Are Waiting” by Geoff Moore and the Distance

(Words and Music by Geoff Moore and Goef Barkley)

We are waiting, waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees, our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You’re all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

From all across the earth our voices can be heard
A chorus of the faithful calling to the word
A hymn of invitation, our humble offering
Come find Your people are waiting

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You’re all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

With hands into the soil, and hearts toward the sky
We wait to hear Your call to draw us to Your side
But ’til that final day may You find us in the fields
Working with hearts that are waiting

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You’re all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

As a mother awaits her baby, all of creation is ready
For the trumpet to sound and the heavens unfold
We’ll rise from the ground to see You Lord
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Come quickly Lord, You are all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

We are waiting, we are waiting
All of Your people anticipating
Come hear our plea, we are down on our knees
Oh come quickly Lord, You are all that we need
Come find your people are waiting

Dear God, there are different ways to look at and define “waiting.” I think this song is thinking second-coming/rapture kind of stuff. I have to tell you, I don’t really care about the rapture or the second coming. I tend to think it’s a distraction, although I suppose it’s possible that I use my attitude as a form of denial that I should have a sense of urgency about helping those around me know you or know you better.

But when I think of waiting, I think of some of my favorite Bible characters who were waiting. Hagar was waiting. The Israelites in captivity were waiting. David in exile was waiting. Jeremiah and the conquered Israelites were waiting. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah were waiting for a Messiah before their angel visits, and then they were waiting for their new babies after the angel visits. Waiting for them to grow up. There are times when I wonder if you didn’t take Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah out of the way before John and Jesus were 30 so that they wouldn’t get in the way of your plan. Was Mary alone the only one you could trust to not thwart what you were doing?

Naomi didn’t know she was waiting, but she was waiting to see what you might make of her suffering. Joshua was waiting until you allowed them into the Promised Land. Paul in prison was waiting. John in exile was waiting.

So what kind of a waiter am I? Do I get discouraged? Do I get impatient? Do I try to force timing? Do I get angry with you for not giving me what I want now?

My favorite line in this song is the beginning of the second verse: With hands into the soil and hearts toward to sky. That is a great picture. While I am waiting, I have to be productive. That is where my joy comes from. My joy comes from loving you and loving others. Loving you is worship and spending time like this with you. Loving others is my work. Whether it’s directly my vocation, or it is my personal service to family, friends, and others, while I wait I might as well be productive.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, thank you for being with me while I wait. Thank you for not making me wait alone. Thank you that my life isn’t about the waiting, but it’s about the work you’ve given me in the soil. The more I focus on loving you and loving others, the faster the waiting will go and the more joy I’ll have along the way. Oh, my Triune God, teach me to be an effective wait-er.

I pray all of this through the name of my savior, Jesus,

Amen