In Catonese, a Chinese dialect, the word for wait sounds like the word for class. Making a pun on this word, some senior
folks in Hong Kong identify themselves as "third-class citizens", which also means "people of three waits". They wait for their
children to return home from work late at night. They wait for the morning sun to dispel their sleepless nights. And with a sigh
of resignation, they wait for death.

In the Bible, the word wait is more an attitude than an activity. To "wait on the Lord" is to trust HIm. Psalm 27 is David's exuberant
declaration of faith in God. He sees the Lord as salvation (v.1). In times of danger, he knows for certain that God will hide him (v.5).
He remembers that God has asked him to seek His face, so he asks God not to hide from him. For, like a child, he longs to see
God's approving face (v. 8-10). In his darkest moments, David declares: "I would have lost heart, unless I believed that I would see
the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (v.13).

Though no one knows how life will unfold, we can decide to trust God and to focus our mind on Him. For to those who wait on
the Lord, the promise is given: Our heart will be strengthened (v. 14).

Albert Lee