I walk down the plane’s gang plank, hand my seat assignment to the steward, stow my carry-on, plunk down in my seat, and buckle up.  My seat is the middle one of three.   I had so hoped I could either have the window and see where I was going or have the aisle and be able to easily roam the plane.  But I am flanked by two other passengers to— our destination, and only God knows where that is.I picture this scene when I consider “waiting.”  I am flying on a plane,  neither knowing the arrival time nor the destination. This situation makes me uncomfortable.So I ask the Lord for wisdom about how to cope with “the wait.”He shares with me the meaning of the word “perseverance” in the Greek:  Hypomoné  (hoop-pom’-a-nay).  It means to tarry in time, to submit to time, or to embrace the element of time.  The Greek verb to persevere also means “to abide”. We have heard that verb before in John 15,  where we are encouraged to abide as a believer in Jesus.  God wants me — the branch — to abide, rest in, and linger with the Vine, which is Jesus.So, here I sit, hemmed in by fellow travelers, feeling a bit like a prisoner.  But, then, the Lord reminds me of this scripture where He describes me as a “prisoner of hope.”  I am with these passengers and together we are hoping for the safe arrival to a destination ordained by our Heavenly Father.  Notice this command with a promise: “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” (Zechariah 9:12). As the Holy Spirit works in me to accept my condition of waiting, the Word comes alive with yet another definition of “to wait”, this time from the Hebrew:  qavah  (kha-vah).  In Genesis 1:9 God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be ”  I discover the verb, qavah, has an additional meaning to the the idea of waiting.  It also means “to collect or bind together.”  Qavah suggests that separate threads are entwined together to make a strong cord.  The revelation hits me that my fellow passengers have the purpose of encouraging me in my “waiting”.  Gathered together, we support and strengthen one another.  None of us knows what the Heavenly Father is doing. But we all rest in the knowing that we can abide in Him, tarry with Him, and wait with Him.  Joyfully we can embrace our encounter with time and tarry until our Heavenly Father reveals what is next in our lives, and how He may restore twice as much to us.Oh, I just can’t wait!!  (Oops, did I just say that?) In Christ,