Watchful Waiting

I grew up bodysurfing Southern California beaches. I recall paddling through surf - watching and waiting for the right wave. Although conditions change with every season, beach and swell, one thing is constant: surfers practice watchful waiting.  

Think about the different ways we use the word wait— “wait and see”, “wait tables”, “lie in wait”, “wait it out”, and my personal favorite, “I can’t wait all day!”  But Paul’s word choice for the Romans dives deeper. Using the Greek word hupomeno (hupo means “under” + meno means “remain”), Paul challenged them to watch and wait - to remain under pressure.  Watchful waiting builds insight. 

Paul urged the believers in Rome to watch and wait during their suffering.  As they did, they saw God’s sustaining grace. David Stoop, author of Soul of a Hero, battled Parkinson’s Disease for years. Despite setbacks, he trained himself to journal five points of gratitude every day.  Practicing gratitude builds insight.  

Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, said, “The last of human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” When we can't change our situation, watchful waiting transforms our attitude.  Watchful waiting forges attitude.  

Attitude matters—just ask Hawaiian surfers. Hawaiians measure waves from the backside, not the front. What looks like an insurmountable 20-foot wave from the front is a manageable 10-foot wave from behind.  As competitors who walk by faith, we learn to wait watchfully in trials. Waiting reveals God’s hand in the moment—not just in the victory. Like body surfing, watchful waiting trains us to read the waves, ride with wisdom and rise with resilience. It builds insight. It reshapes attitude.