wait and listen

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.  ~Psalm 130:5-7

If I did actually put my hope in the Lord, and more specifically in his word, I would do a lot more waiting, it seems.  I would train my soul to sit still and wait and listen until the word of the Lord had revealed itself to me.  Then, and only then, would I move, or act, or speak.  Unfortunately, I don't do that very often; which makes me think that I don't really put my hope in the word of the Lord at all, but in my own.  I tend to talk a lot.  I tend to fill all of the space and give him no room to get a word in edge-wise.  I tend to make myself so busy telling and speaking and acting that it shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that my trust is not in his word, but my own.  Which makes me want to stop altogether.  It makes me want to shut up.  It makes me want to sit still.  It makes me want to listen.  It makes me want to be like the watchmen and simply wait for the Lord.  Maybe I'll give that a try.

I think I will do nothing for a long time but listen, and accrue what I hear into myself. . . .and let sounds contribute toward me. ~Walt Whitman