The military
command, “Mark Time, March” means to march in place without moving
forward. It is an active pause in forward motion while remaining mentally
prepared and expectantly waiting the next command. In everyday language, the
term marking time has come to mean “motion without progress,
not getting anywhere, not doing anything important while you wait.” It conveys
a feeling of idle, meaningless waiting.
In contrast,
the word wait in the Bible often means “to look eagerly for,
to hope, and to expect.” The psalmist, when facing great difficulties, wrote:
“O my God, I trust in You; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph
over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed” (Ps. 25:2–3 nkjv).
We often have
no choice about the things we must wait for—a medical diagnosis, a job
interview result, the return of a loved one—but we can decide how we
wait. Rather than giving in to fear or apathy, we can continue to “march in
place,” actively seeking God’s strength and direction each day.
“Show me Your
ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You
are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (vv. 4–5 nkjv).
Waiting on God is active trust in Him. (ODB)
