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).
