QAVAH ( קָוָה )
In Hebrew this means:
I first discovered the meaning of this word in 2018, while I was playing volleyball in Serbia. I can't remember if I was studying through Isaiah or Psalms at the time, or even what spurred me to study the word "wait" more in depth. This was a time (about 7.5 months), albeit I was unaware until afterwards, where God was going to show me more of His majesty and sovereignty, while exposing some selfishness and insecurities in me. What a precious time with the Lord that was.
The first time I looked up the original word used for "waiting" in the Bible, it gave me 2 definitions. At first these two definitions didn't make sense to me, how they related. But as I dove deeper into the context of the word and as God revealed more of Himself through scripture, I began to realize the connection, and its so simple but incredible. I realized, first, that we're always waiting. As long as we're on this side of eternity, we'll never "arrive" or achieve that perfection that God promises to redeem in us. So we wait for Jesus to come back, to right every wrong, and bring us (those who believe in His death and resurrection for the atonement of our sins- Ephesians 2:8; Romans 1:4; John 3:16) into eternity with Him. We long to enter heaven because God placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11); so until that day, we qavah, or wait in expectation.
This not only relates to the grand scheme of the Gospel, but to things now, on this earth. There are things that I've been praying for since becoming a believer, personal things that I've cried out to God for. Although I "cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end" (Ecc 3:11), I can still have this type of hope, this qavah, as I wait in eager expectation for answered prayers (however & whenever God decides to orchestrate them).
"I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope." (Psalm 130:5)
Now, In regards to the relation of the two definitions...
1. to wait, hope, expect; to look eagerly for
2. to collect, or bind together
It occurred to me that as we wait, both for answered prayers in this life and for Christ's return, God is in the background, forming His plans together. He is in the details of our broken, messy lives, collecting and binding together His will with ours. He is a good Father who delights in giving us the desires of our hearts, but only when our desires begin to align with His (Pslam 37:4).
You see, the second definition cannot exist without the first and vice versa. We need faith to believe that God will work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), and from there we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can have the patience to wait actively and expectantly. And if we didn't have this type of faith (i.e. like when I was dead in sin before Jesus saved me- Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13; Luke 15:32), we wont have any hope and we wait for nothing. We miss out on the joy of waiting eagerly for God's will and His plans for our lives.
"And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My hope is only in you." (Psalm 39:7)
QAVAH is used 46 times in the Old Testament, mostly in Psalms and Isaiah.
Why these two books in particular? Well, in much of the Psalms, especially those written by David, the psalmists are crying out to God for rescuing and salvation. The theme of waiting faithfully is so strong throughout the book of Psalms. In fact, if you think about it, the whole Old Testament is a story of waiting for the true savior Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah, the Israelites are continually warned about their wickedness and waywardness but they refused to repent. So Isaiah is constantly waiting for God to intervene and praying for His to be gracious to the people. Tying this all into the entire Bible, Isaiah is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Old Testament prophet & all of them combined.
Jesus is the One who every cry of salvation and desperation and act of religion points to in the Old Testament, Jesus "binds together" the old covenant and the new. He's the glue (Hebrews 9:15). God is faithful in his covenant promise that He will gather His people from all nations, every tribe and tongue in heaven (Revelation 7:9; Revelation 21:4). The people in the Bible who waited well in their seasons of doubt and hardship can give us encouragement to do the same (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). We are promised that Jesus will return for His bride, the Church, one last time (Matthew 24:44). As we wait for the Lord, His promises come to pass and we are strengthened in the process of waiting. (2 Peter 3:8); (2 Peter 3:9).
It's active. It's eager. It's patient but persistent. It's always hopeful. It's all consuming.
"Wait (qavah) patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)