I Will Wait

Nahum 1:15New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Look! On the mountains the feet of one
    who brings good tidings,
    who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, O Judah,
    fulfill your vows,
for never again shall the wicked invade you;

  they are utterly cut off.

I have to confess that I don't remember reading the Book of Nahum before this.  Possibly I did in Seminary, but I can't really remember.  It's a short little book, only three chapters long.  But its themes are those that resonate throughout many of the prophetic texts of the Old Testament.  Loss, good news, bad news, being cut off from God, being brought back to God.

Waiting for God.

The image of the feet of the one who brings good tidings is one of my favorites from scripture.  It's a personified promise.  It's thanksgiving in action.  It's hope come home.

It's worth waiting for.

The song that springs to my mind whenever I read any of promises of God to the waiting people of Israel is by one of my favorite bands, Mumford and Sons.  "I Will Wait" captures the spirit of a return to God's favor better than many I know.  Here is the feeling of moving from a prison to a refuge.  Of moving from fear to hope.  Of being set free from bondage.

Of days of dust blowing away with this new sun.

Nahum like Mumford and Sons gives hint to the glory of the promise revealed.  The exultation from the swelling of the music and lyrics of the song parallel the exultation felt by an exile looking forward to the promise of home.

It's something worth waiting for.

Here's the video (link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSrlOQu8bPY) and the lyrics down below.

"Well I came home
Like a stone
And I fell heavy into your arms
These days of dust
Which we've known
Will blow away with this new sun

But I'll kneel down
Wait for now
And I'll kneel down
Know my ground

And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you"