Wait for the Lord – Art & Theology

I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the LORD
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the LORD.

—Psalm 27:13–14 (NIV)

LOOK: The Waiting by Charlotte Mann Lee

Lee, Charlotte Mann_The Waiting — Charlotte Mann Lee (American, 1996–), *The Waiting*, 2021, from the Desert series. Watercolor and gold pigment on paper, 18 × 24 in. (45.7 × 61 cm).

Artist Charlotte Mann Lee is a friend of mine from Maryland. Her watercolor The Waiting, a self-portrait at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, is inspired by the final verse of Psalm 27 (quoted above). The Hebrew verb קָוָה (qavah), meaning “to wait for, or to look expectantly,” stretches across the scene, a breeze scattering its gold flecks to the sky. A majestic vista lies just over the sand.

“In the desert times of life, when the soul is dry and weary, the barren landscape seemingly endless before us, waiting is difficult,” Lee writes. “What we know to be true may be in conflict with our current experience. There is an ongoing tension between what we see and feel currently in our suffering, and what God promises in His Word.” It’s that tension she seeks to convey here, as well as “the hope that anchors [the Christian] amidst trials and struggles in the desert”: God in Christ.

LISTEN: “Psalm 27” by Psalm Project Africa, on Sing Psalms, vol. 1 (2013)

Of this I’m sure
I’ll see God’s goodness
My soul will rest in
The land of the living
Be strong in the Lord

Refrain:
The Lord is my light
And my salvation
Whom shall I fear
Shall I be afraid
The Lord is my light
And my salvation
Whom shall I fear
Shall I be afraid
The Lord is my life

One thing I need
One thing I ask you
To dwell in your house
Each day of my life
Delighting in you [Refrain]

In troubled times
He keeps me secure
He covers me
He lifts my head
Above the storm [Refrain]

A program of the Reformed Student Organisation in Kampala, Uganda, Psalm Project Africa was a collective of songwriters and musicians who led workshops at African churches and colleges, encouraging Christians to sing the Psalms in African styles. It appears they were active from 2013 to 2017, releasing three albums of psalm settings within that period.

LOOK: Woman Waiting for the Moon to Rise by Uemura Shōen

Uemura Shoen_Woman Waiting for the Moon to Rise — Uemura Shōen (Japanese, 1875–1949), *Woman Waiting for the Moon to Rise*, 1944. Nihonga watercolor on silk, 73 × 86 cm. Adachi Museum of Art, Yasugi, Japan.

Uemura Shōen, the pseudonym of Uemura Tsune (1875–1949), was a Japanese artist active in the first half of the twentieth century, known primarily for her bijin-ga paintings of beautiful women in the nihonga style. A mold-breaking artist of exceptional skill, “she won international awards and accolades, defied social norms as a single mother of two, and dived into the world of professional painting at a time when women weren’t welcome.” In 1948 she became the first woman to be awarded Japan’s prestigious Order of Culture.

Uemura painted Woman Waiting for the Moon to Rise during World War II, showing a young woman leaning against a bridge railing on a foggy evening, her chin resting on her folded hands and her face looking ahead wistfully. Though the title tells us she’s waiting for the moon to rise, perhaps she’s also waiting for the war to end, for peace to be restored.

LISTEN: “Wait for the Lord” by Jacques Berthier of the Taizé Community, on Alleluia (1988)

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

The text of this simple chant comes mainly from Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” The chant was written as a responsorial refrain to the reading of another psalm, Psalm 37. As the hymnal Lift Up Your Hearts (2013) instructs congregations: sing the Taizé refrain; read Psalm 37:1–5, sing; read Psalm 37:6–9, sing; read Psalm 37:10–11, 39–40, sing. Like this:

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

Do not fret because of the wicked;
    do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
    and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
    so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the LORD,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
    trust in him, and he will act.

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

He will make your vindication shine like the light,
    and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
    over those who carry out evil devices.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
    Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
    and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
    he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
The LORD helps them and rescues them;
    he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: be strong, take heart!