Sometimes All We Can Do is Weep, Worship, and Wait. Lessons from John Milton
When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide;
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.”
- John Milton - On His Blindness
"They also serve who only stand and wait."
There are very busy angels—traveling "o'er Land and Ocean without rest." But Milton, pondering how late in life his blindness has hindered his desire to serve God fully, observes other angels, the seraphs standing on either side of the throne of God. They do not travel about but simply “stand and wait.” Such is their service. These fire-beings who antiphonally worship and adore God, declaring he is “Holy, Holy, Holy,” are serving simply in their waiting.
Milton could only wait. Wait for healing. Wait for hope to be rekindled. And in his waiting, worship. The stillness of the seraphim reminded him that for believers, waiting is not “waiting around” but “waiting upon,” transforming the suffering into service, and the confinement into freedom.
Perhaps today, you feel hindered. Perhaps you are shut down by medical treatment or hindered by a lack of funding for a project; perhaps family tensions occupy your energy, or the realities of a job loss have left you with little to do but keep looking when every door seems to stay closed.
When we find ourselves shut in and shut down, remember Milton's observation of the Seraphim— “they also serve who only stand and wait.” He knew that God did not 'need' our work or even the gifts he graciously gave us. Let us bear the yoke to which Jesus invites us, even when that means doing so much less than we thought we should do. Let us stand, wait, and then join the angels and archangels to cry, 'Holy!'
In our waiting, we will discover the strength of heaven filling our souls and the aroma of grace becoming our chief joy.