Ora Et Expecta: Pray and Wait

By: Jaya Suprana

THERE are two Latin words often echoed in the corridors of ancient monasteries: Ora et Labora — Pray and Work. But there is another pair just as profound: Ora et Expecta — Pray and Wait.

In our age of speed, "working" feels more heroic than "waiting". We are taught to chase, to rush, to conquer. Meanwhile "waiting" is seen as passive, a waste of time, a sign of helplessness.

Yet in the tradition of faith, waiting is not idleness. Waiting is the hardest inner work of all.

1. Philosophy: Waiting as a Space for Growth

The great Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard called faith "a leap into the uncertain". But before that leap, there is a pause. There is holy silence. That pause is waiting. It is there that patience is forged, ego is stripped away, and hope is tested. A person who can wait has learned one essential truth: not everything can be forced. There is a time that does not belong to us to decide.

In Sundanese wisdom there is ” silih wengi “ — taking turns to wait for night to turn into morning. Even nature waits. Rice cannot be commanded to bear fruit faster. The sun cannot be ordered to rise earlier.

2. Theology: Waiting with God

The Scriptures are full of people who waited. Noah waited for the floodwaters to recede. Abraham waited for the promise of a son. Israel people waited in the wilderness. The disciples waited in the upper room in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came.

Psalm 27:14 says: "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." . The Hebrew word ”qavah”  means "to bind together, to hope with tension like a bowstring".

Ora et Expecta means: while we pray, we bind our hearts to God. We work, but we surrender the outcome. We strive, but we entrust the timing.

Prayer is our breath. Waiting is its heartbeat. Without both, faith grows lifeless. Therefore pray hard and (not or) wait patiently. Always with hope dan optimism!

Today’s world is allergic to pause. We want instant answers, quick miracles, blessings we can download.

Ora et Expecta reminds us: there are blessings that can only be born in waiting. There is maturity that can only be born in silence. There is a God who can only be known when we stop running and start listening.

So pray and wait. Not because we do nothing. But because we believe: He or She who promised is faithful to fulfill it. In His or Her time.