God's Waiting Room

How are you when it comes to waiting? I’ve always prided myself in the fact that I can remain patient through many situations. I don’t mind waiting at the Doctor’s office. Getting delayed in traffic never seems to upset me. I gladly surrender my place in line at the grocery store when I see the lady behind me has fewer items in her shopping cart. To be honest, I enjoy the extra time of solitude waiting often affords. However, how do we react when we find ourselves in “God’s Waiting Room”?

Reading in Genesis 16 I find Abram and Sarai waiting. Waiting on the Lord to bless them with a child. A child that had been promised, yet so far there had been no evidence of this promise fulfilled. Waiting is a tough action. There is nothing passive about it. It requires greatness.

Recently I have pulled up a chair alongside several friends who are waiting to see God act on their behalf. I’m sitting with a very dear friend who has family members both struggling physically and facing challenges. Beside her sits a lady seeking health for her husband. Across the room, a friend sits in isolation, longing to know that God sees her situation and cares. In another chair, with head hanging low, sits a young lady whose shame has surrounded her and she wants to know if God will forgive her again. A young couple hold hands, a mixture of joy and wonder on their faces as they eagerly anticipate the nine-month wait to see the fulfillment of the gift of life that God has miraculously begun. A mother cries for the return of a prodigal daughter. A dear friend counts off another month on her calendar as the adoption of her baby girl is yet to be a reality. A family fills the remaining seats looking for guidance as a husband has lost his job due to restructuring. I complete their circle as one who is empty, crying out to God for direction and clarity. Do I find the waiting here easy? No. I want God to answer now. I want the receptionist to call my name and then provide me with a prescription that comes with the assurance of complete and lasting recovery and restoration.

Suddenly my eyes shift to a chair I hadn’t noticed before. There sits a Man of Sorrows who is well acquainted with grief. His eyes are full of love. You see, there is a major contrast between God’s Waiting Room and that of our family practitioner. The Great Physician Himself sits with us in the waiting room. He is very aware of each situation. He sees each concern. He knows each anxious longing. His arms hold each weary heart and troubled thought. His tears mingle with ours. He waits with us.

Today I offer no quick recovery, but I want to lift your eyes to the One who never leaves you or forsakes you, Deut 31:6. I heard it said once that our adversities are God’s universities. We want to avoid these times in our life, yet they are often where God does some of His most life-changing work in us. Draw near to God. Trust Him. Wait on Him – not on His answers. He will tenderly hold your heart as He accomplishes all that concerns you, Psalm 138:8

“Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:31