WAITING ROOMS
It seems that life is all about waiting. We are always waiting for the next thing that will happen in our lives and those waiting periods continue right to the very end. In the beginning I was waiting for that perfect mate. Then, I was in love dreaming of wedding plans and our future together. Next we were dreaming about having our own house. We shopped and searched and planned until our dream came true. I know you can guess what the next plan was. Yes, children! Four of them came along! The next phase of our lives was a blur of activity as we raised those four children. More waiting, waiting though the night with crying babies, for fevers to break, and for teenagers to come home. When our own strength ebbed we felt the strength and presence of the Lord in those early waiting rooms of our life.
Some of the waiting was not happy as we found ourselves in waiting rooms of hospitals, sometimes days on end, waiting for our loved one to be ushered into the presence of their Saviour. The Lord held us up during those times as we slept in chairs, in our cars, and on the floors of waiting rooms. The Lord provided friends to care for our families with childcare, meals, and even change for the vending machines so we could have some juice. They visited us during the long hours and nights. Sometimes we chatted and laughed, and sometimes we just sat in silence in the comfort of their presence … and waited.
You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights. Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.
Psalms 56:8 MSG paraphrase.
We wait for that job opportunity, that special vacation, or a visit from a far away loved one. I spoke with a Mom that had a child with cancer and she said that all she did was wait. She told me she waited for test results, waited while her child was having chemo, for appointments, and for the prognosis. She did not have Jesus in her life. I cannot imagine her agony. It broke my heart. Not all of our hopes and dreams come true and sometimes those waiting periods come with pain and disappointment.
I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go, I’m telling you, “Don’t panic. I’m right here to help you.” Isaiah 41:13 MSG paraphrase.
Some of the waiting rooms brought joy as we waited for the cry that announced the births of our children and then our first grandchild! We are looking back on all of those moments of waiting and reflecting on them. Waiting is an active process. We do the work the Lord has for us to do as we wait for Him to reveal our next step. We are now waiting on the next phase of our lives as we are getting older and soon will be empty nesters. What does the Lord have in store for us now? We wait. We wait on the Lord.
What waiting room are you in? Are you waiting for that elusive job, better living conditions, or for those bills to be paid? Are you waiting for a wayward loved one to return to the Lord? Are you waiting for an exciting dream to come true? Whatever you are waiting for, God is with you, loving you, and waiting with you for His perfect timing. He understands that we want to see into the future. He knows that it is scary to be us. He wants to comfort us in the wait until we can meet with Him in glory. He is with us through every moment of our earthly wait. He strengthens us while we do the work He planned for us to do. Wait on Him.
“I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going. I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch. These are the thing I’ll be doing for them – sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.” Isaiah 42:16 MSG paraphrase
By Cyndi den Otter (C)
Copyright 2011 February 26 Cyndi den Otter – All Rights Reserved May be used with author’s permission
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