When my family goes to a restaurant, we are a family of five, so the wait is longer than when my husband and I go alone. The hostess usually tells us how long the wait will be and seats us in the waiting area. When my children see a family walk in after us but get called to a table before us, they may ask, “Why do they get to go before us?” Or, “We were here first.” I try to quiet them down with the words, “Maybe they had reservations; they may have called ahead.”
When going to the doctor, the actual waiting is often worse than the appointment itself. Many times, there are others in the waiting room, listening to be called back as well. No matter the reason that we are there to see the doctor, we all must wait. Some people wait in quiet patience, while others grow tired and frustrated of waiting.
In the Christian life, God requires times when we must simply sit in His waiting room. The reasons vary: waiting for a prayer to be answered, not knowing what the next step in life should be, enduring hardship while unable to move forward, or even feeling sidelined in the work of the Lord. These times will be peppered throughout our lives; we should expect them, while also being prepared to know how to handle our times in God’s waiting room.
What should we do when we are sitting in God’s waiting room? First, we must realize that we are not the only ones waiting. Everyone has a reason they are there, but no matter the circumstances, we are not alone. There are others who are also waiting. Frustration can set in, making it seem necessary to ask God, “Why?” However, we must remember there are others waiting as well. Philippians 4:11 reminds us, …for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Second, just because we must sit for a time in God’s waiting room does not mean we should remain idle in our Christian lives. The Bible promises in Isaiah 40:31, But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Micah 7:7 says, Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. We need to look to God and to keep serving God while we wait. Staying faithful to our Bible reading, prayer lives, and soulwinning is vital while we are in this waiting room. There are others around us who are waiting but also watching to see what we do. How we live for God during this time of waiting should be an encouragement to them. Instead of asking God, “Why am I waiting so long?”, we should instead be saying, “Who can I help while I am waiting?” I always try to speak to people, even if it is a quick, “Hey, how are you?” Some reply in a nice manner, while others may think, “What is her problem?” Still, I always try to be friendly. Who can we help while we wait?
Next, we must accept that we are in the waiting room for His purpose. Accepting where God has us is an act of trusting and submitting to God’s will for our lives. “God, I am here to serve you, not to ask why, but to just do what you want me to do.” I do not need to understand the why; I just need the strength to serve. It is true that, in our minds, prayers seem often to take forever to get answered. The truth is that if those prayers got answered in our timing, things would probably not turn out the way we thought they would.
Lastly, we need to endure in the waiting room. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ…that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Enduring means “to last or to suffer patiently.” Suffering patiently does not sound exciting to most of us. No one enjoys suffering. I, for one, am not a patient person. To be a good soldier, we MUST endure, according to the Bible. Endure the unanswered prayers. Endure the heartache. Endure the health problems no one knows about but God. Endure the long nights of grief that seems to never end. Endure the broken relationships. Endure the hard times. Endure the storms in life. Whatever the reason for being in God’s waiting room, He expects us to endure and will help us to do just that.
The Bible says at the beginning of James 4:8, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. I believe God places us in His waiting room of life just so we will draw nigh to Him. If we find ourselves in one of these waiting rooms frustrated and asking, “Why?,” or we are struggling to accept being in this place, it is necessary to turn our eyes upon Jesus. Instead of looking at the why, we must look to the One Who is waiting with us. He is there to give the necessary strength and to help us endure. We may never understand the waiting, but we can grow closer to Him through the waiting. May we not grow weary in the wait, but grow closer to God because of it.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in his wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.
– Helen H. Lemmel
by Mandy Harper
