The Waiting Room

Key Verse:“Wait for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 NIV
The waiting room at the Doctors office has got to be the worst place.  It’s rare that we get to see the doctor at the designated time.  The room is usually full of sick people.  We want to scream at the top of your lungs, “please catch your cough, so we don’t get what you have,” but that’s hardly civilized behavior.  We feel  anxious because  we’re waiting for test results or we already have a scary diagnosis, and now we’re waiting for treatment.  Sitting there, waiting, is so hard!  We want to escape. We want to be anywhere but there; we  feel trapped! Eventually the nurse calls our name, and we feel a slight sense of relief.  At last, the wait is over.

We can feel the same way as we wait on the Lord.  Perhaps we’re waiting for an answer for prayer, or we’re waiting for our circumstances to change.  Some are waiting for jobs, waiting for a spouse, waiting on a prodigal child to return, waiting to live out a dream, waiting for a relationship to be restored, waiting for a child, waiting for a marriage to be better, waiting for the pain to go away.  Waiting. Wanting.

God knew this would be a hard concept for His followers to grasp. David had cultivated an intimate relationship with God.  He was always honest and open before God about his needs.  As David is faced with difficulties, he cries out to God and declares His goodness.  Even though David was waiting for God to do something, he says He would trust God while he waited.  David recognized God as His source of victory.  David would be strong and he would “take heart”, or in other words, he would have courage as he waited on God.  He had seen and experienced God’s faithfulness and that is why he could wait.

How are you when it comes to waiting?  Are you anxious and impatient or are you like David and see that God is trustworthy?  It’s human nature to think that God has turned our backs on us when He asks us to wait.  There’s a reason for the waiting; often God uses this time to draw us closer to Him and this causes us to depend on Him in a deeper way.  We should never misunderstand God’s wait to mean no.  They are two very different things.  If God says no to our requests, then we don’t have to ask anymore.  But if He says wait, then we do it with courage and assurance.  Waiting is not for the faint of heart, that’s why God asks us to be strong.  Even in the waiting we draw on His strength, not our own.

Devotional Time

Be still and know that He is God.  Sit quietly and still your heart and mind.  Slowly read through Psalm 27:14 again.  Take time to meditate on this verse.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you are struggling with in the waiting room right now.

Praise God for who He is. Spend time  worshipping God for his faithfulness and his timeliness with you and your circumstances.  Praise Him for the work He is doing in your heart and character as you wait.

Be thankful in all things. Thank God for everything He is doing right now.  Thank Him for the thing that you’re waiting for and that in the perfect time He will provide what you’re asking for.

Repent:  We all struggle with impatience.  Ask God to reveal any area in which you need to repent.  Ask God to forgive you sins and give you strength to wait on Him with joy and courage.

Present your requests to God.  Boldly approach God and ask Him for what you need and desire.  Allow God to place new desires in your heart as you wait.

Be still and know that He is God.  Allow your mind and spirit to quiet down.  Focus on God, listen to Him and just rest in His presence.  Write down what you feel God is telling you.  Be sure it does not contradict the Word.