It started with a phone call on a Sunday night, “Hi, this is Sue from the church. Your son had a seizure like incident and we had to call the paramedics…” A scramble to leave, a fast drive over, a quick conversation with the paramedics who found a concern with some test results, a swift ambulance ride over to the hospital, and then the waiting began.
We waited for an available bed, we waited for a nurse, more tests were performed, and then more waiting for a doctor. Three hours later and we had a five minute visit with the doctor who said he was calling in the pediatric doctor… and then more waiting. More questions, more waiting, and the ped. doctor (who looked as young as Doogie Howser) arrived… to spend at least minutes asking more specific questions. Another test was needed, more questions yet again, and what started out just before was ending after in the morning. Many of you have had similar experiences.
Personally I think waiting is worse than rushing for three reasons: because you have questions that aren’t being answered, potential problems to consider and stress/ anxiety to deal with and many hours to consider them all. Then there are some of us who have to deal with growing boys who are ‘starving’ but can’t eat in case certain tests are performed, and overall it makes hospital waiting unpleasant.
It’s not much different with the Lord. Most of us hate waiting: for our prayers to be answered, for our loved ones to get saved, for the Lord to open doors, for our healing, etc. Of course these days we hate waiting for anything- at checkouts, for our spouses to get ready, in traffic, for food and on and on. We’ve forgotten how to wait. We want it all and we want it now, or maybe even yesterday!!!
What we don’t usually consider is that sometimes there are logical reasons why we are required to wait. Things may need to be in place before our prayers are answered. Our loved ones need more ‘watering,’ ‘sunshine,’ or ‘fertilizing’ before they are ready for salvation. Often, having to wait causes us to struggle, but struggling causes character growth (Rm. 5:3,4 ISV) so this is not a bad thing. These experiences help us to mature and be complete in Christ (Jm. 1:2-4 ISV) if we allow them to.
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him (Lm. ,26) and we are to wait for His salvation (deliverance from whatever we need to be saved from). He will strengthen our hearts when we wait (Ps. 27:14) and in Him we can find rest (Ps. 37:7). We will be blessed if we wait for Him (Is. 30:18) and in His word we have hope (Ps. 130:5). Our hope is in the Lord (Ps. 39:7) while we wait, for He is trustworthy and worthy of our trust. That’s what it all boils down to. Do you trust in the Lord enough to wait?
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. Is. 40:31