The Waiting Room

It gets so hard sometimes for us to wait on things. One thing I dread is sitting in a waiting room. This reminded me of how similar it could be when sitting in God's Waiting Room. This is when I was inspired to write, The Waiting Room.


THE WAITING ROOM

Psalm 37:3-9 ~~ Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

When setting up an appointment, the part that I used to dread the most is the time in the waiting room. It can be a very frustrating time especially when you don't get in at the appointed time scheduled. The hardest part is the waiting. If the waiting ends up being too long, some get upset and leave. But think about what happens when you choose not to wait? First, your need doesn't get met and you end up having to make that appointment again.

It can be the same way in God's waiting room. The hardest thing in waiting is not knowing when the waiting finally ends. And if we choose not to wait on God in a certain situation and we take it into our own hands, then it most likely does not work out like God would have done it. We will eventually find ourselves in the same situation once again until we learn to wait and let God accomplish what He knows needs to be done His way and in His time.

Think with me for a moment about the times you had to sit in a waiting room. Looking around, what common things do you see in this room? First of all, there are chairs. You do not have to stand while you wait but they give you a place to sit and rest. There are magazines of interest that you can look at to keep you occupied to keep you from watching the clock all the time that only causes frustration. Also I am sure, since you are waiting, there must be many other people sitting around as well, who I find can sometimes be very entertaining.

In God's waiting room, He offers us a place of rest. This rest can only come through the element of trust. When we choose to trust in Him, knowing He is in control and will take care of the situation, we can have peace and tranquility of the mind, bringing rest to our soul.

Also in the waiting room is a good time to view God's magazine, His Word. This keeps our mind renewed and will keep us from getting upset, worried, or bringing confusion to the situation. Staying focused on His Word instead of the situation will give us control over works of our flesh. Also during our waiting time, it is a time to reach out to others. By ministering to others, it brings joy to us and also takes our mind off of self and our own situation. It is important during this time to keep bearing good fruit.

Have you ever seen someone get really upset and impatient for having to wait so long and they go to the office window and start telling the receptionist off and then storm out the door? They cause great embarrassment and make a fool of themselves and only make matters worse.

Frustration equals works of the flesh. Works of the flesh include: worry, reasoning, and trying to figure out what to do to make things happen according to our will and timing. These works are some of the biggest problems God's people have today.

As long as we try to control the situation, we will never be happy. The devil uses works of the flesh to rob us of our joy. He wants us to be worried, confused, and upset. He doesn't want us to be filled with contentment, peace, and rest. Instead of trusting the Lord and waiting for Him to move in His own way and timing, the devil wants us to take things into our own hands.

If you have cast your care upon the Lord and left it with Him to handle, He is working on your behalf right now. He wants you to untie His hands. You do that by refusing to worry and by choosing to dwell in the secret place of the Most High and hidden away safe and secure under the shadow of His wings. While you are abiding in the Lord and resting in His peace, waiting for Him to do his part, your part is to continue to bear good fruit for His Kingdom.

The next time you find yourself in God's waiting room, or maybe you are there right now, remember that waiting is giving all over to God's control by trusting, praying without worry, avoiding works of the flesh, continuing in obedience during the time of waiting, continuing to bear good fruit, and offering God a sacrifice of praise.

As scripture says, when you wait upon the Lord, your strength will be renewed, you shall mount up with wings as eagles, you shall run and not grow weary, and you shall walk and not become faint. (Isaiah 40:31) What a promise we have from the Lord!

Wait upon Him!

Connie J. Schmoll