The Waiting Room
“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved.” Psalm 62:5-6
Waiting is a real test of one’s patience. I remember many years ago I was at the ob-gyn’s office for a routine checkup because I was pregnant with my son. After somewhat of a wait in the waiting room, I was called back to the exam room. I waited and waited for the doctor to come in, and finally, after an hour had passed, the nurse came in. She apologized for the wait and then admitted that they had forgotten that I was in the exam room. At least she was honest about it. Recently I had to go to the ear, nose, and throat doctor. I sat down in the waiting room. Everyone was “socially distanced”. There were probably about seven or so folks ahead of me. After all seven had been called back, and others who had come in after me were getting called back, I wondered if I had been forgotten, remembering that time so many years ago. I was just about ready to go up to the window and enquire why it was taking so long when the nurse finally called me to the exam room. Many folks wouldn’t have waited as long as I did, but I am not a “pushy” person.
I don’t know of anyone who likes to wait. However, if one is going to live in this world, he or she will find that waiting is the name of the game. I have had employees apologize to me for having to wait in stores, banks, etc., but I always tell them that it’s OK because I am used to it. I like to pick my battles and waiting is not one of them. If you hate waiting, do not pray for patience. What better way to learn patience than by having to wait? These days most everyone peruses their smart phones while waiting, but I prefer to take a book, a real paper book with words printed in ink on the pages. Folks have become addicted to their smart phones, but I have found that social media inhibits social interaction among folks. It’s like everyone is in his or her own little world as if no one else existed. That’s one battle that I might pick, but it would be an exercise in futility.
Besides waiting, another experience in life has to do with expectations. When rearing children, we need to set certain expectations, not so lofty that it is nearly impossible for a child to reach, but expectations that challenge them to mature as they grow. On the other hand, sometimes, when dealing with our peers, we have to lower our expectations because perhaps we have expected more than they have the capacity to carry out. We challenge other adults, but then realize that either they cannot follow through or they have little motivation to follow through, then we end up lowering our expectations of them to keep ourselves from becoming disappointed in their lack of incentive, perseverance, or concern. Much of the time we set expectations of others to the level that we set for ourselves, but everyone is different. And then there are those who expect more out of us that we can deliver.
I said all of this to emphasize the vast contrast between human behavior and the majesty and power of Almighty God. The Lord expects us to wait on Him without murmuring and with anticipation of the mighty wonders that He will do for us. He also delights in our expectations of Him by faith to always fulfill His promises, to love us beyond measure, and to walk with us daily as we depend on Him. King David, the writer of Psalm 62, claimed God as his Rock and his Salvation, the One who would always defend him. As believers in Christ, we have that same privilege. There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Why would we desire to move away from our only hope of rescue from this sin-cursed world? When some of Jesus’ followers walked away from Him because they couldn’t accept the cost of discipleship, Jesus asked His twelve disciples if they would leave Him too. Peter replied, “…Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:66-68).
God is definitely worth waiting on and waiting for. The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:35-37). One of these days, the waiting time will be over, and every promise in scripture will be fulfilled. One final note: a good way to pass the time when waiting in line, at the doctor’s office, etc is to pray. One doesn’t have to bow one’s head and close one’s eyes to pray. One can pray in his or her spirit, and God will hear those prayers. Doing that will likely make the waiting time seem to go by faster. Before you know it, it’s your turn.