The Waiting Room

“Good things come to those who wait” is an English phrase extolling the virtue of patience. It’s also a phrase used by Heinz ketchup in the 80’s (Do you remember singing “Anticipation… antici-pay-yay-tion, is making me wait?)

Waiting is difficult, and not something we enjoy as a society today. There are lines to wait in, waiting for the day a baby is born, and watching the clock turn ever so slowly when waiting for the time when school is out, or work is done. These all require patience as we wait.

I was recently in a waiting room at my doctor’s office and was anxious with little patience. Then the Lord spoke to me about giving the anxiousness over to Him. He reminded me that what I needed was to wait in His waiting room for His answers.

So there I was in the Lord’s waiting room. The more I thought about that concept, the more I realized that this waiting room was the best and most important place for me to wait. It was filled with the Lord’s presence, and even though my mind seemingly had all the answers, those thoughts were my own and hindered me from hearing what God was trying to tell me. He wanted my whole trust to be in Him and not in the circumstances at hand.

Waiting, and trusting are two actions connected in a way that forms a strong chain. Trusting is the center of our walk with God, and waiting is the response to our trusting in God. When we wait on the Lord, we are trusting that He knows what is best in our lives, and we anticipate His answer to be the best. Although waiting can be the difficult part, the benefit of our obedience to wait outweighs our discomfort and the consequence of disobedience.

As you wait in the Lord’s presence, remember that He wants to bless you with unlimited abundance. By spending time in His presence, we gain the assurance of God’s everlasting love that transcends all understanding. It renews the mind, gives strength to our weariness, and cleanses the heart. How God chooses to answer our prayer is up to Him so remember that His timing is perfect and our response is to wait and trust.

Back to the phrase “Good things come to those who wait.” The “good” in this phrase is God. He is a good, good Father and is waiting for us to choose His waiting room. So the question is, do you choose to trust in Him today and wait in His waiting room?

John 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God.

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31 Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.