waiting room

The Waiting Room

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

My chiropractor appointment was scheduled for Monday morning. I arrived a little early and I could see several people in the waiting room, so I waited five minutes before leaving the car. And once I walked into the doctor’s office, I realized the waiting room was full. It never is this busy. As I sat and waited with everyone else, I noticed that everyone had their heads bowed to their phones. There were no conversations to be heard. The man sitting near me was playing Solitaire on his phone. One woman was texting. Who knows what the others waiting were looking at. Then when I was leaving the appointment, I noticed that the waiting room was still very full. Monday was a very busy day for the chiropractor.

On Tuesday, I found myself in another doctor’s waiting room. This room wasn’t quite so full, not only were the people at the check-in desk busily helping patients arriving and leaving, but they were also taking phone calls. And when I was checking out, I was told their computers were on edge that morning. There’s never a dull moment, even when we’re on hold or in a waiting room.

I was back at the chiropractor’s office on Wednesday morning. Busy again. There were nine people ahead of me. Every appointment was running late. The doctor will be out of the office next week, so he apparently had to see next week’s patients this week. His office is only open three days a week to begin with. From the scuttle in the waiting room, Tuesday wasn’t as busy a day for him as the two days I happened to be there. That’s my luck.

Then on Thursday morning, I had a massage. Once again, I sat in a waiting room. This room was quiet as I sat watching the Pilates instructors preparing for their upcoming appointments. Fortunately, the massage was worth the wait.

Have you ever found yourself in a waiting room where you were kept waiting far longer than you expected? Oh. It may not be a brick and mortar waiting room. It may be that God is not answering your prayers. Or his timing isn’t going as quickly as you think it should. Or the problem is still hanging on when you want it resolved immediately. Waiting is a hard thing. And timing is everything to those who are on a time clock.

Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 2 Peter 3:8

This could be your season of waiting. It’s your in between time of what was and what could be or might never be. Are you prepared for it? Do you know how to prepare, or can you? And do you know exactly what you’re waiting for? Just remind yourself when the waiting gets tough that God knows what he’s doing. He won’t lead you astray.

You’ve heard the saying “hurry up and wait.” That’s what we do. And we’re just not happy when our time is controlled by someone else or something beyond our control. The thing is. We have to learn to trust God’s speed. He’s never too slow or too quick. He’s right on time. We just don’t always see it that way. But his ways are perfect. And at times his ways are unexpected.

Think of the stories in the Bible where people waited and waited. Abraham and Sarah were old when they became parents to their son, Isaac. They waited twelve years after God had promised they would have him. And consider the Israelites who were led by God into the wilderness, instead of straight to Canaan. Sure. The delay was due to their disobedience. But forty years is a long time to wait. It was a death sentence for many. The children of Israel who were taken captive to Babylon were held there against their will for seventy years. Some never returned home. And consider Zechariah and Elizabeth. Both were in their later years of life when they became first-time parents to their promised son, John.

Then there’s the Promised Messiah. His birth fulfilled the promise God made in Genesis 3:15 after the fall of Adam and Eve. This promise was made progressively throughout the Old Testament. In many different instances, God spoke through prophets about the coming Messiah, who would be the Savior of the world. And when that promise was finally fulfilled, many did not believe that a small babe born in Bethlehem would be the one to die on the cross for their sins. But he did.

And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring’s heel. Genesis 3:15

And now we find ourselves waiting for the promised return of Jesus. Oh. We’ve been waiting a very long time, and we don’t know when his return date is. Actually, he doesn’t know the day or time, either. Only our Heavenly Father knows. We need to make sure that at the appointed time we are in the correct waiting room for eternity with Christ. That’s one room that should be packed full and overflowing. Are you in your seat, ready and waiting?

The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare. 2 Peter 3:9-10

Waiting Room

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

He was having surgery.  I was sitting in the waiting room.  Alone.  When you have no children, you don’t have instant companions when you need them most.  With no parents around, I sat alone in the waiting room.  Waiting for the news of the surgery.

Oh.  It wasn’t life-threatening surgery.  It was a repair.  But surgery is surgery, and anything can go wrong when someone’s body is cut open and they’re unconscious.

At different times during the surgery, a friend would stop by to sit with me.  Or check in.  Or chat.  It made the waiting bearable.  After all, I wasn’t familiar with surgery or waiting rooms or hospitals.  I had never spent time in those surroundings.

The phone in the waiting room would ring from time to time.  That was the signal that a family would soon be face to face with the surgeon who had worked on their loved one.  That was the sign they would soon learn their loved one’s fate.  Was the surgery successful?  Are they out of the woods?  What are the next steps?  Will they pull through?  What did you find?  Will it be bad news?

At times, the room was quiet.  People coming and going.  Families getting calls from the surgeon.  Updates and diagnoses.  Sometimes the atmosphere was loud.  Children crying.  The bustling of crowds moving through the hallways.  One family, after hearing the news, knelt down in the public space and prayed.  They prayed out loud for their loved one.  The one who was in a fight for their life.  Perhaps it was a discovery of an incurable disease.  Or a brain that was no longer functioning.  Or a repair that couldn’t be made.  Nevertheless, they knelt right there and prayed.  Prayed to a God who could hear and answer their prayers.  If He chose.  But they had faith.  They placed the outcome of their loved one’s surgery in God’s hands and trusted Him.

When the room was noisy, I was afraid I wouldn’t hear my name called.  I was afraid the loud conversations would cover the sound I was listening for.  I didn’t want to miss the call from my husband’s surgeon.  I wanted to hear the words.  He is fine.  We were able to make the repairs.  He is being moved to recovery.

I have called you by name; you are mine.  When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.  Isaiah 43:1-2

Lately, I find myself sitting in another waiting room.  A waiting season.  Waiting for news.  Will I get an interview?  How many interviews do I have to endure?  Will I get a job offer?  How long must I wait to start a new job?

The waiting seems long.  It seems never ending.  I like to hope the end is near.  There are signs that it’s possible.  But one never knows.  One can only hope.  So I wait.  I hope.  I pray.

Sometimes the noise level in this waiting room is quiet.  I didn’t get calls.  No interest.  Would I wait forever?  At times the noise in my head and heart were so loud, that it was just that.  Noise.  Noise from Satan.  Your work life is over.  You’re retired.   You’ll never see another good paycheck.

At times, the noise has a different sound.  Multiple interview requests.  Interview preparations.  Nervousness.  Anxiousness.  A new waiting begins.

Just when I think the wait is almost over, the news comes crashing down.  You weren’t selected.  And the wait continues.

Waiting is difficult.  Doubt creeps in and fills the space where peace had once been.  Confidence becomes clouded with discouragement.  Trust is eroded by waves of fear.  I have to listen for the voice of the One who holds me in his hands.  He hasn’t let go.  He is near.  I must remind myself that He hasn’t forgotten me.  He knows my situation.  He knows I’m waiting.

Oh.  I have visitors in this waiting room.  I have friends who call to check on me.  I have a friend who will send me a text of encouraging scripture every so often.  I know others are praying for me.  I’ve heard their prayers.  I’ve felt their prayers.  Others will email me.  I’m not forgotten.  I’m not alone.  I am simply waiting.  If waiting is simple.

There have been times when I’ve been down on my knees.  Begging God to pull me through this tough time.  To provide what I need.  To show me favor.  To continue working for me in ways that I can’t see.

But in this waiting room, I must sit quietly so I can hear the voice that is calling my name.  The voice of the One who knows my name.  He speaks to me.  Come closer.  I will provide.  You are loved.  I am working for you.  Be not afraid.

So I sit.  And I wait.  I want to hear the voice when my name is called.