When
you go see the doctor the receptionist says, “Please have a seat in the waiting
room.” Although you’re ready to see the doctor, you’ve got to wait until the
doctor is ready to see you. So you’re forced to sit in an uncomfortable chair,
thumbing through outdated magazines, trying to pass time until the nurse calls your
name. Everyone in that room is doing the same thing and that’s why it’s called
the “waiting room.”
God
also has a waiting room. When you are waiting for an answer to prayer, you’re seated
in God’s Waiting Room. "Waiting on
the Lord" is the gap in time between your prayer request and when God's
answer arrives. During the delay, your faith is being tested simply because
you don't know how long you will have
to wait.
King
David must have been squirming in his waiting room chair when he wrote, "How long, O Lord? Will you
forget me forever? How long will
you hide your face from me? How
long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all
the day? How long
will my enemy be exalted over me?" (Psalm 13:1-2)
When
you are seated in the Waiting Room, nothing appears to be happening. You have
no evidence that God is at work outside the four walls. You’re kept totally in
the dark about what's going on. Everyone who has ever walked with God has spent
time in the Waiting Room because this is where He stretches our faith and
patience to new levels. What should we do while waiting?
1.
Continue to pray. Although it seems like God isn’t listening, He is still
hearing your prayers. Remember, it’s a test, and only a test.
2.
Don’t complain. The
longer you wait, the more tempted you will be to start complaining, and the
waiting room turns into the whining room. Find ways to thank God even though
you don't know what's going on.
3.
Remove your deadline for the answer. Trust the Lord to bring the answer
whenever He wants. Usually the delay simply means that the timing isn't right.
Not everything is in place yet. When all the pieces of the puzzle come together
then God will make it happen. "He has made everything appropriate in its
time" (Eccl. 3:11).
The
time will come when the nurse calls out your name and says, “The doctor will
see you now.” Until that time comes, keep reading God’s Word while you wait. (Excerpt
from Slaying Your Giants chapter 14, “God’s Waiting Room.”)
www.makinglifecount.net Making Life Count Ministries
**********************
The
Sure Cure for Worry proves
that GOD IS IN CONTROL and you can trust Him to take care of the problem that
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SONG OF THE MONTH Video is “Starts With Me” by Tim Timmons
Looking for a good book to study in a SMALL GROUP? Slaying
Your Giants is filled
with interesting stories and Biblical insights, and includes a free 20-Lesson
Discussion Guide.
