They That Wait

Do you enjoy waiting? Lucky for most of us, we don’t mind the odd inconvenience that comes with waiting. Some people would say there are times when it is not one of my strong points. I have been known to pull out of a gas bar because I do not want to wait. Other times I have put down an item in a store and walk out without it. They tell us the average waiting time at the grocery store is nine minutes.
Two months ago I had a doctor’s appointment at the hospital. Now this is not my family doctor but a specialist. I try to be the first one in because I know some patients talk longer then the nine minutes allotted. This is the usual reason doctors get behind. Anyway, I arrived a few minutes early, brought a book to read and sat down in a corner away from the television news Chanel. Besides the book, I was entertained by watching people come and go (one of my hobbies). Before I knew it, I had read four chapters in the book. That is when I looked at my watch and discovered I had been there almost an hour. Do you think your time is valuable? I do, and I also knew that day, I had things to do and people to see.
By this time I could not return to my book even though I tried. I read a paragraph a couple of time before I gave up on continuing. This guy has just swallowed an hour of my time. Doesn’t he realize our time is important? That is when I said in my mind, I will give him an hour. At one hour, one minute I walked up to the receptionist and said, “I have been here over an hour and I will be back when the doctor can take me on time.” As I swung around to leave, I notice by the charts, there were still two patients ahead of me and two sitting in his rooms. Walking away I could hear the two ladies at the desk indignantly ask each other how someone could walk away from an appointment with their boss. Getting in the elevator I remarked to a patient getting off, “Good luck with your wait.”
No, waiting is not one of my strong points, with one exception. Over the years, there have been times that I wondered what God wanted me to do. I would ask about this idea, that situation, or what I needed to do today. Christ has called each of us to follow Him and God said, go into all the world and tell others of him. It is a general statement which can mean next door, down the street or in the checkout counter. He just wants us to go anywhere, but just go. Other times the question we ask is more involved and complicated. Should I change jobs, is this the right thing for me and my family. In life we really want to do God’s will. We wonder about this job or that position. We pray and ask and sometimes we get no as an answer. Many times we will also receive, WAIT.
Saul of the Old Testament was asked by God to worship when Samuel gets there. He waited and waited and finally he took it in his own hands and God was not happy. We have to remember, God’s timing is perfect just like Him. Lucky for us God has also said, “Those that wait upon the Lord, will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles, they will run and not faint.” Whatever you asked God about and you are waiting, wait for God, He has perfect timing and He never has I wait longer then we need to. Rob