THE WAITING ROOM

Driving to the hospital to see my brother who had just had a cardiac arrest was one of the scariest moments of my life. It was as if I was transported back to when I drove to the hospital to see how my dad was after suffering a stroke. I repeated this ritual when my mother-in-law had cancer and then again when my mom had surgery. I knew what stepping into the sterile smelling stillness of the hospital would mean. Waiting… to learn news of their conditions. Waiting… to ensure for myself they were alright. Waiting… to know how life for all of us would be affected.

Waiting is not just isolated to times of sickness. How many times have I waited on a package to arrive, waited until the end of a good book to discover what happened to the main character or waited on a response from an important email? Waiting comes in different forms for all of us, but we have all experienced what it’s like to sit in the sobering silence of the waiting room.

To ‘wait’ is defined by Webster’s dictionary as a verb indicative of staying in place in expectation of something or to delay something. As a noun, wait can be thought of as an attitude of watchfulness or expectancy. What Webster doesn’t define are the feelings brought about by watching expectantly for something that seems to take forever.

Throughout the ages God’s people have spent time in the waiting room. We’ve experienced the frustration in our own period of waiting. Abraham and Sarah waited on the promise of a son but soon grew weary and decided to ‘make something happen’ (Gen. 16). Moses grew frustrated as he led the people of Israel to the land of promise, waiting for them to mature in their faith. His impatient waiting led him to act in unbelief (Exodus 20). Job bemoaned his situation and prayed to die as he painfully waited on an answer from God (Job 3). The first century disciples waited on Christ as he prayed in the garden but became tired and fell asleep (Matt. 26: 36-43). Mary and Martha were tragically disappointed as they watched and waited for a healer who didn’t come (John 11:1-32).

Every entrance into the waiting room is uniquely perplexing and brings with it a myriad of thoughts, feelings, and actions. We certainly can’t judge any of our Bible heroes, or anyone else for that matter, for their behavior in the waiting room. We’ve all experienced moments of doubt and drama during long interims of heavenly silence. Though we often fail to remain faithful in the waiting, God has never failed in his faithfulness to us.

Looking back over the list of saintly waiters, we realize that although God’s promises to his people are often deferred, they are never forgotten. God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah was realized at the most unexpected season of their lives (Gen. 17). Moses, just before his death, was allowed to see Canaan land, and realized that God is indeed a promise keeper (Deut. 34). Job found God to be not only a healer, but a restorer (Job 42). The early disciples, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, received the promised Holy Spirit and became powerful witnesses of Christ (Acts 2). Mary and Martha watched in amazement as the power of God raised their brother Lazarus back to life (John 11:33-46).

The next time you must wait, consider that God is still working even when he seems absent from your circumstances. God keeps his word even when some of his promises have yet to be fulfilled. God is working out the healing, even while you or your loved one is still sick. God is all powerful even when we break under the stress of waiting. When we least expect it, God will call us out of the waiting room and perform a miracle right before our eyes. Isn’t that worth waiting for?

Barbara and her husband Jeff serve the wonderful people of the “Great Land” that is Alaska. As the Women’s Ministry Coordinator for Alaska Church of God, she enjoys mentoring and learning, not only from the beautiful people, but the rugged and resilient landscapes of this awe-inspiring part of the country. Prior to this appointment, Jeff and Barbara pastored for 26 years in North Carolina, and worked for Lee University for 6 years. Barbara holds a master’s degree in ministry studies from Lee University. She and Jeff have two children: Christian (Carson) Hughes, and Sam. They also have one grandchild, William Grant Hughes.