The Waiting Room

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Waiting. Hoping. Trusting. Waiting.

“But 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.” Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah‬ ‭40:31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It grabbed my attention that wait was interchanged with hope and trust in these different Bible versions. We wait for God to move. As we wait we definitely have to trust and continually hope and believe in His goodness and faithfulness. To wait, per the Merriam Webster dictionary, means to stay in place in expectation of. We are to expectantly wait and not get ahead of God’s timing and hurry it along, whatever “it” is. Waiting is believing and expecting Him to move and act when we get His prompting.

My favorite waiting room ever to date was my pediatrician’s office. I spent lots of time there as a very sickly kid. And I remember when they added this train that circled the whole waiting room. Before the train, Highlights magazines are what captured my attention. But when that train was added, I would ask my mom to sit in the corner and watch it go by, and wait for it to come back around over and over. As I waited to see my doctor, that train was magical, and made waiting memorable. If only every waiting room we had in life was like that one! Sometimes waiting on God when our circumstances are not enjoyable can be so hard. It’s tempting to want to put it to an end to the waiting before it’s time and make a move before Gods timing. But God….He knows. He knows the end and if we take time to notice the beauty around us like that train in the waiting room, the wait will be so worth it.

Some of the things I have focused on as I wait in this season is watching and feeding the birds that hang around at our apartment. I pet my dogs. I drink my coffee that tastes so good. I water the plants we have and admire the beauty and mystery on how things grow. I go to the pool and relax with the sounds of the waterfalls. I’ve taken some time to reorganize what we have collected over the years, and that will certainly keep me occupied. There’s so many things to focus on other than “let’s hurry up and get to the end and get this over with!” We can enjoy life as we wait, or be anxious and miserable in the process. After-all, it is a process. His word says “But 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.” If we wait well, our strength will be renewed and move forward into what’s next instead of being tired from worry and anxiety from trying to take control of what’s His.

What are you waiting on? A healed relationship? A promotion? A new home? A healing? A partner in life? A breakthrough?

While you wait, what waiting room are you creating? A room filled with anxiety and fear and self reliance OR one of peace, trust, and hope as you take in the beauty of life today and watch the train go by over and over again?

“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭62:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Father help us wait well and rest in your goodness and beauty. Thank you that your timing is perfect. For everything. Help us move with you, and not before you. Amen!

Illustrations by Haley Punjak

Edited by Rachel Harmening