Living in the Waiting Room

Living in the Waiting Room

By Rev. Robert J. Gebel

Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

Comedian Steven Wright says, as part of his jokes, that he likes to sit in waiting rooms. When asked why he does it, he will say “No reason; just waiting. That’s what the room is for, right?” The humor, of course, is that no one waits without a reason. We wait for appointments, big events, and for friends to arrive, without compiling just how much time we invest in – just waiting.

During these days of covid-19, we have had much “wait” time while we “Shelter at Home” – waiting for the next pronouncement or statistics. The number of positive tests, hospitalizations, or deaths. When will this time of waiting at home be lifted and we are free to go where we want, when we want, and with whom we want?

The lifestyle of faith in God has always been a lifestyle of waiting. God promises, and we wait. For hours or days or weeks or months. Even generations and centuries. Waiting for what? The Psalmist answers in his song collection nine times: It is not what we are waiting for that matters, but for whom. “My soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning” (Psalm 130:6).

We wait for the Lord our God because He will reward our waiting with His gifts. Victory over sin and temptation, forgiveness that leads to eternal life, and a restored, permanent relationship with God and His promise to be with us always. But we need not spend any more time in the waiting room. It is all ours today through faith in Jesus.

Questions for contemplation:

During this time of “Shelter at Home”, what have you been waiting for? What positive things have come out of this waiting?

Prayer:

Thank you, Father, that the wait is over. Christ has come and has made me His child through faith in Him. May I rejoice in that relationship and what that means in my life. Amen.