God's Waiting Room

My life has been insane since June. I've moved internationally several times now, but moving internationally with toddlers is next level. The last 6 weeks beg to be written into a magnificent symphony with plenty of plot twists and turns. I have a list of posts I wish to write and declare God's faithfulness in the middle of our madness. It will take some time to process what's taken place, but it's on my radar.

Right now we are in Bangkok wrapping up loose ends with many days worth of medical appointments for the family. On Tuesday, I spent 11.5 hours at the hospital doing absolutely every check-up I've put off the last couple years and then topped it off with a dental cleaning. On the way to my first appointment of the day, I turned the corner and there sat the Women's Health Center. Time stood still. It's been 5 years since I walked out of that waiting room carrying the shatter pieces of my heart, questioning God's character and my identity in Christ. "No more babies" felt like the final blow delivering my death sentence. I had forgotten that's how I'd left this hospital until I turned that corner and stared dead on into that waiting room.

The Waiting Room

In that moment, God reminded me of a card my sweet grandmother wrote me in 2007. I had just moved back to Oregon from Thailand without a job or income. I was single, felt friendless, alone, and my future seemed muddied by the uncertainty of it all. I remember expressing all these things to my grandma after cleaning her house (which I did about once a month for years). After this, she wrote me a card with a single phrase that I have never forgotten:

"Remember, no time is wasted in God's waiting room."

I may have left the Women's Health Center that day in shambles, but God had not yet begun His healing and redemptive work in my life. Despite the logical voices of medical care professionals and experts, God had not dismissed me from His waiting room or His care. The vast array of miracles, healing, and redemptive work He had in store for my life was still to come.

"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" Psalm 27:13-14

Over and over again, God commands those who trust in Him to wait for Him. And waiting is tedious. I like the fast track. I like instant results. I like when things go my way. But if there's one thing I've learned in the 41+ years of my life is that rarely do my ways ever actually have anything to do with God's ways. His information is so vast in comparison to mine. When I find myself disappointed by unmet expectations and unanswered prayers, God's waiting room invites me to sit, rest and trust that the Creator of the universe has something particularly wonderful in store for me. True, He may not call me into His office right away. I will get impatient by preconceived delays, but that doesn't mean Jesus has not specifically crafted good and perfect gifts for me. We can take a deep breath when sitting in God's waiting room because He never fails us.

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." - Isaiah 30:18

Did you know that God also waits? He does not ask us to do something He doesn't do Himself. In His mysterious ways, He asks us to trust why He waits to act on our behalf. We only have the ability to see what our finite minds can comprehend, but God sees all things in the light of eternity. He asks us to trust the order, process, and timing of His waiting room.

What do we glean when we surrender to the rhythms of God's waiting room?

1. Strength and energy so that we don't collapse on the journey (Isaiah 40:31).

2. God's endless love, mercy, and faithfulness, which subsequently results in hope and salvation (Lamentations 3:22-26).

3. God's help, protection, and joy (Psalm 33:20-22).

4. God's forgiveness and redemption (Psalm 130).

5. Adoption as children of God and redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23-25).

6. Produces patience, perseverance, and endurance that will yield a crop of righteousness (James 5:7-11).

My fate was not sealed the day I left the Women's Health Center. Instead, God sealed me for something better and greater than I could have ever imagined. It doesn't mean my life was perfect moving forward or that I've wandered away from God's waiting room now that my prayers were answered. In fact, I'd say I've found myself run towards His waiting room now with more desperation than ever before. My faith has been stirred and strengthened with the steel of the Holy Spirit and by fortifying my heart with God's Word. More than miracles, my desire has become a hunger to experience the fullness of God's presence. I don't want to journey without Him. I can't finish my race if He does not prepare the way or go before me. So I linger longer in His waiting room in order to glean all He has for me, so that I can complete my race.

If you find yourself in God's waiting room - take heart, dear reader and be blessed! God has not forgotten you. He knows exactly where you are and exactly what you need. Your paperwork has not been misplaced in the hands of the Great Physician. Your file has been lovingly arranged on His desk with carefully written notes, so that you will receive the best possible care. He views you holistically, knowing your complete medical history with every single intricate detail of your being - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. AND He still wants YOU, desiring to give you good gifts! Hold on and wait for His leading. He does not disappoint. You will see His goodness in the land of the living. As you wait on the Lord today, I pray and give thanks for you, just as Paul did for the Corinthians ...

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Lord Jesus, there is nothing more challenging than waiting for You to answer a prayer, especially when the need feels so pressing and urgent. Help us to trust You have great purpose behind waiting. Your wisdom is flawless, Your answers never disappoint. Thank you for hearing us and answering our prayers, even when the timeframe may frustrate us. Help us to trust You, even when we don't understand. In Jesus' name, Amen.