The phrase "four-letter word" has a seriously negative connotation but I always smile when I think of it! At a Women of Faith conference, I heard the funniest sermonette about DIET as a four letter word. I still remember the crowd laughing and relating as the speaker went on and on about her "trials by mouth!" Hatred of dieting is an almost universal bond among women!
While "Diet" is not a favorite of mine, there is one four letter word that I hate even more...WAIT. My Bible reading this morning was out of Psalms 37. Twice in this precious Psalm, David encourages us to Wait on the Lord. In verse 7 he tells us to wait and trust. In verse 34 he says to wait for the Lord's help and follow Him. The consequences of this waiting will be inheritance, honor, seeing the wicked defeated, peace, and a number of other things. While I know that waiting is an essential part of our Christian walk, I still don't like it! If you're honest, you probably don't either.
Our society has not trained us to wait. Instant is expected and waiting has the connotation of inadequacy or inferiority. Fast food, fast service, instant pictures, fast internet speeds...our time has become so "precious" that any waiting is seen as waste. However, our God who created time has a different perspective. He knows that waiting is good for us. It gives us time to evaluate our circumstances and allows us to contemplate where we might need to make changes. It slows us down and helps us prioritize correctly. It is essential in building our faith and deepening our trust. When everything is laid out for us and life is rushing by, we don't usually spend the time necessary to really stop, pray, quiet our hearts, & give God the opportunty to speak to us. Sometimes it takes a doctor's waiting room or some other potentially disastrous situation to loom ahead of us before we are willing to Wait. (commonly known as a "spiritual 2x4")
Waiting can show us the true depth of our relationship with God. Our waiting rooms should be times of reflection. The more superficial our faith is, the greater the chance that waiting will turn into anxiousness, fear, worry, and the dreaded "what ifs". Instead, we need to use His waiting room to think on His greatness, His power, His miracles. We need to remember all the good things He has done, and imagine those great things He has yet planned for us. We need to let go of doubt and replace it with calm assurances. We know His plans are good. We know He has our best in mind. We know He won't ever leave us or forsake us. We can count on His power, presence, and protection. We are loved by Him!
All of us will experience the Waiting room. It is part of living and part of growing. It's your choice as to how you use your time there. You can experience peace through whatever situation you are in or you can fret & fume. The waiting time won't change, but the resulting change in your heart & outlook sure will.
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