Waiting

Waiting and Psalms

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord;And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

Waiting rooms... Beep, beep, beep of medical instruments... Hospital smells... Doctors and nurses are reassuring, but still you wait...

Why is waiting so hard? Even when you have faith in God and confidence in the doctors, still waiting is hard. What if something goes wrong? What if it really hurts?  What if... what ifs are never good for your confidence, but hard to avoid none the less.

We used to sing Psalm 27 in the early days in the church. Of course then, we didn't really know much about waiting and patience. Forty years later we've had a lot more experience at waiting, but it is still not easy. And patience... that is the virtue that you don't want to ask for, because the Lord might answer your prayer!  Psalm 40 promises that the Lord will hear our prayer if we wait patiently, but what if we wait impatiently? (That is actually my wife's contribution as she was waiting for the anesthesiologist to put her under for surgery) That's actually a good question though. I think it is possible to waste our suffering by being impatient, by grumbling and complaining, and worst of all, by becoming bitter. Hebrews 12:15 tells us be be careful that no root of bitterness take hold because that can cause all sorts of problems.

To me, the sign of a true believer, when they get older, is how they respond to the inevitable difficulties of life. We all know those older saints who react to every problem with a smile and a prayer and always seek to encourage those around them, even when they are in pain. On the other hand, we also know too many older people who have grown bitter and resentful. They are a sad case and you can never do enough for them; they are never happy. Lord help me to age with grace and humility and protect me from that root of bitterness. I have heard it said that bitterness can not only ruin your attitude, but can actually cause diseases such as arthritis.

So waiting patiently seems to be a really good thing, and is something that is worthwhile mastering. We don't like the process, but the end results are worth the wait. So Lord, help me to wait patiently, and to be an encourager to those in pain, and a support to those in need. Help me to appreciate, on this Good Friday, the suffering and pain that you endured on the cross for us, and help us to be a comfort to those suffering around us