While We're Waiting
This post appeared in the March 18, 2022, issue of the Branson Globe.
When our children were young, my husband and I were careful about what TV shows they watched. The “good” list included “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood;” we could depend on Fred Rogers and his friends for wholesome content that was actually educational. Household chores went on pause as Mr. Rogers visited a music store and sat down at the piano to play along with a jazz artist, or visited a factory to see how crayons are made.
Sometimes, if it wasn’t quite time for an appointment or Mr. McFeely was running late with deliveries, Mr. Rogers had to wait. He created little songs for just about everything, including “Let’s Think of Something to Do While We’re Waiting,” as he did some quick project to help pass the time. Sometimes we sang that song with our kids in line at Silver Dollar City, or waiting for some other fun thing.
Other things, though, are not so much fun. I remember all too well the wait for cancer test results. Over the last 3 years, I spent several nights at my dad’s bedside wondering if each pneumonia or anxiety episode would be his last—and 2 of those years wondering how new developments in the Covid drama would affect the time I could spend with him.
If you’re in a “waiting” season, you’re in good company with the psalmist David. Even in dark times, I’ve often turned to the Psalms for reassurance that God is in control. While waiting to see if a job opportunity would work out, Psalm 37:5 was comforting: “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” More recently, horrified by atrocities in Ukraine, I read 37:9, “Evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”
Does that mean everything works out exactly as we wish, or when we wish? No. New Testament writers remind us that Jesus Christ suffered and his followers will, too, but we must continue to “be serious and watchful in your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7). Paul wrote several letters from prison; 2 Timothy was likely written while awaiting execution. What we learn, though, is to continue in prayer, and as we receive strength from God, even encourage others.
Perhaps the most famous “waiting” passage in the Bible was written by the prophet Isaiah, whose ministry spanned the reigns of 4 kings and many chaotic events. He could only imagine the Messiah he foretold but would not live to see, yet he could confidently write that God knows, understands, and doesn’t get tired; and “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles (40:31).”
As an eagle flies high, it gains so much more perspective. Whether it’s world events, financial provision, a prodigal loved one, or a medical diagnosis, waiting isn’t easy. But as we keep our thoughts focused on God’s faithfulness and spend time in His Word, looking above our immediate circumstances, we can receive His strength for the wait.