The Waiting Room

A few weeks ago I was at my doctor's office sitting with about twenty other people waiting for my turn to be seen. The particular office I go to is in a large hospital and there are several doctors in each clinic on each floor of the building.

In this particular clinic, there are three women's health doctors who work in the same facility, but each has their own office and patients. I go to one in particular that I really like and only see her, although there are two others that I could schedule with as well.

As I sat there playing on my phone, looking at Facebook and trying to keep myself occupied, I couldn't help to notice a woman who was beginning to get upset. I could hear her talking about how long she'd been there and how awful it was to sit and wait on doctor's, etc. I agreed with her in my mind but continued on with what I was doing on my phone.

About thirty minutes later, I still hadn't been called back for my appointment and neither had she. I wondered what was taking so long but never said anything to anyone. I put my phone down and grabbed a magazine to read. I heard the receptionist call someone's name and I felt relief for whoever had gotten so lucky.

Suddenly, I heard the irritated woman begin to gripe again about how long she'd been waiting and I looked around to see if anyone else was looking at her as well. I saw an elderly woman sitting in the corner knitting. She appeared to be around seventy years old and was smiling while she worked on her project. I wondered if she'd been there the whole time too, or if she'd come in after me and I hadn't noticed. She seemed to be very calm and unaware of the loud woman to my left.

I went back to my reading for another twenty minutes or so and I heard the receptionist call out another name that wasn't mine, or the upset woman. I had a feeling that she was going to voice her opinion again, but I had no idea of what was about to happen. She started complaining loudly, using curse words. She grabbed her purse, jumped up and walked to the front desk. Slamming the pocketbook on the counter very hard was enough to cause the girls behind the desk to jump. I looked around to see that everyone in the waiting room was watching her.

I heard her explain that she'd been there for almost two hours and her name still hadn't been called. She stated she had an appointment at a certain time and others that had signed in after her, had already been called back to theirs. I watched as the receptionist typed and stared at the screen on her desk, while the woman continued to rant loudly about being overlooked.

As my eyes scanned the room full of women, I could see that everyone was captivated by her inability to wait her turn. She continued to shout curse words very loudly at the girls who were trying to work, causing me to feel terrible for them.

Finally, a security guard came in and asked her to have a seat so he could find out what was going on. He spoke with the receptionist and then sat down beside the woman. I heard him tell her that if she didn't calm down, then she would have to be removed and would not be allowed back in the facility, much less get to have her appointment that day. She asked him why others had been called in before her that had gotten there after she had. He explained that there were three doctors in the practice and the others who had been called back, had gone to their doctors. He assured her that no one had taken her appointment and that when her turn came, she would be called back. She nodded in agreement and calmed down after that, waiting for her turn, which incidentally came a few minutes after he left.

I wondered if that's how we must appear in God's eyes when we are waiting for Him to answer a prayer for us or move on our behalf in a situation in our lives.

I know in times past I've been the woman who became irritated and got upset when I thought I had been overlooked. I've gotten frustrated to the point of thinking that God had completely forgotten about me and was never going to answer my prayer. Then it seemed as if out of nowhere, He finally came through for me and I wished then that I'd just kept my mouth shut and been patient.

I'm sure that's something we've all experienced in our lives at one time or another. I can't be the only one who has been impatient, lol.

But over the years, and only through experience, I've found God to be faithful to His promises and right on time. I have learned in times of trials to remain silent and keep my faith in Him alone. I've learned that He does things in His time and not in mine. I've found that He will move on my behalf if I've gone to Him with sincerity and with a need in my life.

All God wants from us is trust in Him. He wants us to be still and allow Him time and room to work on our behalf. He will come through for you, but only when it's time.

Like the woman in the waiting room who had a time to be seen, God has a time that He will answer your prayers.

I like to think of my having to wait as a test. Maybe God is using that time to show me how to be patient. Maybe He is using that time to teach me how to trust Him, so when He comes through, I can truly say that it was Him and no one else.

The Bible is full of verses that will help you as you wait on God. If you've prayed for something in your life that you need God to move on, then get in His Word and read each scripture that I'm going to put below. I promise you'll gain strength and faith after you've read them. The Word will cause your faith to increase.

Although there are a whole lot of scriptures that will help, I love this one in particular about waiting. It's found in Psalm 37:7-8.

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil."

This tells me to rest in the Lord and wait. I love that. So lately, when I've prayed and asked God for something, I've been trying to spend my time in the "waiting room", resting in Him by having fellowship with Him. Talking to God and praising Him for all that I already have and reading His Word brings me the rest I need to continue to wait on Him.

If the woman in the waiting room at the clinic had been more patient and had not gotten so upset, then her time spent waiting maybe wouldn't have seemed so long. She should have done what the elderly woman and I were doing, occupying ourselves with something else while we waited. I'm sure that wasn't the elderly woman's first time waiting in her life, so she knew to bring her knitting with her so she could be occupied.

So today, if you're in the "waiting room", expecting your turn to come, occupy yourself through worship and the Bible. You'll find that you will come out far better in the end, than if you get upset and go off half-cocked yelling at God and asking why hasn't He answered you yet.

I know what it is to have fear when you are in dire straights. I know how it feels to wonder if God even heard your prayer, much less if He's going to answer it or not, so I'm not downplaying your feelings at all. It's hard at times to wait on God. But what other choice do we have? We are dependent on Him. I know that I can't make it without Him and I don't ever want to try again. So, I put my prayer before Him and my trust in Him and I wait on Him.

I hope that this has helped someone today. Please know that if you're going through this, it's common to man. And just because you come through it once with the right attitude, doesn't mean that the test is over. I've found that each time I pray for God to move on my behalf, there is a waiting period that I don't enjoy, but I know I must endure. Waiting patiently builds faith and trust in God.

Much love,

Christy.

Helpful Verses: Psalm 37:7-8; Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 30:18; Psalm 25:5; Psalm 130:5; Romans 8:23-25