Pastor's Blog
Forced and Painful Waiting - Good for the Soul Posted 3.04.2010Waiting. We are not a people who enjoy long lines. Queues are not our thing. Waiting? Yuck. But life is full of waiting. Waiting. And more waiting.
Let me just be honest here, last Sunday morning was a pain. For me. I finished preaching second service and ripped off my microphone and headed to the car. Within half an hour I was sitting in the lobby of ER. Waiting. I hadn’t felt good all morning and my abdominal pain was increasing with each passing hour. So it was nice to get to a place where I might find relief.
Four hours later I was on my way home…..excited – I’m going to have a baby! Well, not exactly. But sometime soon I shall deliver my first kidney stone. What a proud moment! So there’s not been much else to do this week – but wait. I must admit that there has not been much pain this week (so far). I haven’t felt all that great, but I have yet to utilize any of the pain management medication (aka “drugs”). So I can’t be in all that bad of shape. I will have been to a couple of doctors this week at least. Maybe a third, depending on the HMO.
But what I have done a lot of this week is waiting. For the next round of pain. For the next doctor to call. For my name to be announced in the waiting room. For the next onset of nausea. I wait. Of course I have plenty to do while waiting – as I’m drinking more water than a camel.
I am a creature of my culture – I don’t like to wait. I’m not good at it, although I’m told to do it often in the Bible. Once, while Jesus was eating with His disciples he said, ‘‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” (Acts 1:4) Even they had to wait.
Have you ever heard of the American prayer? It goes this way: “Lord, give me patience, and I want it right now.” Patience is not a virtue our society seems to favor. We live in a world of frozen dinners, fast food, instant coffee, powdered orange juice, digital cameras, Cliff notes, carpool lanes, cell phones, pagers, Tweeting. Our motto is: Give it to me quick or forget about it!
We don’t like to wait – it reminds us we’re out of control. We don’t like waiting in traffic, in a line at the supermarket, at the airport, or for a slow computer. Next time you wait, remember that you aren’t in control even when you don’t wait. God is. Let waiting teach you His sovereignty. Slow down and remember. No wonder in waiting we gain strength. Carve out some time this week just to be quiet before Him. I highly recommend it – by personal experience! And, keep drinking lots and lots of water! Again, a lesson from personal experience! Wait on the Lord.
Go Back
Comments
3/05/10 6:05pm
Dear Jim, I am so sorry to hear that you were sick on Sunday. We couldn't tell during the early service. Hey, I have seen people suffer from kidney stones. A lot of us will be praying for you. When I'm going through a difficult time, I always visualize myself coming out the other side and going home. I'll pray that that time will come quickly for you. Blessings, Sallie