Waiting Rooms

We knew when we sat down in church on Sunday morning and the sermon title printed in the bulletin was "What Are You Waiting For?" - that we were potentially in real trouble.

Our pastor got up and delivered a timely, beautiful message that struck both of us smack in the middle of our hearts. He gave the analogy of going to the emergency room...a place no one ever really wants to be anyway...and hearing the words, "Have a seat, and the doctor will be with you shortly."

Shortly.

Ha.

I remember my visit to the ER over a decade ago. I had gone in with unbearable abdominal pain, heard the famous above words, and made my way to the waiting room for the doctor arriving shortly. Not long into my stay, the pain became too great to sit, so I asked for a cot of some sort. They were out of cots, they said. WHAT!?!? You're a hospital, for crying out loud! How can you be out of beds?? They offered me a wheelchair. Well, I didn't need a rolling version of the waiting room chair, so I went back to wait.

Not long after, a sweet mama came in with her daughter, whose head had been gashed open and was bleeding badly. As the mom pressed bloody towels to her head, I so desperately wanted to tell her if she'd just say that kid had chest pains, she'd get right in. In my 3 hour wait, I'd learned that was the golden ticket. I was close to developing a few myself if it would speed the process along.

So...no. I don't believe in the doctor will be with you shortly.

Pastor Steve talked about the way God often asks us to wait and in His time frame...it's shortly. But in our time frame...it's long and laborious.

I am pretty sure we were the invisible sermon illustration.

At the end of the morning, he invited those in a season of waiting to stand...and I promised God if Ryan stood, I would stand with him. He did, and I clutched tightly to his hand.

We stood there with our heads bowed and heard the pastor urge the Body of Christ to look around and if someone near them stood...to go stand with them as a sign of support.

It was like junior high revisited {in my little brain}. Oh please let someone come stand with us. We still don't know most of the people who sit around us, so I had no idea who might be willing to step out and stand with two waiting strangers.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and peeked out to see a face I recognized from my days at IWU. I was so relieved that someone had taken pity on us that I began to cry. {Please hold your shock.}

Then Pastor Steve asked the supporters to pray aloud.

This man didn't know us. He had no idea what we waited for, and if I had to guess, I didn't figure "selling two houses" topped his list.

But he opened his mouth, and I'm not kidding...the most anointed prayer I've ever heard just poured out. I was convinced God had tapped him on the shoulder and told him exactly what we needed, and that's the way he prayed.

I was crying hard by the end.

We thanked him after church, and the next day, I emailed him to thank him again - and to explain what we're waiting for. He responded with some of the same words he prayed, and they so moved me, I wanted to share them with you. Maybe you're waiting too, and you need this today:

May the love of God, grace of Jesus and presence of the Holy Spirit be with you during this time of testing. May the test become a wonderful testimony of how God has blessed. We pray that as you roll this burden upon the Lord and wholly commit and trust it to Him, He will cause your thoughts and actions to be agreeable with His will and your prayers will be answered. May you be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power in Christ Jesus, so that you will obtain fortitude (victory in all circumstances) and patience (always in right relationship with the Lord and others) with all joy and thanksgiving. Your God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. May the Lord grant you an extra measure of love, faith, patience, and longsuffering as He answers your prayers in the best possible timing.

And so we wait. And we pray. And we trust.