Posted by It is easy to say ‘God is faithful’, ‘He will come through’…when things are easy. But when things are running tough, and we are found present in God’s waiting room, it can be much harder to say. When in God’s waiting room, we have to believe in God’s presence and plan, with our very core. My experience lately in God’s waiting room has seen the fruit of God’s faithfulness rolling over and over again. But it was not without a season of waiting, and I admit – doubting and worry, and God testing me to the limit. I have never used ‘self talk’ as much as I have over the last 6 months or so, whilst in God’s waiting room.
I have a close friend, mentor and spiritual warrior use the phrase ‘You are in God’s waiting room’, and the whole concept struck a chord with me. You see, while waiting on answers or direction from God, we are actually sitting in God’s waiting room…sometimes reading or reflecting, sometimes pacing, sometimes hammering on the door. But it is good to remember that it is GOD’s waiting room. He owns the room, He owns the space, He owns the time you are there. He is in control, it is His waiting room. It is a temporary space, a temporary experience…and while sometimes our experiences feel never-ending, this metaphor places the experience in a temporary holding place. You see God has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, even in the times when we are waiting on him.
Hebrews 13:5 “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
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Being in God’s waiting room is also a place where He teaches us to be totally stripped of our own pride, and strength. It is a vulnerable place to be. It is scary to have your independence and self-sufficiency stripped away, we feel like we lose control (well the perceived control that we believe we have on our situation). However in that vulnerable waiting room, God is there, and because we are stripped to our knees, I believe he speaks to us more clearly, more fervently and with much more impact on our very souls because we a listening and have the baggage put aside. The waiting room is a place where sometimes God sorts out our insides, brings us to a place where we can hear him. We are called to trust Him, acknowledge Him and seek Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
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In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
At one point when I couldn’t see God’s plan, and in my human thinking just couldn’t figure it out (I had forgotten about relying on my own understanding…), I remember just quoting Matthew, saying ‘Seek Him, seek Him, Seek Him’. Knowing in my heart that seeking Him was priority, then all else would fall into place.
Matthew 6:33. “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.
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My prayer was so desperate that it was limited to a repetition of a couple of words. I am so grateful that scripture tells us that the Spirit intercedes on our behalf to God…that he takes our simple grunts and groans and takes them to the Father.
Romans 8:26-27. “In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will.
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Sometimes the waiting room is a holding place, waiting for different plans to come into place. We are not privy to the bigger picture of the Waiting Room…at the time we don’t know how this all fits in, and we question. We question why, we question what the point of it is. And the beautiful thing about it is, we are brought to a place of complete trust. When we are out of the Waiting Room, it can sometimes be so easy to see the answers, the direction, the path chosen. But at the time it is difficult, and it is ok to acknowledge that.
If you know someone in God’s Waiting Room, pray for courage for them. Pray for strength to believe and trust. Pray for peace. Sometimes in the Waiting Room, we can lose the ability to know exactly what to pray for, and this is where as friends and mentors we can lift each other up in prayer to our Father. I often felt complete peace in the Waiting Room process, (I won’t lie however… sea-sawing with worry and doubt)
If you are in the Waiting Room, hold on. It is not that you are doing nothing there, rather you are letting God do His thing. Claim God’s promises like never before. Say them out loud…claim them with determination and call on the power of speaking God’s Word aloud. God is in control of the Waiting Room…it is His place, so trust the space, trust the experience. He is faithful, He has a plan. He is still your creator, He still paid the ultimate price for your Salvation. He will come through. And if not in this life, your eternal life is secure, and this brings complete HOPE that God’s Waiting Room is part of a much bigger plan. And when the Waiting Room experience is over, (until the next one), we simply speak of the goodness and faithfulness of our loving God.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
Lamentations 3:22-23 The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Life by the Word 