"God's Waiting Room"

I started reading "You'll Get Through This" by Max Lucado.  I am only a third of the way through, but this has been an amazing book!  One paragraph that I would like to share is this:

          "And you?  You aren't in prison, but you may be infertile or inactive or in limbo or in

            between jobs or in search of health, help, a house, or a spouse.  Are you in God's waiting

            room?  If so, here is what you need to know:  while you wait, God works."

 

I guess this waiting seems different when I think of it as God's waiting room.  Sure, waiting isn't my first choice, but if God is working while I am waiting, then it seems to lesson the frustration of waiting. 

 

The book works through the story of Joseph and the fact that from the age of 17 till age 37, he had a really rough life that included A LOT of waiting.  Not only was he sold and deserted by his own brothers, but he was also thrown into prison for something he didn't do.  Joseph waited, and waited for twenty years.  Yet, when he was finally released from prison to reveal the meanings of Pharaoh's dream, his faith was not devastated, but deepened. 

 

          "To wait, biblically speaking, is not to assume the worst, worry, fret, make demands, or take

           control.  Nor is waiting inactivity.  Waiting is a sustained effort to stay focused on God

           through prayer and belief.  To wait is to "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him,...not

           fret" (Ps. 37:7)"

I like that Max Lucado describes waiting as active.  Waiting on God's promises does not mean waiting for the miracle to happen.  I believe this means being proactive about your situation.  Although God is capable of anything, He wants to see us working for what we want.  Praying, believing and actively pursuing what we are waiting for. 

And so, I will continue to actively "wait" for God's timing.  Even though I am not a patient person, God is working.  And that, is worth the wait!