Has this ever been you?

Dear Lord,

Hi, it’s me again. Listen, I know we keep having this same conversation, but I just don’t understand why You aren’t answering my prayers. I’ve been waiting for _______ (three months, two years, my whole life, since Thursday) and nothing, nada, zip. What’s the deal? Haven’t I asked You repeatedly for a ________ (job, husband, new body, well-behaved child, relief from debt)? Haven’t I done everything You could have wanted, including giving up ________ (wine, cussing, yelling at the neighbors, watching reality TV, gossiping, throwing up my food)? I just don’t understand what’s taking so long. I’m a pretty good Christian; I even _________ (went/go to a Christian School, say grace at dinner, teach my kids to say "God bless you," wear a cross necklace). I mean, it’s not as if I’m like those people who __________ (are Democrats, have addictions, weaknesses, pasts, dark pain). I’m starting to question if You are really out there, because this should be so easy for You to do. I’m sick of watching everyone around me get everything they want—what else could You possibly want from me?

Sincerely,

Tired of Waiting

In nursing school, I worked in the Emergency Department of one of Boston’s inner-city hospitals during a particularly rough winter. And it always seemed that when the weather was at its worst, our waiting room would be stretched beyond capacity with what I would call "non-emergencies." Due to the high volume of patients, some people would often wait upwards of six hours to be seen by a doctor, sometimes in the middle of the night, even after having spent an hour on public transportation in the freezing snow and wind to get there. Every night, the amount of people waiting patiently for that many hours baffled me, and I finally questioned the triage nurse about it. She told me "When the outside is at its worst, people would rather be waiting under the shelter of safety and assurance than out there all alone."

Although we cannot understand it, waiting is one of God’s greatest gifts. It is the time when we can sit beneath the shadow of His wings, and while the storm rages all around, He will speak tenderly to our hearts the things we didn’t even know we needed to hear. He has us captivated in our anticipation, and this is where He will fill in our blanks and reveal His glory. He wants more than you have ever given. He wants it all.

Dear readers, learn to cherish the time of waiting. In the silence is where God does His greatest work. Just as patients in the waiting room intently watch the seconds tick by, let our eyes be on our Lord with the same determination, while the difficulty of learning patience refines us like fire.