The Waiting Game and How to Win

As I type this,  I am in a teeny, tiny doctor's office waiting room.  It's very hot in here, and there are no other people around me. I have to keep telling myself the walls aren't actually closing in on me, even though it feels like they might be. The T.V. is on, but the volume is so low I can't even hear it.  I am going to be here a while. I didn't bring anything to read, and there's really nothing to do except wait.

Can you tell I'm a terrible waiter? My brain is filled with thoughts about millions of things I could or should be doing. But instead I'm just sitting here doing nothing but waiting.  Google says the average person spends somewhere between 45 and 62 minutes a day waiting.  Oh the things I could accomplish at home if I had 62 uninterrupted minutes!

But waiting doesn't always look like sitting around doing nothing.  Sometimes waiting can be emotional or painful. It can also be exciting, if you're waiting for something good.  Waiting comes in all forms and fashions. Perhaps we are waiting for company to arrive, or someone who's sick to get well.  Maybe we're waiting for test results or waiting for a break. We could be waiting for someone to keep a promise or stop breaking our hearts.

No matter what we are waiting for, we have these words of encouragement from Psalm 33:20. "We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield." Do you hear the good news packed in that verse? Hope. Like I always say, "If ya ain't got hope,  ya ain't got nothin!" But if hope isn't enough,  the verse also says God is our help and our shield.  No matter what you're waiting for, isn't it comforting to think God is helping you?  And if the waiting seems to be more than you can bear, know the Shield will protect you while you wait. So take heart my friend, and trust God with whatever is making you wait. There just might be a blessing "waiting" on the other side!