Waiting devo

Out of the Waiting Room

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Devotion:
Picture a doctor’s waiting room: You’re probably imagining comfy chairs, a display of colorful magazines, soothing music wafting above your head, perhaps an aquarium of sparkling fish.

Why does the doctor provide such a relaxing environment in the waiting room? Because he or she knows that by and large, people do not like to wait. He or she wants you to embrace the wait with happy thoughts so that you don’t mind the minutes you spend killing time, waiting your turn.

We are a culture of people who don’t like long lines or taking a number. We dread the day we have to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles, don’t we? That’s because a long, tedious wait is almost a given and we don’t like it.

We want to get on with our busy lives, not sit around. We have things to do, places to go, people to see.

And we often cringe at just the mere idea of waiting on God - more than any other kind of waiting – because He is so very often not in a hurry. We don’t want to learn patience by waiting, though it is often the best way to learn it. We’re usually in a hurry to even learn patience.

But consider for a moment the flipside. Consider for a moment those times when the waiting room door has been thrown open but we’re still sitting in the chair by the fish, afraid to get up, get out and get moving. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we sense God nudging us to step out but we instead find ourselves oddly content to just wait it out - or perhaps we are hoping someone else will make the move we’re supposed to make.

Just as there are times when God wants us to wait on Him, there are times when He calls us to action. And just as we need to listen for His voice in times of waiting, we need to obey His prompting when the wait is over.

When God told Moses to send spies into the land of Canaan, only two of the twelve came back from the mission ready to do what God was prompting them to do. The others wanted to head back to the waiting room, grab a magazine and hang out with the fish! They were afraid to move forward in faith, even though they had seen God time and again prepare a way for them in the wilderness and then lead them through it. God asked that these people take a step of faith and trust Him for what lay past the waiting room door. He didn’t kick them out of the waiting room. He asked them to leave it, and they chose not to. History shows us what they missed. (Numbers 13:26 to 14:25).

Are there perhaps blessings you have asked for but then have refused to pursue? Have you been hanging back in the waiting room – perhaps because you’ve allowed fear to convince you it’s better to be safe and ineffective than risk being used of God?

The waiting room has its purpose. It is the place where you get mentally ready for what comes next. You are not meant to live there. You were designed for the world outside. And it waits for you!

Dear Lord, enable us this day to throw off self-doubts and fear so that we may obey You, serve You and live out our purpose for You. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and empower us to do all that you have called and equipped us to do. Forgive us for being content with sitting in the waiting room when you’ve called us to come out. Ignite in us a passion to live our faith loudly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.