Waiting…not Wasting Time

We waited in a big room in a big hospital. Family members, a few friends, and a lot of folks we didn’t know chatted quietly. We were eager to see Daddy following his emergency quadruple bypass. The surgeon said Daddy had come through the operation just fine. What a relief. Daddy was eighty-one. We had lost Mom on the operating table seven years earlier, so we had been on pins and needles the past twenty-four hours.

We waited. The surgery was Thursday morning, so by early afternoon we were able to step into his room in the Intensive Care Unit. One or two at a time would go in. On Friday morning, he still had not awakened. We were told that wasn’t unusual for someone his age. Saturday morning, still no sign of waking. We waited.

Midday on Saturday, they took Daddy in for an MRI. My family went to get something to eat. I had eaten, so I stayed. I was the only one in the room with Daddy when the doctor came back with the report. He’d had a stroke. The severity was unknown.

We waited.

It was a difficult time–waiting for my dad to wake up and recognize us, to see the sparkle in his eyes and hear the laughter in his voice. Six days after his surgery he was waking up periodically, yet he wasn’t communicating with us.

There was nothing we could do. Except pray.

Our God is big.

I found a place close to the hospital to worship and rest my weary soul. I don’t recall the full message or title of the sermon, but I wrote a comment in my Bible, along with the date and pastor’s name, and am reminded each time I see the note that “God wants us to wait while we work, and work while we wait.”

I’ve heard people say, “I’m just waiting for God to move.” And they did just that. Wait. And they kept waiting for God to do it all.

Recently, Pastor Franco, our Next Gen Pastor, talked about waiting using as his foundation Acts 1:1-11. He reminded us that a time of waiting is a time of surrender, of submitting. It is also a time of obedience.

What are you waiting for? A job interview? A job offer? News from a recent oncology test that says your cancer is in remission? Your big wedding day?

In Acts 1:4-5, the apostles are instructed by Jesus to wait. The Scripture says, “…he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” (Emphasis mine.) Waiting is not some magical formula, it simply wasn’t God’s time for the promised Holy Spirit.

We all have times of waiting. We pray expectantly. We wait. We get our answer…or not. Either way, in the meantime, we keep moving forward, working in and through our circumstances.

I am reminded of the passage found in Psalm 27:14, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (NLT)

While we wait, it is important to trust God, to rely on His timing as well as the final answer. And pray. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”

We worked while we waited for Daddy’s recovery. We moved him from the hospital to a rehabilitation hospital, then to a nursing home. Ultimately, we moved him into a private place where he received twenty-four-hour care. From there, five years after the surgery, Jesus ushered him into eternity.  Our prayers weren’t answered in the way we wanted, yet I found peace and comfort in the waiting.

The apostles knew a promise was coming, they just didn’t know what to expect or when. Still, they worked while they waited (Acts 1:12-26).  So, when the time came for God’s promise to be fulfilled, they were ready.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they (the apostles) were all together in one place…All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2:1

As Christ followers, we are told in 2 Corinthians 1:20 that all of God’s promises are “’Yes’ in Christ.” So, time is not wasted in the waiting. When we submit ourselves to God, surrender our desires to Him, and obey His commands, we can have peace while we wait.

Wait expectantly. Wait patiently.

The answer is coming.