FORGOTTEN IN THE WAITING ROOM

I remember the day I arrived with my newborn son to see his pediatrician for his well visit. We had the last appointment of the day--4:30--so I signed in and sat down to wait. After awhile it seemed like we'd been waiting kind of a long time, but I didn't think too much of it at first.

I did start to think something of it when the waiting room lights shut off and I heard the office staff packing up their things to head home for the day.

"Pardon me--" I said gently as I stood in the darkened room and tapped on the glass partition--"Is the office closing? I think we still have an appointment to see the doctor today."

The women were mortified that they'd forgotten about us. They ran back and got the doctor, who hadn't left yet, thankfully. We had our well visit. No biggie. Better late than never!

There are times in life when we're stuck in a waiting room. There might be a stretch of time without answers, or seemingly without any progress. And after we've been in there for a while, it can be easy to wonder if anyone even remembers we're still in there waiting. We're sitting there watching the time, twiddling our thumbs, and wondering if we've been forgotten. And really, a 45-minute wait in a pediatrician's office is nothing compared to three years of infertility, or nine months of unemployment, or a decade of praying for a prodigal child.

And before we know it, we're putting our time constraints on God. We hold up our agenda to Him and demand, "What is taking so long?" Trust me, I know. Because I am right there, right now. Were it not for the truth of His Word, I would be nearly slam-dunk convinced that He has totally forgotten that I am desperately waiting on Him. It's frustrating! But our God is faithful. Always faithful. And when we find ourselves in these circumstances we can hold to Psalm 27:13-14:

I am confident of this;

I will see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD.

Be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

Oh, that we will trust He hasn't forgotten us in our waiting room, and that we will wait for the LORD. Not for an outcome--but for the LORD!