In the Meantime.

Psalm 37:7  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently...

I hate waiting. Maybe this is the seed for my aversion to shopping (Bruce, you should be thankful for this): waiting in line to checkout, waiting to see the 'perfect' accessory for the 'perfect' outfit... I think the self-checkout at the grocery is brilliant (do it yourself, right?). I deplore waiting for an oil change (flipping pages in 5 year old Nascar magazines), in the doctor's office, etcetera. What did we do before 'smart' phones in waiting rooms?   Yes, Dad, I know this is part of my generation - we've lost patience and think we must have things now, now, now. And I recognize this is one of my many deficiencies: patience. a.k.a. waiting.

The test results from the lymph node biopsies won't be known for "1-2 weeks". Surgery went well (praise!) and now I must wait. Not particularly fun. No matter where anybody is in life, aren't we all are waiting for something? Maybe it's to finish school, get a promotion, have children, to retire, take a vacation.... We don't have a choice, waiting is inevitable. But ... we can choose how we wait.

Perusing through other blogs I enjoy reading today, I ran across an entry from Priscilla Shirer's blog (you should frequent the site as well!) about this very subject. She points out that while reading Scriptures on waiting, she noticed the word "waiting" was often used synonymously with the words hope and trust. "We can wait patiently because we TRUST Him. We confidently believe that His timing is perfect and that He will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right (Psalm 84:11). We can hope in Him, which means to look forward to with desire and confidence, because He is good. So since He is good, then that means whatever comes from Him is good."


We know God has promised to be good to us...while we wait (Lam 3: 25). 
He has promised to strengthen our hearts...while we wait (Psalm 27:14).
He has promised that none who wait will be put to shame (Psalm 27:14).
That those who wait will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40: 31). 
That we WILL be blessed, IF we wait for Him (Isaiah 30:18). 


In the meantime, let us focus on what we do know. God is faithful. He is merciful and gracious, abounding in love. We can approach His throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) to receive mercy and grace in our time of need. 


I'm sure enjoying my time home this week with Silas and Avery... it's going to be hard to get back to work next week! In the meantime, we wait.