God’s Waiting Room
In the beginning of this year, our whole church is talking about clarity, first things first, and also waiting on God. The more I ponder upon the word “waiting”, the more God is impressing in my heart a picture of a waiting room. When we go to a dentist or doctor’s office, we can often see a well designed waiting room complete with magazines, soothing paintings on the wall, comfortable seats, and sometimes if they’re generous – good coffee!
Waiting is supposed to be a “selah”, and a brain break in the midst of our busy lives. In the act of waiting, God speaks, ideas come, and new things are invented.
However, in the fast-paced culture we’re living in right now, the act of waiting is becoming a rare concept… a lost art, a vague thing of the past. Waiting has even become a negative thing; waiting in traffic, waiting in pick up lines, waiting in quarantine. It makes us grumble. It’s deemed unproductive and a complete waste of time.
So nowadays, when we do wait, we scroll. We absorb more information, make one more purchase from the online store, double tap on another picture, or watch another show.
There was a recent study conducted by two large universities in Germany and England. In this study, participants were left in a waiting room on their own for 10 minutes. They lasted an average of 44 seconds before touching their smartphones. Men could not even manage half of this time, waiting an average of only 21 seconds compared to women at 57 seconds.
“This experiment suggests that people are far more attached to these devices than they realize. It has become second nature to turn to our smartphones when left alone with them. People just don’t wait anymore,” J. Binder from the University of Nottingham Trent said in a press release.
Despite all these, God’s command for all of us in the beginning of 2022 is very clear. WAIT UPON THE LORD. Before Jesus gave them the famous great commission of “GO and MAKE DISCIPLES”, He told them to “WAIT”. Acts 1:4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”.
Do not leave Jerusalem. Do not depart from it. Stay put. Wait.
So, why is it so hard for us to wait on the Lord?
Distractions, noises, and entertainment are everywhere – that’s one. On top of that, we are bombarded with never-ending WhatsApp messages and DM notifications at literally every second of our lives.
In this fresh start of 2022, I would love to encourage all of us to be aware of these distractions and be more intentional in the actual act of “waiting upon the Lord”.
In the act of waiting, God speaks. God reveals, heals, and restores.
In the act of waiting, God poured out His Holy Spirit, His Presence, His POWER.
In the act of waiting, in Acts 2, the gospel spread ALL OVER THE WORLD! Without Twitter, Instagram, or any videos that could make Jesus viral. This kind of effective ministry could only happen by the Power of the Holy Spirit.
But this has to start with the act of waiting.
Friends, before we go, we must wait.
Before we give, we must receive.
A practical way to wait upon the Lord in 2022. MAKE R.O.O.M.
- Make– First, to have a quality time, we have to make the appointment with a specific time and place.
It is hard to be intimate with anyone in a random time or in a public place. Matthew 6:5 says, When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.
Jesus often went away by Himself to pray. Believe it or not, to do this, Jesus often hiked and went to a nature walk in the dark. Jesus hiked even before hiking was cool!
Matthew 14:23 “Jesus went up to the mountains by Himself to pray when it was evening.” Luke 5:16, “Jesus often slipped away to the wilderness and prayed”.
Following His steps, we can be creative and intentional in our time alone with God.
Hike, bike, go for a walk to nature, play your instruments, journal.
Set a specific time and place to be alone with God.
The prophet Habakkuk was one of my favorite characters in the Bible. When he was faced with a crisis, he made it very intentional to make an appointment with God and wait upon Him.
Habakkuk 2:1- “I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There, I will wait to see what the Lord says, and how He will answer my complaint.”
- R- Rant and Receive.
Wait. Did he just say complain? Yes!
When we already set up a specific time and place to be alone with God, RANT! Just be raw and honest about our situation. With Him, we don’t need to sugarcoat anything.
The prophet Habakkuk immediately ranted and unraveled before the Lord. Habakkuk 1: 2-4, “How long, Lord, must I call for help? But You do not listen! Violence is everywhere. I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery. Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence!
Our version in 2022 might sound like this. “How long, Lord, must I see this pandemic last? Sick and worried people are everywhere. Must I forever see these masks, protocols, and lockdowns? Why must I watch all these kids still in front of their screens? Everywhere I look, I see depression, anxiety, and stress!”
Whatever our situation is, God is ready with His answers and His fresh perspective. After we rant and become undone in His presence, RECEIVE His PEACE that surpasses all understanding. In John 20:19, when the disciples were in lockdown after Jesus’ death, SUDDENLY, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you”, He said. They were filled with JOY when saw the Lord. Then Jesus breathed on them and said, “RECEIVE the Holy Spirit.”
Wow! How refreshing it is to RECEIVE HIS PRESENCE, PEACE, AND POWER after we rant about our situation.
- O- Observe His words and write them down.
Immediately, after Habakkuk rant about his situation, God replied to him! Habakkuk 1: 5 the Lord replied, “Look around the nations, look and be amazed! For I am doing something you would not believe, even if someone told you about it!”
God has a fresh perspective about our situations and He will surely make it known to us. Observe what He has to say about a specific issue. Everytime we make an appointment with God, there will always be a two way conversation. He will not leave us hanging. He always shows up, always speaks, always lifts up.
After He speaks, God wants us to write them down in tablets. Habakkuk 2:2 NLT, Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others”. Isn’t it amazing that even back in Habakkuk’s years, God prophetically said that we will one day walk around with “tablets” in our hands? Write God’s revelation on your iPads, Samsung tablets, or if you are more old school like me, journals with colorful pens.
- O- Obey immediately.
After giving us His presence, peace, power, and perspective, God will give us specific instructions on how should we carry on with our situations.
Habakkuk 2:3 “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it WILL be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.
In our time alone with Him, God often gives us a specific assignment that we have to focus on. It might also be specific strategies on how to handle a certain issue, or how to respond (not react) to a certain problem. Observe and obey it immediately. Do not use our own methods, strategy, and wisdom! Use His methods instead.
In the beginning of this school year, our third born Elijah refused to go to school. We would wait in the drop off line, and when it was our turn to drop off the kids, he just wouldn’t leave the car. I’m not proud to say that after a week, this situation frustrated me and my frustrations often lead to anger. It was not until the second week that the Lord reminded me to come to HIM with all of my questions and frustrations. It was then that He began to speak to me. As I laid my hands on Eli at night, the Lord gently spoke to my heart. “My plans for Elijah is a plan to prosper him and not to harm him. A plan to give him a hope and a future”. As warm tears rolled down my cheek, I ask the Lord for wisdom and the “next steps”.
The Lord then directed us to meet with his pediatrician. This is where the doctor diagnosed Elijah with situational anxiety. Refusing to go to school is a legit and common struggle experienced by younger kids, especially if they have been staying at home for a long period of time. So between the pediatrician, Eli’s teacher, me and my husband, we came up with a plan. God’s plan! I would not THINK of any of this if I didn’t come to God for answers. I would have scolded him into submission.
God gave us wisdom to give Elijah “incentives” and “good rewards” throughout his school day. Apparently, for a 6 years old, being away from his parents for 6 straight hours is an intimidating concept. Therefore, giving him small rewards throughout his day will help tremendously. So we started to put a soccer ball inside his backpack. This way, he would look forward to the 3 recesses he has throughout the day to kick the ball around with his friends. On top of that, Elijah loves to eat. So every morning, we would announce the lunch menu before he starts his school day. His eyes would light up, and he would look forward to lunch all morning. Little by little, his love towards school grrew and his anxiety subsided.
Today, he is loving school, a star player in his soccer team, and as I’m writing this, he is competing in the district spelling bee championship! HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!
As we wait upon God, He will reveal His plans, His methods, not ours. His thoughts and His ways are always higher than ours.
- M- Make another appointment.
Just like when we make an appointment with our favorite mentor, our health doctor, or an old time friend. On our way out, make sure we set another appointment for another time. Remember that this is a journey with Jesus, not a one time deal.
As we wait on God, remember that He has been waiting for us too. Let Him refresh us with fresh manna, revelations, and empowerment daily.
In 2022, let’s refocus our hearts and minds towards HIM.
Less scrolling, more waiting.
Less reels, more relationships.
Following HIM, over following everyone else.
Source : Joy Sukadi (Global Women Coordinator)
Next: THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS
