Waiting

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November 26

Tuesday, November 26th, 2024

I am continuing my Learning Journal with lessons I learned and am learning. The first installment was yesterday. You can check that out here. This is Learning Journal #2.

Have you ever noticed how some things never move as quickly as you want them to? Then again, sometimes time flies. The old adage “Time flies when you are having fun” might apply to life from time to time but not so much healing.

I’ve been in a holding/waiting period for almost 2 weeks (Nov. 11th surgery). Slowly I’ve watched the days go by as I’ve been very limited as to what I can do. Therapy. Ice. Doze off. Ice. Read. Doze off. Burning pain at time that would stop a horse (I’m guessing). I’m sitting in the surgeon’s waiting room (Friday, the 22nd) as I write this, now waiting for his PA to come in.

Waiting seems to be a staple in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I have very little patience for waiting in line, especially at WalMart or Kroger when they have 10 registers but only one open. I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon of self-checkout.

But in all seriousness, waiting is lauded in the Bible as a good thing. One of the most well-known, most well-loved, and most memorized Scripture is Isaiah 40:28-31. Verse 31 says, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (NLT) The word for “trust” is the word “wait.” We might use the word “rely on” or “lean on.”

Truthfully, God doesn’t act at human speed. Sometimes He is much slower; sometimes He is much faster. The hardest thing is to wait. You have probably heard the old adage I’m sure: “God is seldom early, but He’s never late.” So…wait, loved one. Wait.

{Note: As you can see I wrote this last week. Things have changed since that day. My therapy is moving ahead and I have more freedom. Thanks for your prayers}.

March 21

Tuesday, March 21st, 2023

You may have heard the saying-and I know I have used it numerous times:

God is seldom early but He’s never late.

That speaks to one of the hardest things we have to do, whether we are a Christ-follower or just a traveler on the earth:

W.A.I.T.

We are not a patient lot. Just look at our eating habits. Microwave ovens. Get food done faster (although some foods don’t heat up well. Pizza tends to get rubbery). Microwave meals. Insta-pots (Jo uses hers a lot). Instant oatmeal.  Instant coffee (I don’t drink any coffee at all. Can’t stand the taste of it). Self-checkout at the stores (usually faster than standing in one of the few lines open at WM or some grocery store). Instant potatoes (talk about fake!). E-filing our taxes and direct deposit the refund (guilty as charged). The list goes on and on. We are accustomed to getting things now…not later. We are not kin to waiting.

“Hurry up and wait” seems to be the order of the day.

The saying I mentioned earlier-“God is seldom early but never late”-is often used when someone wonders why it is taking so long to get an answer from God. It’s like, “C’mon God! I prayed yesterday and I’m still waiting!” 🙂 And so we continue to wait.

Patience is not our strong suit. We want an answer and we want it N.O.W. We need to keep in mind that God’s timetable is not always ours. As much as it pains me to say it, from time to time God’s best answer for us to W.A.I.T. “Slow down,” He says. “Don’t be in such a hurry. I have your best interest in mind.”

There is a great Scripture in Galatians 4. In verse 4 it says, “But when the right time came, God sent His Son…” (NLT)  That phrase “But when the right time came” is so important. (There are several historical events that show why this is true, but this is not the time to state them. Maybe another time). Jesus came at just the right time. 

God always shows up at the right time. Not early. Not late. Trust Him. Don’t rush Him.