This is the final part of an article written by Lory Demshar, Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Lory serves on the Teaching Team of the Boston Church of Christ.

      Waiting in faith involves reading and trusting the Word of God. In Psalm 130:5 the scripture says, “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope”. In other words, in God’s waiting room the psalmist is trusting in the Word of God. He is trusting God to fulfill his word. He is practicing faith. When we are in God’s waiting room we must be in the Word of God in order to sustain our trust in Him through time. Reading and meditating on the word of God restores our perspective and builds up our understanding and faith in God. At times when I am very discouraged by circumstances, I sit down and remember how God has worked in the lives of people in the Bible and in my life previously. I review events in the Bible like the opening of the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho coming down, Daniel in the lion’s den, Elijah in the contest on Mt. Carmel, and so on. I remember that the God in these accounts is the same God that I believe and trust in, and I am encouraged. It restores my perspective of God working in my life.

Wait on God in Obedience
 In Psalm 119:166- the psalmist says, “I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands.” Similar thoughts are expressed in Psalm 37:34, “Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land…”. As the psalmist waits on God to deliver him, he is obeying God. Even though we are in God’s waiting room, we should continue to obey God in our daily lives. We can not stop or stall out in our daily walk with God. We need to continue to put God’s word into practice in our lives. We need to be active in sharing faith, encouraging and serving others. I have found that when I make the decision to obey God, in spite of the fact that I may feel frustrated by being in the waiting room, it makes the time in the room more meaningful and removes the drudgery of the waiting. When I focus on others, I am not so self absorbed. Also, if all I do is fret and moan about my circumstances, I am “murmuring” against God, neglecting loving others and undermining faith.
     Isaiah 26:8 shows what depth of love and honor for God should be my motive for obeying and waiting: “ Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” What is my motivation in waiting, is it to honor God and to magnify His name to others, or is it just a way to ease my frustration?

Wait on God with Expectation
     Micah 7:7speaks of the concept of expectation in our waiting: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” Waiting on God with expectation that he will act is really a facet of faith. The idea of waiting in expectation implies strength of confidence in God. In other words we are not just hanging on and gutting it out, but we are really expecting our Father to act; so much so that we begin to watch intently for his working. In Psalms 130:6, the psalmist describes this intensity of waiting with expectation: “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” Upon reading this passage I have to ask, “Is my waiting on God this filled with faith? Is it this consistent? Is it this intense?”  

Wait on God in Stillness
Lamentations 3:26 says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
Psalm 37:7 encourages us to “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…”,
When in God’s waiting room, we need to be quiet and still. Our heart’s attitude should be one of listening and reflecting on God, His way and our hearts. Sometimes, my focus becomes intent on working out the solution the way I think it should be done, in stead of waiting on God. In pride, I spend my time fretting or complaining. Why is it that we think we have the right to “vent?” When I “vent” I am complaining against God instead of trusting him. Venting is prideful and self focused, it robs us of faith. We can become focused on how unfair or wrong we think our situation is.
 
When we are busy complaining or trying to work things out to our satisfaction, we may miss what God is doing. We may miss seeing God and his working. God may be working something out not only for our benefit but also for the blessing of others. God blessed many through Abraham’s waiting for the promised son. Similarly, God blessed the Israelites through Joseph’s time in God’s waiting room. We need to be still and seek to know God. The waiting room can be a time when God reveals Himself more deeply.
 
At times we may be disciplined in God’s waiting room. I know this is an unpleasant thought, and it is not always the case, but it is true. In Isaiah 38:13, Hezekiah describes this discipline as he waited on God: “I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones; day and night you made an end of me.” Hezekiah was humble and accepted the situation from God saying, “...but what can I say? He has spoken to me and he himself has done this. I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of soul. Lord, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them too… surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.” (Is. 38:15-17a) It takes humility and faith to be still and wait on God. How still are you in God’s waiting room?
 
God Rewards Those Who Wait on Him
Waiting on God is not always easy or comfortable. So, I will close with this encouragement: God rewards those who wait on Him. In Isaiah 64:4, Isaiah reminds Israel that their waiting on God would be rewarded: “…Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” We see a similar thought in Isaiah 30:18, “…Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” And again in Isaiah 40:31, he reminds us, “… those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
 
When you are in God’s waiting room, take heart, He is there with you. Be still and learn of Him.