Is it possible to worship in the waiting room?
Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me; for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day. Psalm 25:5
I have been in many waiting rooms in my life. One waiting room in particular stands out – the one of my children’s pediatrician. She was a great doctor and took time with each of her patients, but that usually meant long waits for the other patients. She tried to help us not notice the long wait by putting a video player in each room, even the waiting room. And she only had Disney movies, so we saw our share of those. My children didn’t even notice that we sat there. They got snacks, watched a movie and had me all at the same time.
Another one of our doctors was pretty smart too. She had everything in purple. Even her gloves were purple. By this time my children were much older and she saw 3 of us. But we all went as it was such a fun time. At one point we had been in there for over an hour, and my son started blowing up her gloves like balloons. It was funny to see the purple hands floating around that office. She is a character and completely worth the wait. She was instrumental in saving my son’s hearing as well as mine.
So, I have had my share of waiting, like many of you. And, I would say, waiting in a time of suffering is a completely different ball game. I think I know why. I do not have an end in sight. But, come to think of it, to share in Christ's sufferings is actually a blessing. My mindset needs to be on this blessing, rather than trying to get out of it, or looking to get to the end of it. The thing is, usually with waiting, there is a reason for the wait, something coming at the end. Like a ball game, a parade, a movie, a lunch date, something fun.
I think what needs to happen, is that I need to change my focus on what the waiting room is meant to be for one in suffering. As I have written about recently, my focus needs to be on finding God here, not waiting for there. And that applies to this waiting room of suffering.
My brother-in-law Mark, has had lots of suffering. He has extreme pain from a nerve condition. We were talking recently and he said something that has stuck with me. “The pain is so bad, that really all I can do is worship. And it helps.” Mark has the key. Worship.
Worshiping God in the storm. In complete and utter abandonment. Because at the end of the day, Jesus and His Name glorified is all that matters. I can either worship or put my eyes on my circumstances.
O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
Psalm 95:6
This verse came home to me when our family was preparing to go to India on a three-week mission trip. And I had just completed a word study on the very word WORSHIP. This simple act of kneeling is done in our love for our Maker as well as our LORD. He is worthy of all of our worship – whether we are in a storm or not. It is when we are in the storm that He gets the most glory because we are in submission to His will in our lives.
I believe that when I actively choose to worship when my suffering is at its greatest, I am closest to God. Yes, He draws me close, but in obedience, I come. To Him. In worship and on my knees.
Pretty awesome experience. And one that never grows old.
Good job sweetheart!