Red Lights. And Waiting.

Last evening I left our hotel here in Orlando and drove over to get Al from the convention center where he had been working.  We were heading out to dinner with some of his colleagues.  The drive should have taken about ten minutes.  Instead, it took about twice that.  Because of red lights.  Not some red lights.  Every traffic light between my hotel and that convention center was red.  Every one!

Which meant my trip took longer than I expected.  Longer than it should have.  Longer than I had planned on.  Longer than I wanted it to.

Because I was waiting at red lights.  Just waiting.  No control over the situation.  Nothing I could do about it.  Just waiting.

I don't know about you, but waiting is not something I do particularly well.  That likely could be said of many of us, particularly in this country.  As Americans, we're pretty much conditioned to want what we want when we want it.  We're pretty much conditioned to instant gratification.  As Americans, we're not very good at waiting.

But the reality is that there are times when waiting is part of the fabric of our lives.  We wait for those red lights to turn green.  We wait for holidays or birthdays or vacations.  We wait to hear back from the doctor's office about the results of our blood work or other medical tests.  We wait for pay day.  We wait for our house to sell.  We wait for all sorts of things.  And we don't always do it very well.  We aren't always gracious "waiters".  Or is it just me?

There are some things I've been waiting for.  And as I have been waiting, I have discovered that the Bible has quite a lot to say about waiting.  In fact, I'm amazed at how many times I have encountered that word in my Bible reading.  I haven't been looking for it, or researching it, or doing a word study.  But it's just there!  Over and over and over again.  And there's particularly a lot to be said about waiting for the Lord.

A few examples:

"I wait for the Lord; my soul waits, and in his word I hope."  (Psalm 130:5 ESV)

"But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."  (Romans 8:25)

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord."  (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

"But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel."  (Psalm 106:13 ESV)

"May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you."  (Psalm 25:21 ESV)

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."  (Psalm 40:1 ESV)

And there are lots more.....

The lesson here seems to be an obvious, though not easy, truth.  The Lord's timing is perfect.  Waiting on Him is best.  He knows what is best for me.  I need to wait.  And in the waiting, there is much that I can learn. About God.  About His character and His ways.  And in the waiting and in the learning, I can become more of who He desires me to be.

So I wait.  Though I admit that I'm not always patient in the waiting.  It's something I'm struggling with.

But as I am waiting, this is my prayer......

"Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.  Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."  (Psalm 25:4-5 ESV)