“And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you…blessed are all they that wait for him.” (Isa. 30:18)
One of my least favorite things to do at the doctor’s office is to sit in the waiting room. There is little chance you will NOT have to wait because they even call this room, the “waiting” room. Then, to make matters worse, once they call your name all they do is lead you to a smaller “waiting” room until the doctor is ready to see you.
Just once, when the doctor finally came in, I would like to say to him or her, “I’m sorry, but I am not ready for YOU, now. Just go back to your little office and wait until ‘I’ am ready.” Okay, I admit, that will never happen. But it does sound like fun, doesn’t it?
Well, sometimes God puts us in His “waiting” room. See, God is never in a hurry. He works at His own pace. Waiting on God can be a frustrating time for us until we realize that God isn’t as interested in TIME as He is in TIMING. In other words, God’s timing is always perfect, so we much rest in the fact that God always knows what to do and, most importantly, when to do it.
We don’t usually think about the Lord having to wait, but Isaiah starts off this verse by saying, “And therefore will the LORD wait.” Isaiah tells us that sometimes we are waiting on God because He is waiting on us! He is often holding back His answer to us and His deliverance for us because we may not be ready to receive it.
Notice two reasons God’s waiting room is so important.
FIRST—It’s A Matter of GRACE for US.
Isaiah says that the Lord sometimes waits “that He may be gracious unto you…” In other words, God is so sovereign that He knows that the right answer at the wrong time can hurt us more than help us. If you have not received your answer, just trust that God has your best interest in mind for not revealing it, yet. Trust that He is being gracious to you.
SECOND—It’s A Matter of GLORY for HIM.
Next, Isaiah says, “and therefore will He be exalted.” The second reason God hasn’t answered you, yet, is because He is waiting for the perfect moment which will bring Him maximum glory. If our heart and attitude are not right, then He cannot get glory from our situation, yet.
Therefore, while you are sitting in God’s waiting room, ask Him to help you have the right spirit while you patiently wait on Him. And when you do, you will be rewarded because the last part of the verse says, “blessed are all they that wait for him.”