When You're in God's Waiting Room

Waiting becomes especially difficult when we cannot see what is happening.

We can endure a slow line if we can watch it move. We can tolerate a delay more easily when someone explains the reason and tells us how long it will last. But some of life’s hardest waits come with neither an explanation nor an estimated arrival time.

We wait for a strained relationship to heal, for grief to become bearable, for a child to return to the Lord, or for an answer to a prayer we have carried for years. As time passes, we begin to wonder whether anything is happening at all.

In Psalm 119:81–88, the psalmist knows that kind of waiting. His strength is fading, and his eyes are weary from watching for God’s help. He asks, “When will you comfort me?” and “How long must your servant endure?”

He is in God’s waiting room, and he is tired.

What We Cannot See

In The Path of the Darkest Night, we see a picture of a farmer planting seed. The farmer places it in the ground, covers it, waters it, and waits. He does not dig it up every morning to check whether it is growing.

The surface of the soil may look much the same from one day to the next. Beneath it, however, growth can be taking place beyond his sight. His inability to see that growth does not prove that nothing is happening.

That picture speaks to a temptation we face while waiting for God. We examine our circumstances repeatedly, looking for evidence that He has heard us. Has the situation improved? Has the burden become lighter? When we cannot identify progress, we may conclude that God is doing nothing.

Our field of vision is limited. We cannot see everything God is doing in our circumstances, in other people, or even within our own hearts.

 “The apparent delay of God’s promises does not mean the failure of God’s promises.”

That assurance rests on what God has actually promised. While the farmer’s illustration does not guarantee that every situation will develop into the outcome we desire, it does remind us that visible progress is an inadequate measure of God’s faithfulness.

Bring Your Questions into the Waiting Room

The paslmist doesn't hide his exhaustion. In the same verse, he says, "My soul longs for your salvation" and "I hope in your word" (Psalm 119:81).

Notice that his weariness and hope coexist.

We have this idea that trusting God will remove the ache of waiting. When that ache persists, we become discouraged that we aren't actually trusting God and also remain discouraged about our circumstances. This passage deals with both of those discouragements because it highlights this truth: 

Faith that is weary can at the same time be trusting God.

You can tell Him that you are tired. You can bring the same request again. When you have no strength for a longer prayer, you can use the psalmist’s words from verse 86: “Help me.”

Keep Tending What God Has Entrusted to You

Just like the farmer continues to care for the hidden seed, the psalmist continues to attend to God's Word while he waits for deliverance. He remembers God's statutes, trusts His commands, and refuses to ignore His precepts. 

This gives us a faithful example of what to do when we are in the waiting room:

• stay in the Word even when reading feels routine
• pray even when we have no new words
• ask God for strength to obey Him in the responsibilities and relationships that are in front of us today

These ordinary acts of dependence may feel ...ordinary and small.  But please realize, their value doesn't depend on producing immediate, measurable results. God is at work in His people even when we don't feel it.

Strength for Today

The psalmist ends the stanza by praying, "In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth" (Psalm 119:88).

He asks for renewed strength so that he can continue walking with God. His hope rests in the steadfast love of the One to whom he prays. 

The sermon points us to the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the greatest display of that love. Those who belong to Christ can face uncertain circumstances knowing that nothing in creation can separate us from God's love in Him.

You may still find yourself sitting in the waiting room tomorrow...still. The surface of the soil may look unchanged...still. But you can bring your need to God again, continue listening to His Word, and ask Him again for strength to take today's faithful step.

Watch or listen to The Path of the Darkest Night, from the Walking in the Word series on Psalm 119:81–88.