Psalm 37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord

In my first year of working in hospital purchasing, I would finish my day at 4:30 each afternoon. My wife, who was a part time secretary and counselor at the Mizzou Christian Campus House, would get off at 5:00 each day. She had out only car with her.

I'd sit in the entranceway to the hospital for the wait, reading a book or just staring off into space. 

At ten 'til the hour, Lisa, a pharmacy worker I knew, would arrive in the entranceway and sit across from me. She was waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up. 

He was often late, at least according to her. And she would often complain. 

As I sat waited for Karen, Lisa would express her surprise at my refusal to complain about my wife being late.

I explained that she got off at 5, but then she had to navigate through rush hour traffic on campus and deal with two of the busiest commuter thoroughfares in the city. There was no way to predict, on any given day, the multitude of things that could slow the flow of traffic.

My waiting companion complained that her boyfriend would probably stop at a bar if the traffic annoyed him.

I would also explain that Karen's quitting time was somewhat unpredictable. 5:00 could bleed into 5:10 or even as late as 5:30 if there was something that came up at the last minute. Also, students frequently sought her out for counseling, and their needs didn't always match up to her work schedule.

Lisa groused about her guy likely getting into some pointless conversation at the bar and forgetting her altogether. She said I was an idiot for not trusting my wife.

That's just it, I told her. I do trust my wife. 

As she scoffed, I went on to say that, in my experience, there are two reasons why someone has trouble trusting other people. One is that they've been lied to, disappointed, and treated poorly so many times, they no longer think anyone is trustworthy. The other reason is that, deep down in their heart, they know they themselves aren't very trustworthy. They naturally assume everyone else is like them.

I recall the look in her eyes when I said that. It was like I had just landed a painful blow with a surgically sharp needle, directly into her heart.

Of course, she blustered and bluffed her way past it, returning to her complaints about her boyfriend.

Finally, I added one more point, saving the best for last.

Besides, I said, what else have I got to do with my time except wait? Sit here and talk to you?

Which, to me, was entirely the point. God had a reason for me to wait there day after day. And his reason was sitting across the entranceway from me.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37:7

When you're fretting about the unacceptable situation people have put you in, wait patiently for the Lord.

When other people - people less faithful than you - seem to be moving right along through life with no complications, wait patiently for the Lord.

When people around you have the wrong attitude, the wrong opinions, the wrong lifestyle, or the wrong politics, wait patiently for the Lord. 

Trust me, he has a plan. Trust him to make all things work out together for his purposes - in his own time.

Trust him to raise up people who can correct those problems. Trust him to provide opportunities for his people to be salt and light in the midst of a world filled with frustrating people. 

And while you're waiting, look across the room and there will almost always be someone else waiting.  You can be that person who just happens to have a salt shaker and a flashlight in your pocket, and God just happened to set up this divine appointment for you.  

What else have you got to do?