Wait ... Wait ... Wait

        "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31.  Those are the words that I read every morning when I get out of bed.  They are on a plaque  that is hanging on our wall.  It is a plaque that we gave to my father many years ago.

         Waiting is a part of each of our lives and often it creates frustration for us.  Friday morning I had two stops to make which I thought together would take just an hour.  But it took me almost three hours to complete them.  First I had a doctor's appointment - his first of the day.  I arrived at the time they requested only to find the office had not yet opened.  When it finally opened I had to wait until they were able to check me in.  When the preliminaries were al completed I had to wait about 25 minutes more for the doctor to arrive.  Then I had to wait in a long line to get checked out.  Next I went to get our car washed and I waited in line because there was a lengthy problem with four out of state cars in front of me.  Then I had to wait in line for the wash because two "priority" customers were allowed to get in line ahead of me.  Finally I got to the place where the interior was to be cleaned to find that they only had two workers there and I was fourth in line. Oh yes, on the way home I had to wait for road construction. Wait, wait, wait.

          Now waiting takes different forms at different times in our lives.  When we are kids we can't wait for our birthday or for Christmas or a trip to Disney.  As we get older we can't wait until we can drive or graduate from high school.  I remember that when I first went away to college I waited to see my family once again.  When we were separated I waited to see my future wife again and the time seemed to pass so slowly.

          Sometimes as adults we wait for minor things - a traffic light to change, a line at the grocery store, an appointment, a return phone call, the start of a game, a visit by a friend, or some important mail.  Wait, wait, wait.

          But as we get older, waiting can often be very stressful and difficult.  We wait to see if we get hired.  Then we may wait to get our annual evaluations and see if we still have a job.  We might wait to get a mortgage approved.  We might wait for the birth of a child.  We might wait for the diagnosis of a health problem and key tests to come back.  We might wait as a loved one goes through surgery.  There are just so many situations where we wait and we wait and we wait ..

          Sometimes we wish that we could be an eagle and fly above the things making us wait. And at times we try to run and we do get weary.  It is so easy to become impatient, especially when God doesn't seem to hear or answer our prayers.  But He is there and we need to trust Him and wait upon Him.  For He knows our ways and our future and He is a loving Father who will work His plan for our lives.

         In May of this year I saw a neurosurgeon about my back, my balance and my headaches.  A series of tests showed that I needed a second round of cervical spine and lumbar spine surgeries.  So we began the lengthy process of pre-op procedures and finally in September a date was set for the first surgery, a cervical spine surgery.  But as that date approached my wife had two stays in the hospital.  Since I would not be able to drive for at least a month nor lift more than five pounds for a few months, it was imperative that she was string enough to care for me.

         So we rescheduled the surgery and set a second date.  As we waited for that date she ended up in the hospital again and we were forced to reschedule once again.  The third date was set for October 30.  Then I developed some new problems and needed more testing.  The tests were completed on a Friday and I waited and waited and waited for the results.  They finally arrived Wednesday night and I was cleared for surgery.  Then it was more  waiting - for October 30.

          Hopefully the waiting will be over when I enter the hospital on October 30.  I enter at 5:30 am for the 3 to 4 hour surgery scheduled to begin at 7:30.  If all goes well I should be out of the recovery room by 1 pm.  Please pray that it will go smoothly.  Pray for my wife as she waits for the results.  Then long term, please pray that we can find somebody to handle our snow removal this winter since neither of us will be allowed to do it.  And so far we have had zero success in finding anybody, even professionals who are already booked.  This is a major need. and I pray that we have the patience to wait and see how God works this out.

          We are waiting on the Lord and trusting His promise to  renew our strength; to help us to mount up with wings as eagles; to run and not be weary; and to walk and not faint."

1.     In His time, In His time,

He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Lord please show me every day

As You're teaching me Your way

That You do just what You say 

In Your time.

2.   In Your time, in Your time,

You make all things beautiful in Your time.

Lord my life to You I bring 

May each song I have to sing

Be to you a lovely thing 

In Your time.