By Lisa S.Tarno

Let’s face it, most of our lives is spent waiting: in traffic, for appointments, windows of time, in lines at amusement parks, in lines to eat or buy food, at the airport, after an event in the parking lot, trying to get pregnant, nine months of pregnancy, on our kids to get ready, for test results either academic or for our health. We all wait A LOT in our life span. It would behoove us to learn to wait well.

Admittedly, I have struggled throughout much of my life with waiting. Once a person, who shall remain nameless, gave me a book entitled, “God’s Little Handbook For The Impatient Woman”…tongue in cheek I replied, “I can’t wait to read it!” I didn’t appreciate their passive aggressiveness and was flippant in my response. Truth be told, I already knew this about myself and share it willingly with others so giving me a book to read on it and not in the right spirit didn’t sit well with me. 

Stormie Omartian writes in one of her many great books, “This is how we should respond to our unanswered prayer or to the barren or unfruitful situations in own lives. We are to sing praise to the One who can bring life to the places in us and our situations that are dead. The One who can birth something new in us and our circumstances. The One who hears our prayers and answers in His way and His time.”

Even the apostle Paul had to learn to be content; it wasn’t something automatic. “…For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have…” Philippians 4:11 There’s a learning curve to contentment and patience. We all seem to share the struggle with it, though there are a few people I have met who by nature are more patient personalities. They fascinate me! What an anomaly! Thus, I was not fashioned with those genes. I have been on the learning tract for much of my life.

When it comes to the persistent and prevailing prayers and nothing seems to be happening, I did find my notes tucked away where I remember God had impressed wisdom upon my heart. The note said: “Have FAITH to believe that God can do anything. Have HOPE that what you pray for, will be taken care of. Yet… Have PEACE that even if it’s answered DIFFERENT than what you pray, to TRUST that God has everything in control. That’s the cliff notes to learning to be content and master patience in the waiting.”

If we are honest, we need to look squarely in the mirror and admit that we are really more attached to the OUTCOME of the prayer, i.e our desired specifications, rather than trusting God’s timing and way. That’s where our disappointment in God comes from. It’s a power struggle as much as it coming from doubt and unbelief! We want to be in control! And…when we struggle like this we reduce God to being a genie in a bottle. OUCH! 

If left unchecked in our spiritual life, apathy and ho-humness will be the blaring themes of our spiritual journey. That’s not attractive! It’s childish in that we pout for not getting our way. The challenge is to grow up! Face the truth and persist in our prayers with FAITH, HOPE, PEACE and TRUST as prescribed above. 

Update from my previous article in the waiting room: All along the prayer was being answered! During the time of writing that article, the answer was, “Wait or Not Yet”. I, being the child-adult that I sometimes revert to, figuratively was stamping my feet. But, like times before, in the midst of the mundane the “Yes” answer came! It wasn’t with great crescendo but with an exhale of thanksgiving. (Side note: I do like the answers with great crescendo…but alas, am satisfied nonetheless) And this prayer request goes on a dated post it note and into the literal praise box I keep as “Thank You God!”