Waiting for the Baby!

For those of you who haven’t heard, Kim and I are about to become grandparents for the first time. Our son Jonathan and his wife Danielle are expecting their first child, a boy, any day now. Of course, the excitement is mounting! Kim and I are waiting for that phone call to come anytime within the next week that they are on their way to the hospital, followed by a call that the baby has arrived! In the meantime, we wait.

 

It was last December, Christmas night to be exact, that Jonathan and Danielle revealed to us the pregnancy. At the appropriate time they let their friends, co-workers, and others know as well. Since that time, there have been a couple of virtual baby showers, the baby’s room has been set up, and all of the other things have been done that new parents and families do to prepare for a baby’s arrival. It has been an exciting time for us all. And we know the excitement is just beginning and that when he comes, life will not be the same for us as a family. In the meantime, we continue to wait.

I’m pretty sure, most of us have experienced waiting periods within our lives. Some of us know what it’s like to wait nine months for the arrival of a child. Maybe you’ve gone through a waiting period as you waited to hear whether or not you got the job or were accepted to a college to which you applied. Those of you who are into gardening, or even farming, know what it’s like to plant seeds and then wait for them to grow, bloom, or bring forth their fruit. Some waiting periods can be long while others might be quite short. In either case, we usually want to get through the waiting period and experience what it is we’ve been waiting for.  But, wait we must.

 

I have found that very often prayer sends us into a period of waiting. When we pray, we bring our requests and needs to God and then we are forced to wait—to wait for an answer, a healing, guidance, provision, whatever it is we have prayed for. We pray in faith, we trust God with our lives, and then we wait. It seems to be part of God’s way to send us into a period of waiting in order that we might learn what it means to trust him better with our lives.

 

The Psalmist put it this way, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3 – NIV); “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14); “Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God.”  (Psalm 38:15)

Today you may be in that waiting period. If so, I want to remind you that in his time, God will answer. In his time—his perfect timing—God will respond to your prayers. Sometimes it’s quickly; sometimes it’s a little bit further down the road. Sometimes we receive the answer we want; at other times God has a different answer. But God always answers the prayers of those who will come to him with their needs, trust him with their lives, and then wait expectantly in faith.  So today, I want to encourage you not to give up, but to continue to wait.

 

Well, I hope by this time next week I’ll have some good news about the birth of our grandson. In the meantime, all I can do is wait!

 

Have a great day!

 

Pastor Tim Harris