sacred strokes

Oh right, the road’s out. Gotta love traffic issues…

Odds are, you’ve either driven a vehicle or have been driven IN a vehicle at some point during your life. Given those odds, I’d be willing to bet that most of you have experienced being stuck in traffic, due to a school bus or garbage truck, a repair job on the street, or even a major accident up ahead. It may have been a few minutes of waiting until you watched that guy with the “Stop” sign finally turn it to the “Slow” side, or it may have been hours of 5 mph tops as the road far up ahead was completely blocked with emergency vehicles, helicopters, debris, the whole gamut.

I want you to reflect on those times. Think about when you have been in that position. The position of being stopped, literally, in traffic due to an accident. Are you there? Remembering? Okay, what was your very first thought upon realizing there was an issue? If we’re being honest, we’ll confess that most of us immediately got upset because we were delayed. We were filled with thoughts like: I’m going to be late, the car is running low on gas, the kids are already whining about being hungry, I’m feeling pretty hangry myself, my boss isn’t gonna be understanding whatsoever, the dog has been at home all day and needs to be let out, I’m already annoyed or arguing with the passenger and now I’m stuck longer with her, I hate the feeling of not moving and there’s not even anything good on the radio… you know what I’m talking about. Usually, if we’re being completely truthful here, those are the first thoughts in our heads, maybe after a brief “I wonder what’s going on” opener. After all, these delays are messing with our plans, dang it!

The thing is, we are not supposed to respond in that way. All of the aforementioned thoughts are valid concerns, but they should not be our initial response or what we dwell on during our wait. In fact, the best thing we can do, rather than giving ourselves over to all our pressing concerns is to pray. And no, not about getting to work on time. Pray first for whatever is going on in traffic ahead, pray that no one is going to be fatally injured, pray for the emergency teams who are hurrying and responding the best they can, pray for the loved ones of the people involved, pray that this situation will be used by the Lord for someone to feel His presence for perhaps the very first time.

That’s not a natural initial response, is it? How many of us really do that first, instead of maybe if we think of it after we wrestle through the what-ifs and consequences of being stuck? We’re hard-wired to put our own needs before anyone else’s. Call it survival instinct or some other psychological term, but we’ve all got it and we need to retrain ourselves if we aim to get beyond that primal response. And what better way to begin than by praying about it?!

We know that patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. In scripture, there is a great emphasis on waiting, how we are to wait, and how we are not to wait. When we’re feeling stuck in life, are we immediately frustrated, filled with doubt and concern, cussing or beeping some metaphorical horn to try to get things moving along? Are we forcing ourselves down some road we find out later on we were never supposed to travel? One which, if we had been patient, we would have realized God had planned a safe detour around? Why is being patient during the wait, during the times of stagnation, so stinkin’ hard?

I think it’s partly because humans are created with the desire to move, whether it’s by growing, learning, discovering, changing, or experiencing some other momentum or climb. We also seem to have increasing difficulty when we don’t get exactly what we want, exactly when we want it. But I think it’s also because something miraculous happens during the wait. And I think that’s why Satan tries so stealthily, and often successfully, to attack it. When we are filled with frustrations, fears, and doubts, our mind can be on any number of things but it is most certainly not on God. God is not about any of those things. In His presence, they simply can’t exist. We feel those things sometimes, naturally, but God is able to remove them as the Holy Spirit instead fills us with peace, even a joy, and, you guessed it, patience. I whole-heartedly believe that the more wonderful and blessed something was intended to be, the more Satan will work to attack it. Anything beautiful and good can be corrupted. And waiting is no different. What are we missing out on by focusing on our own selves and our misery during the waiting times in our lives? I believe what we miss out on is something pretty special.

Lamentations 3:25 tells us that “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” James 1:12 adds, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” Clearly, God intends good things for us when we are steadfast through the times of waiting. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us that we are not to be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to present our requests to God. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Yes, I could sure use THAT during my times of waiting!

Whether God brought the specific wait upon us or not, He can use it as a time for growth. Waiting does not mean inaction. We can grow toward Him or away from Him during those times. When we throw up our hands and get angry, we are missing the opportunity to see what God can teach us and how He can use the situation for good. Instead, when we feel stagnant, bored, or stuck, we are to pray about it! Whether it’s some traffic accident, looking for a job that’s the right fit, a stale phase in a relationship, a medical difficulty, counting down the days to being with someone we’ve missed, not knowing how to pursue our dream, looking for a spouse, trying to have kids, feeling spiritually stunted, even sitting in a tree stand during a hunt… the wait can be used for good if we allow it. If we give it to the Lord in prayer, I think we will be amazed at what can happen. He is faithful, immeasurably more so than we are. Romans 12:12 sums it up nice and sweet: we are to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.

God will use our times of waiting for our benefit, if we let Him. Even when it’s an annoying little traffic issue. We will all have times of waiting, whether we like it or not. It’s how we handle those times that will define our character, and shape us into who we will become. If you’re in a waiting period right now, pray and continue to pray and God will be faithful. He does not operate on your terms, or my terms, or anyone else’s but He is good and He is loving, and we can trust in that.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

Psalm 130:5, HLC