Waiting on the Lord

 Let’s be honest…how many of us like waiting?  Doctor’s visits where you sit in the waiting room for close to an hour before even being seen, DMV lines that run out the door, and those 5 minute red lights when you’re running late are some of the most frustrating times known to man!  Then there are the bigger things we find ourselves waiting for: potential employers to call back, the healing of a loved one, children to return to the Church, a future spouse.

I’ve been apartment hunting lately and having a difficult time waiting for the Lord to provide in His timing and in His way.  Last week, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, the first reading described my current state rather well, “With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses” (Numbers 21:4).  How easy it is for us to immediately start complaining when we are waiting for the Lord to provide something we feel we need!  We get so worn out by the journey that we fail to recognize all the ways that He has provided and trust in His proven faithfulness that He will continue to provide.  God had freed the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, sent a pillar of fire to guide them by night and a cloud by day, provided the daily nourishment of manna, and so much more, yet their only response is to grumble and complain against Him!  Did you know that the Israelites could have made the desert crossing in as short as a few months if they had gone straight across the desert from Egypt to Canaan?  Yet, God allowed them to wander through the desert for 40 whole years!  Why?  Perhaps so they could learn to trust Him, so they could learn to rejoice in His provision for them, so they could learn the lesson of waiting on Him.  Their choice to grumble and complain against God instead of trust Him caused more suffering and a longer journey through the desert.  It certainly makes me think twice about complaining when waiting on God’s provision!  Let’s resolve to stay focused on all that we have to be grateful for, especially in those tough times of waiting on the Lord!

Sarah Houde