God's Waiting Room

One of the more ironic terms in our frenetic world is the term "rush hour" - the hour whn drivers "rush" into a frustrating near-gridlock. Similarly, in our prayer life, our urgent, "please-rush" prayer petitions often meet with only exasperating delays.

We are often in more of a hurry than God is. Peter, sinking into the water, prayed hastily and urgently, "Lord, save me!" David's panicked prayer in Psalm 70 is another example: "Hasten,...O Lord, come quickly to help me....O Lord, do not delay." (Apparently he had forgotten his own advice in Psalms 27:14: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.")

In times like these, where is God, who promises to give "grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb 4:16)? Faith answers: God's timing orchestrates his loving providence; "The Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him" (Is 30:18).

Joseph waited two years to be freed from prison. His patience paid off, enabling him to reconcile with his family and save many lives (see Genesis 50:19-21). Moses waited through ten plagues and forty years of desert heat. Mary and Martha watched Lazarus die while waiting for Jesus (see John 11). If you're in a hurry when God isn't, synchronize your watch with his. His delays are neither denials nor defeats, but merely his providentially disguised love.

This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net