The Trouble With Waiting Rooms (Part 1)

I’ve sat in many waiting rooms throughout my life:  Corporate waiting rooms, while I bite my nails before an important job interview; doctor’s offices—again a nail biter, since I don’t enjoy going to the doctor; DMV waiting rooms.  (Is there anything worse?) And spa waiting rooms—which aren’t as bad.  At least they are nicely decorated with soothing music, waterfalls, and updated magazines.

But for the most part, I don’t like waiting rooms.  I actually don’t care much for waiting—in a room, or otherwise.  It often brings out the worst in me.  I get impatient. I get bored.  I even falsely anticipate what news I’ll find on the other side of the waiting room door.

Imagine growing up and being taught about something so exciting that’s expected to happen in the future.  You read about it.  You study about it in school.  Your parents tell you stories of hope about this upcoming event.  You wait.  And wait.  And wait.  And nothing.  The event doesn’t seem to be happening.  You wonder if the stories were a lie.  If the predictions were false.  And after a length of time, maybe you give up hope and move on.

I wonder if the Jewish people felt that way while waiting for the Messiah.

In Luke chapter 2, we meet two people who were doing just that.  They were devout Jews waiting for the Messiah.  Simeon and Anna.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Luke 2:25-26.

Can you imagine?  If you had been given news like that, wouldn’t you wonder who the Messiah was? Perhaps you would look around the temple grounds and ask yourself, could that be him?  Or maybe that is him?  Obviously Simeon was facing the end of his life.  How much time had passed between the Holy Spirit telling him this news, and Simeon seeing the Messiah?  Did he ever question the truth that was spoken to him by the Holy Spirit?  Did he wonder if the waiting was a complete waist of time?  And when he did see the Messiah, was he surprised it was a baby?

Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God. Luke 2:27-2

And there it was.  The waiting was over.  Just like that.  Everything that had been promised had come to pass.

Are you waiting for something?  Are you sitting in a waiting room and it seems like an endless amount of time is passing?

Perhaps you can’t wait for Christmas Day.  There’s a gift under the tree with your name on it, and it’s driving you crazy to wait to open it.  Or maybe Christmas isn’t all the Hallmark movies make it out to be.  Maybe you can’t wait for the day to come and go so you can get on with your life.  Maybe you are waiting for peace to return to your marriage.  Maybe you’re waiting for healing of your broken body. Maybe you’re waiting for the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  You are ready for heaven, and the more you watch this world, the more you want Him to come quickly.

This side of heaven, we do a lot of waiting.  So my question is, what should our response be while we wait?

In the next post, we will meet Anna.  I think she has some good insights about waiting.